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Review
. 2019 May 17:12:337-349.
doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S192951. eCollection 2019.

Sexual dimorphism of oxytocin and vasopressin in social cognition and behavior

Qiaoqiao Lu  1   2 , Jianbo Lai  1   3   4 , Yanli Du  2 , Tingting Huang  2 , Pornkanok Prukpitikul  2 , Yi Xu  1   3   4 , Shaohua Hu  1   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Sexual dimorphism of oxytocin and vasopressin in social cognition and behavior

Qiaoqiao Lu et al. Psychol Res Behav Manag. .

Abstract

The neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) are hormones that are known to mediate social behavior and cognition, but their influence may be sex-dependent. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the sex-related influence of OT and VP on social cognition, focusing on partner preference and sexual orientation, trust and relevant behaviors, memory modulation, and emotion regulation. Most studies have suggested that OT facilitates familiar-partner preference in both sexes, with females being more significant, increased trust in others, especially for male, enhanced memory in either sex, and reduced anxious emotion in males. However, VP-regulated social cognition has been less studied. Other relevant studies have indicated that VP facilitated familiar-partner preference, improved memory, induced empathy formation, increased positive-emotion recognition, and induced anxiety without any sex difference. However, there was a male preponderance among studies, and results were often too complex to draw firm conclusions. Clarifying the interplay between OT/VP and sex hormones in the regulation of social cognition is necessary for further applications.

Keywords: oxytocin; sexual difference; social behavior; social cognition; vasopressin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Influence of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) on partner preference.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Influence of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) on emotion in both sexes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ultimatum game and dictator game. Notes: In the ultimatum game, A is endowed with $10 before the game starts. A may split $5 or $2 to B. B may accept or reject the money split from A. When B accepts, both A and B receive the corresponding amount of money. However, if B rejects, either A or B achieves no money. The dictator game is derived from the ultimatum game. A is the only decision-maker to determine the amount of money each person gets. Abbreviation: OT, oxytocin.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prisoner’s dilemma and envelope tasks. Notes: In the prisoner’s dilemma, A and B make sequential choices, which means A chooses to cooperate or defect first and then B is able to see A’s choice before making her/his own choice. There are four outcomes in total, and each is associated with a different payoff. In the envelope task, participants place intimate information into an envelope anonymously and hand it to a stranger. All participants can choose to seal (even add sticky tape to) the envelope or not. Assessment criteria are the degree of openness of the envelopes, with totally open indicating utmost trust. Abbreviation: OT, oxytocin.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Monetary game. Notes: There are two parts tothis game. Both A (the investor) and B (the trustee) are participants, and receive an initial endowment of 12 monetary units (MUs). In part one, A chooses to send 0, 4, 8, or 12 MUs to B (B1–B4, respectively). The MUs B receives from A are then tripled. In part two, B is free to send any amount of MUs between 0 and the total MUs available back to A.
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