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The love hormone keeps men from cheating
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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The hormone oxytocin, the so-called “love hormone,” besides improving understanding between a woman and a man, also helps men remain faithful to their other halves.
The hormone oxytocin has also been exposed for its negative effect on humans – it provokes unjustified aggression and reduces trust in people around us. However, it is now fully justified, at least by women for sure.
Read also: How does love change your body chemistry?
As is already known, the "love hormone" supports monogamy in wild animals. Scientists from the University of Bonn were interested in whether oxytocin could reduce the likelihood of marital infidelity in humans.
To conduct the experiment, the experts invited 86 heterosexual men. They were divided into two groups: one group was given a dose of oxytocin via a nasal spray, while the other group was given a placebo. After that, all subjects were assigned a date with attractive women. The experts gave the men the task of determining what distance with a woman would be most comfortable for them to simply chat.
As it turned out, oxytocin "moves away" those men who are already in a romantic relationship, but it does not affect single participants. They were comfortable communicating at a distance of 50-60 cm compared to "busy" gentlemen, who did not allow ladies closer than 70-75 cm.
The second series of experiments confirmed the scientists' findings. The men were asked to zoom in on or out of photos of beautiful women and images of unpleasant sights (severed limbs, etc.). They were also treated with "love hormones" as in the previous experiment. Of course, looking at pretty girls was much more pleasant than disgusting, terrifying pictures. However, it was noted that under the influence of oxytocin, men responded to images of women more weakly, with a noticeable delay.
Researchers have concluded that oxytocin can strengthen monogamy and keep the stronger half of humanity from cheating, forcing them to keep their distance from other women.