by U Zurich
Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) have shown that oxytocin levels increase when competition or clearly defined groups are involved – especially in men.
“Previous work showed that taking oxytocin with a nasal spray can make people more ‘group’,” said Charlotte Debrus of UZH’s Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, who conducted the study as part of her doctoral research.
“But it is not known whether OT increases naturally during group competition.”
To systematically study competition, researchers organized soccer tournaments with the indigenous Tsimane’ people in the Bolivian Amazon.
“The Tsimane’s lifestyle affects their hormone levels,” says Adrian Jaeggi, also from UZH’s Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, who has been conducting research at the site since 2011.
such as reproductive hormone levels Testosterone Or progesterone is low when calories are hard to come by. Meanwhile, the social factors associated with OT are perhaps particularly important in these highly interdependent societies. To test their hypothesis, the researchers measured oxytocin levels in the urine of soccer players before and after matches.
Oxytocin levels increased the most after matches against familiar rivals but were lower among different ethnic groups. When Tsimane played against ‘non-Tsimane’ people, however, the increase was again higher.
“This suggests that oxytocin is sensitive to the salience of antagonists—showing heightened responsiveness both to familiar competitors and to a clearly defined out-group,” Jaeggi said.
A particularly interesting finding of the study was that women’s OT levels did not differ from men’s before or after play. Debrus cites several possible explanations for this.
“First, women started at higher baseline levels, because many of them were breastfeeding, which can make it harder to detect change.”
It is also possible that football may not hold the same significance for women, as they play less than men. Another explanation is provided by the “male warrior hypothesis”, which proposes that males generally evolved to invest more in group competition.
“The most important form of competition for ‘Tsimane’ women may involve relational dynamics, such as reputation management or rather than physical competition for social support,” Debras said.
The study does not make it possible to determine whether OT increases primarily promote cohesion within teams or competition with opposing teams. In team sports, both sides are closely related.
“Cooperation can be a successful way to compete in the game of life, and seems to be a key ingredient for OT,” Jaeggi says. “OT has been linked to group conflict in species ranging from fish to chimpanzees. Our findings show that similar mechanisms exist in humans.”
Research shows Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Source: University of Zurich
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This post was Previously published on FUTURITY.ORG and is republished here under a Creative Commons License.
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