By O. A. Wudarczyk, B. D. Earp, A. J. Guastella & J. Savulescu
Abstract
Purpose of review.
Well-functioning romantic relationships are important for long-term health and well-being, but they are often difficult to sustain. This difficulty arises (in part) because of an underlying tension between our psychobiological natures, culture/environment, and modern love and relationship goals. One possible solution to this predicament is to intervene at the level of psychobiology, enhancing partners’ interpersonal connection through neurochemical modulation. This article focuses on a single, promising biobehavioral sub-system for such intervention: the attachment system, based largely upon the expression of the neuropeptide oxytocin. Could the exogenous administration of oxytocin—under the right conditions—be used to facilitate relational or marital well-being?
Recent findings.
If so, it would require considerable forethought. Recent research complicates the popular image of oxytocin as a universal social enhancer or ‘love hormone’ and shows that it may exert a variety of different effects, at different dosages, on different people, under different circumstances. Accordingly, we discuss what is known about oxytocin, including its“good” and “bad” effects on human behavior and on higher-order functional processes.
Summary.
Building upon animal-model, human preclinical, and clinical findings, we outline a proposal for the use of oxytocin in the therapeutic neuroenhancement of contemporary romantic relationships. Highlighting key targets for future research along the way, we then conclude by discussing some of the clinical and ethical considerations that would pertain to the implementation of this knowledge in applied settings.
Key Points
* Intranasal oxytocin may hold promise for the therapeutic neuroenhancement of modern relationships. Oxytocin has “good” and “bad” effects, however, that may be different for different individuals and couples depending upon a range of personal, interpersonal, and contextual factors.
* Large-scale clinical trials with adequate sample sizes, and that include both males and females, are needed to fill in a range of “gaps” in existing knowledge. Chronic administrations and ecologically valid study designs should be top research priorities.
* The imminent prospect of neurochemical modulation of interpersonal relationships should inspire the development of general ethical guidelines for the responsible use of such technology. These guidelines should emphasize autonomy, consent, and personal and interpersonal well-being.
* As is the case with any new area of biomedical research, practical, moral, and clinical-policy considerations must be addressed in tandem with any progress made on scientific and theoretical fronts.
