‘Love Hormone’ Oxytocin May Enhance Feelings Of Spirituality

The same hormone that helps mothers bond with their newborns may also enhance feelings of spirituality, a new study suggests.

It’s been called the “love hormone” and the “cuddle chemical,” but doctors and scientists know it as oxytocin, a hormone secreted by the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland during times of love and bonding.

A recent study spearheaded by Duke University social psychologist Patty Van Cappellen found that participants who received doses of oxytocin reported a greater sense of spirituality than those who received a placebo.

“Oxytocin appears to be part of the way our bodies support spiritual beliefs,” Van Cappellen said in a statement.

For research purposes, the study defined spirituality as a sense of connection to a higher power or to the world that gives meaning to people’s lives.

Eighty-three men between the ages of 35 to 64 participated in the study. Each participant received either a dose of oxytocin or a placebo, administered through a nasal spray.

Researchers found that those who received oxytocin were more likely to report feeling that spirituality was important in their lives and that life has meaning and purpose. They were also more likely to give higher ratings to statements like, “All life is interconnected” and “There is a higher plane of consciousness or spirituality that binds all people.”

Participants also listened to a guided meditation, after which those who received oxytocin reported experiencing more positive emotions like awe, gratitude, hope, inspiration, interest, love and serenity than those who received a placebo.