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Hormone that triggers love can also lead to war |
The so-called love hormone —
oxytocin — that spurs mothers to protect their offspring may also trigger
a sense of self-sacrifice and lead to aggression among
warriors.
Researchers have found that in the heat of battle they have
the same chemicals running through their bloodstreams as protective mothers,
meaning they develop incredibly strong bonds with each other but become
extremely aggressive to outsiders, reports the Telegraph.
The effect
revolves around the hormone oxytocin which is released at times of stress and
when people socialize with each other. But the scientists have found that this
chemical, often referred to as the love or bonding hormone, also makes them
— like mothers — incredibly aggressive to
outsiders.
Using a computer simulation game they found that
volunteers given a spray of oxytocin bonded more quickly and deeply with their
own group but became much more hostile to outsiders.
Lead researcher
Carsten De Dreu, of the University of Amsterdam, said the phenomenon was known
as "parochial altruism" or "tend and defend". This means high oxytocin levels
produce "in-group love" and "out-group aggression".
"Oxytocin is a
double edged sword. It makes you kinder to your group but more aggressive to
those outside," the Telegraph quoted De Dreu as saying. The study has been
published in journal Science. De Dreu thinks the production of oxytocin, which
increases at times of stress and in new mothers, has evolved since hunter
gathering times when food was scarce and groups had to compete to survive.
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