Science Behind Human Connection

May 21, 2012

Interview with Paul J. Zak, author of the book The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity

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Mike Carruthers:
What is it that causes us to want to connect with other people it turns out to be something in the brain that’s been labeled the moral molecule.

Paul J. Zak:
The moral molecule is oxytocin which is, until 10 years ago, an underappreciated chemical in the brain only to be associated with childbirth.
 

Paul Zak, author of the book The Moral Molecule...

Oxytocin is evolutionary an old molecule in the brain that motivates connection to others by giving us a sense of safety.  So it says this person’s safe to interact with and with human beings the system kind of works in hyper drive. And so we not only care about our friends and family we actually care about complete strangers, our pets - so we’re really this connecting species.

Paul says that stress and other hormones can inhibit your brain from releasing oxytocin.

One of the most powerful oxytocin inhibitors is testosterone. And so when we administer testosterone to men they become more selfish and more entitled. But at the same time high testosterone males will invest their own resources to punish people who don’t behave properly.

We know that touching causes the brain to release more oxytocin.

So I have just refused to shake hands the last couple of years and I hug everybody. So I ask them first and I don’t of course grab people. It turns out that just preannouncing that, because I know it releases oxytocin in other people, connects people better to me.

To hear the complete unedited interview, click here.