Study: “The same hormone evokes both love and envy”. There are pros and cons and at least two sides to everything. That’s probably why a person has many sides.
以色列海法大學的研究證實，引發愛與妒恨情緒皆出自於相同荷爾蒙.事情也是兩面- 人就不止了, 好多面.
出自相同荷爾蒙 由愛生妒有醫學根據 | 即時新聞 | 生活天氣 | 聯合新聞網
出自相同荷爾蒙 由愛生妒有醫學根據
【中央社╱特拉維夫15日專電】2009.11.15 10:28 pm
以色列海法大學的研究證實，引發愛與妒恨情緒皆出自於相同荷爾蒙，好比一個銅板的兩面。
以色列「耶路撒冷郵報」（Jerusalem Post）報導，「催產素」（Oxytocin）為眾所周知的「愛情荷爾蒙」，可使人產生同情、慷慨與信任的情感。
但測試56名志願參與實驗者的反應發現，催產素也可引發人產生因愛生妒的反社會負面行為，證明愛與妒以及由愛生妒為一體兩面。
海法大學的這項研究，發表在「生物精神病學」（Biological Psychiatry）期刊。
主持這項研究的沙米蘇瑞（Simone Shamay-Tsoory）博士說，依據研究催產素的發現推測，它是催化所有社交情緒的荷爾蒙。
她說，當某人的社交多朝正向發展，催產素可刺激人產生符合社會要求的行為，反之催產素則將誘發人產生負面的情緒。
原先的研究發現，催產素對於產生正面情緒有正面的效果，婦女生產或與伴侶發生性行為時，它會從體內自然釋出。
參與實驗者吸入人工製的催產素時，會表現明顯的利他主義情緒，催產素被認為在形塑人際關係時，扮演重要角色。
不過隨後在齧齒類動物的研究發現，催產素也會產生攻擊性的情緒。海法大學最新的研究，則以人體作為實驗，將56名參與實驗的志願者分為兩組。
其中一組在實驗首階段投以安慰劑，第2階段投以催產素，另一組則完全相反，結果發現凡吸入催產素的實驗參與者，當對手在遊戲中勝出時會產生妒恨的情緒，而勝利者則會表現出洋洋得意的神態。
沙米蘇瑞博士表示，先前的研究證實，催產素可用於治療自閉症等，但他們的研究顯示，催產素可檢測人行為發生前的情緒反應。
And from http://www.jpost.com/
Study: Same hormone evokes both love and envy
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHAs our lives all too often show, love and envy are two sides of the same coin. An Israeli scientist has now proven that they are two sides of the same hormone as well.
Dr. Simone Shamay-Tsoory, who conducted her research at the University of Haifa, has discovered that the same mammalian hormone involved in labor, delivery, lactation and love can also evoke negative behaviors such as jealousy and gloating.
Oxytocin is best known as the “love hormone” for its ability to trigger empathy, generosity and trust. But after testing 56 volunteers, Shamay-Tsoory found that there was a fine line between love and jealousy – and that oxytocin could also bring out antisocial behaviors. Her study was published in the latest issue of Biological Psychiatry.
“Subsequent to these findings, we assume that the hormone is an overall trigger for social sentiments. When the person’s association is positive, oxytocin bolsters pro-social behaviors; when the association is negative, the hormone increases negative sentiments,” she explained.
Previous studies have shown that the hormone has a positive effect on positive feelings. It is released in the body naturally during childbirth and when engaging in sexual intercourse. Participants in an experiment who inhaled the synthetic form of the hormone displayed higher levels of altruistic feelings, and it is suggested that it plays an important role in the formation of relationships between people.
However, in earlier studies carried out with rodents, it was found that the hormone was also related to higher levels of aggression. Therefore, it was decided to examine whether the hormone also affected negative social sentiments. In the new study, done on humans, half of the participants inhaled the synthetic form of the hormone in the first session and were given a neutral placebo in the second session; the others were given a placebo in the first session and oxytocin in the second session.
After the drug was inhaled, each participant was asked to play a game of luck along with another competitor, who was in fact – and without their knowledge – a computer. Each of the participants was asked to choose one of three doors and was awarded the sum of money hidden behind that door. Sometimes the participant gained less money than the other player, and sometimes more, creating conditions in which a person might develop feelings of envy and gloating.
The findings showed that those who had inhaled oxytocin displayed higher levels of envy when the opponent won more money and of gloating when they were ahead. As soon as the game was over, no differences between the participants were evident with regard to these sentiments. This indicated that the negative feelings were empowered only in the course of the game itself.
“Following the earlier results of experiments with oxytocin, we began to examine the possible use of the hormone as a medication for various disorders, such as autism.
