ABSTRACT
Creating and maintaining strong and lasting affiliative bonds with others are both fundamental human abilities and needs. Research on animals’ neuroendocrinology of social behavior demonstrated that the central nervous oxytocin system represents an evolutionarily conserved mediator of affiliation-related cognition and behavior. In humans, experimental researchers have investigated the effects of intranasal administration of this “social neuropeptide” on social interaction and underlying activities in the human brain as revealed by metabolic and electrical neuroimaging. These studies have substantially advanced our understanding of the molecular basis of human affiliation between children and parents, romantic partners, and group members.
