Oxytocin May Promote Immoral Group Behavior

Many studies have considered the potentially therapeutic effects of oxytocin, a neuropeptide that promotes social cooperation. One essayist, though, has emphasized caution at this stage of knowledge (NEJM JW Psychiatry Feb 4 2013, second item). Now, researchers have used a double-blind, placebo-controlled design and a computer-based, coin-toss prediction task to explore in 60 healthy undergraduate men (mean age, 22) whether intranasal oxytocin affects lying to benefit a group.

Participants were told that they were assigned to a three-person group, that each member would perform the same task, and that earnings would be pooled. Individuals were asked to predict the outcome of a random coin toss, memorize it, and report whether the prediction …