I have heard about the studies on the oxytocin levels in monogamous prairie voles and now I am very curious about the role of oxytocin in homosexual couples and their attachment to each other. How does gender come into play?
2007-05-27 19:07:43 · 4 answers · asked by veinposeur 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
I have heard about the studies on the oxytocin levels in monogamous prairie voles and now I am very curious about the role of oxytocin in homosexual couples and their attachment to each other. How does gender come into play?
[Edit] I don't think I was being clear, I mean that oxytocin often plays a role in attachment - as in between a mother and her new child or even between a man and woman after coitus. I'm still curious about oxytocin's effects in homosexual couples.
2007-05-28 05:22:18 · update #1
Oxytocin is very much involved in sex, and also in the bond between two adults. (This has been shown clearly in prairie voles. While we don't have studies explicitly showing this in humans, there are many studies that show oxytocin increases trust, empathy and openness.)
As a hormone traveling through the bloodstream, oxytocin is involved in penile erection and also in the contractions that eject sperm. It's likely involved in the contractions of the uterus and clitoris during a woman's climax.
But you asked about attachment. There are no clear studies, but the evidence is very strong that oxytocin, along with vasopressin and dopamine, promote attachment between couples.
Homosexuals are still people, with all the same equipment. Therefore, their bonding mechanisms are the same. However, the influence of the sex hormones make this interesting.
Estrogen enhances the effects of oxytocin, while testosterone mutes them. At the same time, there's evidence that lovers do respond to estrogen- and testosterone-related compounds in each others' saliva and sweat.
Therefore, two women who are lovers get an extra dose of oxytocin-enhancing estrogen, and that extra estrogen could make their reaction to oxytocin stronger. Two men, on the other hand, might feel less effects, due to the testosterone interchange, as well as their own natural testosterone.
It's crucial to note here that the wide range of temperaments and tendencies in men and women certainly extends to gays and lesbians. Men gay and straight may find it extremely easy to bond, while women of all sexual persuasions run the gamut from runaround to stay-at-home. The important thing is that all of us, gay and straight, bond the same way.
You'll have to wait until my book comes out to get details on this.
2007-05-29 12:00:25 · answer #1 · answered by Susan Kuchinskas 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oxytocin Relationships
2016-12-17 12:58:04 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. I think you are stretching something in prairie voles that has nothing whatsoever to do with homosexuality.
Oxytocin is more the love hormone of a mother for a child and not a sexual desire inducing hormone. For instance, oxytocin is the hormone that causes milk to be released when a new baby is born.
2007-05-28 03:52:31 · answer #3 · answered by Joan H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-10-08 23:38:43 · answer #4 · answered by Erika 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋