Oxytocin

Posterior pituitary Brain + Body

Also acts as a neurotransmitter — Oxytocin on Neurotransmission ↗

A hormone and neuropeptide central to social bonding, trust, childbirth (uterine contractions), and lactation (milk letdown). Released by warm social contact.

Too little may be associated with

Reduced social bonding cues.

Too much may be associated with

Rarely an issue physiologically; medically, overstimulation of labor.

Informational only — not medical advice.

Organ systems

Stimuli that influence it

Substances

MDMA (↑)^(HARMFUL)

Behaviors

Functions

Research (46)

Hypothalamic Dysfunction Casipit et al. (2026) PubMed ↗
Oxytocin Froemke et al. (2025) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Breastfeeding: The Multifaceted Impact on Child Development and Maternal Well-Being Purkiewicz et al. (2025) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
The Molecular Basis of Love Babková et al. (2025) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Evidence-based cesarean delivery: postoperative care (part 10) Mackeen et al. (2025) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
A narrative review of research linking non-sexual social touch to sleep quality Xie et al. (2024) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Volunteer Engagement within Equine Assisted Services Vincent et al. (2024) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Oxytocin, GABA, and dopamine interplay in autism Havranek et al. (2024) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Breastfeeding and Postpartum Depression: A Review of Relationships and Potential Mechanisms Henshaw (2023) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Brain trust Erdman (2023) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Effects of oxytocin on the hair growth ability of dermal papilla cells Kageyama et al. (2023) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
[Autism. Pharmacological treatment] Ruggieri (2023) PubMed ↗
Social circuits and their dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder Sato et al. (2023) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Yoga for Preventive Health: A Holistic Approach Madan et al. (2023) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Skin-to-Skin Contact in the Third Stage of Labor and Postpartum Hemorrhage Prevention: A Scoping Review Ruiz et al. (2023) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗

Community

No contributions yet.