Study reveals oxytocin nasal spray reduces acute feelings of loneliness
What's the story
A recent study conducted by a team of European and Israeli doctors has explored the effects of administering oxytocin, commonly known as the "love hormone," via nasal spray to individuals experiencing social distress.
Published in the journal Psychother Psychosom, the research found that while subjects did not report a decrease in overall loneliness, stress, or even quality of life, they did feel a reduction in acute feelings of loneliness.
This effect was observed to last for months after treatment.
Therapy enhancement
Feel-good hormone's impact on group therapy sessions
Jana Lieberz, the study's senior author and a faculty member at Germany's University of Bonn, stated that the psychological intervention was linked with a reduced perception of stress, and an improvement in general loneliness in all treatment groups.
This effect "was still visible three months after the follow-up examination," she added in a press release about the research.
Furthermore, researchers found that those dosed with oxytocin found it easier to connect with others during group therapy sessions.
Future implications
Oxytocin's potential in alleviating loneliness
Lieberz noted that oxytocin was able to improve positive relationship with other group members, and reduce acute feelings of loneliness right from the start.
She suggested that this could be beneficial in supporting patients at the beginning of psychotherapy.
Despite the promising results, further research is required due to the trial's limited size (only 78 participants) and the challenge in distinguishing between "perceived" and "acute" loneliness.
However, researchers remain optimistic about their findings' potential implications for alleviating loneliness.