The Love Potion: Does it Work??

It is being marketed as a love potion. Oxytocin is a chemical in the brain that is often referred to as the love chemical. Companies are now trying to develop nose sprays that they believe will provide people with oxytocin and stimulate relationships. But according to a new study, they shouldn't waste their money. Here's what we know: oxytocin levels in humans have been shown to play a role in mother child bonding. Thirty one men were studied and randomly assigned to receive either oxytocin or a sugar pill. Ninety minutes later they filled out a questionnaire dealing with maternal care and closeness. The scientists discovered that people with positive images of their mothers felt even closer after receiving oxytocin. But here's the catch: those who felt distanced from their mothers felt even worse about them after the oxytocin. The bottom line is that the oxytocin brain relationship is far more complex than previously thought.