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Zurich (pte031/02.06.2005/13:00) - Scientists have found that the hormone oxytocin can facilitate a greater sense of trust.
The research, led by Michael Kosfeld at the University of Zurich, Switzerland http://www.iew.unizh.ch/index.en.html , found that three puffs of a nasal spray containing the hormone made an 'investor' far more willing to give money to a 'trustee' than under normal circumstances.
In the game that was set up for the test the investor was told that there was no obligation for the trustee to return his money at all - a risk of losing the invested money. This was successful with those who had sniffed the hormone and not with those who had been given a placebo.
It was also shown that this trust dissolved when a computerised transaction was used, which confirmed that the effect was 'interpersonal' and was not about the general predilection to gambling.
Kosfeld suggests that the hormone allows a person to overcome problems of personal interaction - that it reduces shyness and elicits a feeling of trust. . "It helps animals to approach one another, which is a parallel with trust in our game," he said.
The hormone could, Kosfeld speculates, help people who are inordinately shy or withdrawn. "We're hoping that if you use oxytocin as a companion to psychotherapy, it could have some positive effects," he said.
More research needs to be done about whether the hormone could be used to con people, but Kosfeld doubts that this is possible due to the fact that it takes an hour for the hormone to reach the brain. It is also not yet known if it can be used to spike drinks.
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