Being “ inebriated in love ” is more than a poetical metaphor . Oxytocin , thefamous " love hormone " , can have effects that are remarkably similar to intoxicant , indicating that there is a downside to what in recent year has beenhailed as a wonder chemical substance .
Oxytocin is free during childbirth and helps mothers to hold fast with their kid . degree have been shown to rise when kiss and during other body process associated with quixotic erotic love , and canenhance empathyandtrust . Of course , there are time when too much trustfulness can be grave , but as a oecumenical principle this all sounds large .
However , the ways in which oxytocin acts , suppress theprefrontalandlimbic - corticalcircuits , can resemble the effects of alcohol . A connexion between the two chemical hasalready been establishedin the quest for a sobriety contraceptive pill , and Dr Ian Mitchell of the University of Birmingham wondered how far the similarities locomote .
" We thought it was an area deserving explore , so we pooled existing inquiry into the effect of both Pitocin and alcohol and were struck by the incredible similarities between the two chemical compound , ” Mitchellsaid . His findings were published inNeuroscience & Biobehavioural Reviews .
" They appear to target different receptors within the brain , but get common actions onGABAtransmission in the prefrontal cortex and the limbic anatomical structure , ” Mitchell said . “ These nervous circuits ensure how we perceive stress or anxiety , especially in social situation such as interviews , or perhaps even plucking up the courage to ask somebody on a date . Taking compounds such as oxytocin and alcohol can make these place seem less daunting . "
Needing a little liquid reinforcement to politely ask someone out to dinner party , however , can lead to drunkenly not taking no for an reply . Mitchell see the same can be true of oxytocin .
Co - generator Dr Steven Gillespie , also of the University of Birmingham , said , " I do n’t think we ’ll see a time when oxytocin is used socially as an option to alcohol . But it is a fascinating neurochemical and , away from matter of the warmness , has a potential usage in treatment of psychological and psychiatrical conditions . ”
perhaps it is oxytocin , not alcohol , that is the “ effort of and solution to all of sprightliness ’s problems ” .
