So Shy! So Little Oxytocin

Lower levels of oxytocin may make people shy, according to Lawsun Wilsun, a professor of psychiatry and family medicine at the University of Cinncinnati. He mentions unnamed studies showing that the brains of normal people who were given oxytocin were less fearful when threatening people came around.

Of course, shyness goes along with difficulty in bonding, another effect of a thwarted oxytocin response.

Wilsun  writes in the Cinncinnati Enquirer,

These studies raise the possibility that people with social phobia or paranoia lack sufficient oxytocin to develop trust. Soon we may have new treatments that regulate and restore oxytocin.

Comments

[Rhea]

Interesting. I am a normally outgoing person, but I have bouts of shyness particularly in dating-type situations. Hmmm.

[Susan Kuchinskas]

Tell me about it! I used to be nearly speechless on dates -- the more I liked someone, the quieter I would get.

A dating situation, when there is the prospect of physical as well as emotional intimacy, can trigger fears that were first formed when we were babies.

In my family, closeness and emotional openness were dangerous, so I brought that same fear to dating.

One possible remedy might be to prepare for a date by hanging out with someone you feel comfortable with and close to right before the date. Even a phone call could work. We talk about friends psyching us up; they also kick up our happy hormones.