Hug the Monkey

Rare Chance to Hear from Sue Carter

Sue Carter,  the University of Illinois scientist who helped discover how oxytocin helps us bond, is doing a $50 webinar for the Canadian Lactation Consultant Association.

Her work with prairie voles helped solve the mystery of human attachment. But she hasn't had as high a profile as some other oxytocin researchers.

Here's the promo for the webinar, held April 7, from 3:30 to 5 EDT:

Sue Carter, PhD is Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director of The Brain Body Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Dr. Carter studies the neurobiology of socio-emotional behaviors, including social bonds and parental behavior.  Her work also led to the discovery that oxytocin and vasopressin can program the developing nervous system with life-long consequences for brain and behavior.   She has authored over 250 articles and edited 5 volumes including “Attachment and Bonding: A New Synthesis” (MIT Press, 2006). Dr. Carter has served as President of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, and was recipient of a Research Career Scientist Award from NIH.

Sign up for the webinar with Sue Carter.

 

Rare chance: Free webinar w Sue Carter, who helped discover the oxytocin/love link http://ping.fm/N9VMI

More DIY Oxytocin Science

And this one is hilarious:

Not even 6pm on a school night and I’m in the toilets of a West London bar with a needle deep in a vein in my arm. I’m a middle-aged, well-educated mother of a beautiful 11-year-old girl, so you might be asking yourself how it all went so horribly wrong.

No, the needle is part of an experiment to measure my ‘happiness levels ...’

Follow journalist Suzanne Taylor as she tests whether a hot date, a family night at home, shopping or drinks with friends will give her more of an oxytocin spike.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1366976/Hormone-test-shows-REALLY-makes-women-feel-happy.html#ixzz1Gst0x0pt

Sex Hormones, not Oxytocin, Influence Fidelity?

A study led by Jillian O’Connor, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University, found that people think they can predict whether a mate will cheat by listening to tone of voice.

And, they may be right.

According to the McMaster news release,

“The reason voice pitch influences perceptions of cheating is likely due to the relationship between pitch, hormones and infidelity,” explains David Feinberg, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour and advisor on the study.

“Men with higher testosterone levels have lower pitched voices, and women with higher estrogen levels have higher pitched voices. High levels of these hormones are associated with adulterous behaviour and our findings indicate individuals are somewhat aware of the link and may use this in their search for a romantic partner.”

 

Oxytocin for Couples Therapy? Why Not?

A chiropractor in Phoenix is giving patients oxytocin lozenges to help them connect better.

I've written before about studies examining whether oxytocin could make couples therapy go better by increasing empathy.

Sorry to redirect you, folks, but this other -- paying -- blog gig I have is all about the page views.

Please read my story, The Couple's Love Drug. It has links to my previous posts, as well as to a good article on Time.com and the story about the chiropractor.