Every day for the past few months, I’ve noticed a significant increase in articles on Oxytocin, the neuropeptide that’s at the very heart, (yes, pun intended,) of human bonding. From stories about creating trust with our pet pooches, to black-market trafficking, and oxcytocin’s important role in trust and love, there are experiments, grants, and research papers getting frequent media attention.

While oxytocin makes us loving, trusting, caring beings, the lack of oxytocin seems to be the core of psychopathy. Oxytocin enables our ability to feel emotional empathy and develop a conscience. One can only hope that someday, a medical cure may exist to enable inherently cruel people to live more caring lives.

Powered by oxytocin, our brain chemistry makes us feel attached to people we love. Without it, relationships are shallow and transient. A person with a hefty dose of oxytocin would remain emotionally attached in a relationship, even when they’re abused or betrayed. It takes a significant whack across the head with an emotional or physical two-by-four for emotionally vested lovers to turn away.

Perhaps, one day, oxytocin replacement will make it possible for people who suffer relationship abuse to wean themselves away and more readily find the exit door. We can hope, can’t we?

Here are just a few recent articles that have been published on oxytocin:

According to Science, Sex Is the Fastest Way To Sober Up, Her.ie, Casey Delaney, April, 2016

How Snorting Oxytocin Could Curb Our Impulsive Behavior, Impulse, Yasmin Tayag, April 4, 2016

New brain study shows how Marco Rubio Gets Attention and Wins Hearts, Carmine Gallo, Forbes, February 7, 2016

Prairie Voles Show Empathy Just Like Humans, Popular Science, Grennan Milliken, January 21, 2016

The Science of Love, MyBreast, December 24, 2015

What Happens When You Fall In Love, Bustle, Rachel Sanoff, May 2015

Oxytocin, What is it and what does it do? Medical News Today, September 21, 2015

Marriage Done Right, Basic Biology a factor in falling, staying in love, The News/Sentinel.com, James E. Sheridan November 4, 2015

This spray makes men appear 15% more attractive to women, Inquisitor, Tara West, January 9, 2015

Death of pregnant woman: Deceased administered substandard injections: Hindustan Times, January 11, 2016

When crisis strikes, women help each other through, TheStar.com, December 25, 2015

Zebra Finch Bonding Hinges on Social Hormones, Inside Science News Service, January 1, 2016,

Are you a Scrooge? Researchers pinpoint “generous” centre of the brain Daily Mail, December 18, 2015

Oxytocin Might Raise, Not Lower Anxiety in Women, Health & Medicine, December 9, 2015

Oxytocin Could Influence Genders Differently, Counsel & Heal News, December 7, 2015

Oxytocin Hormone Strengthens Social Ties, News, Medical, Life Sciences & Medicine, November 26, 2015

Sexless Marriage, Understanding why passion and sex die, Hitched, Dr. Carla Greco Manly,

Five Things We’ve Learned About Fear Since Last Halloween, Smithsonian.com, Randy Rieland, October 30, 2015

Are you a cheat? Blame your Dad! Counsel & Heal, Mental Health, October 30, 2016

Infidelity Lurks in Your Genes, NY Times, May 22, 2015

“Love Hormone” Makes Social Interaction Pleasurable: Oxytocin Induces Marijuana-Like Effects, Youth Health, October 28, 2015

The Art of Romance, The South African.com, Erene Oberholzer, October, 2015

Does the cuddle hormone hold the key to a happy marriage? The Daily Mail October 14, 2015

Bates prof to study love hormone, Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal, October 2, 2015

The Sex Instinct, Mint, On Sunday, October 4, 2015

Study shows our heart beats sync up when we trust each other, Inverse, September 23, 2015

Antisocial behavior and plymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor gene: findings in two independent samples, Molecular Psychiatry, September 22, 2015

Man nabbed with 61 cartons of oxytocin injection, Business Standard, September 24, 2015

Spooning is actually really good for you, The Daily Edge, The Journal.ie, September 28, 2015