Resumo

CAMPOS, Diana Catarina Ferreira de  e  GRAVETO, João Manuel Garcia do Nascimento. Oxytocin and human behavior. Rev. Enf. Ref. [online]. 2010, vol.serIII, n.1, pp. 125-130. ISSN 0874-0283.

Recently, there have been numerous speculations about the influence of oxytocin in emotions and social relations of human beings. This article portrays a study that essentially reflects on the role of oxytocin in human behavior. The survey was conducted in the databases MEDLINE, PubMed version and CINAHL. The main results of the research argue that oxytocin levels increase in response to massage and positive emotion induction. Intranasal oxytocin administration increases calm levels, decreases anxiety level and promote trust behaviours between individuals. A better understanding of the neurobiochemestry biological mechanisms of human behavior have implications for the development of scientific knowledge about psychiatric disorders with a particular handicap in social relations (eg, autism, schizophrenia, borderline personality).

Palavras-chave : oxytocin; human behavior; emotions; social cognition.