Skip to content

Study · Randomized controlled trial · n = 40 · 2017

4 results

Oxytocin increases attention to the eyes and selectively enhances self-reported affective empathy for fear.

Hubble K, Daughters K, Manstead ASR, Rees A, Thapar A, van Goozen SHM

Neuropsychologia18 Oct 2017Cited by 30 (Europe PMC)

PMID29055680 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.10.019 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-29055680
Source linkPubMedAsk about this study
Jump to 4 results

Summary

The text of this summary is not shown here, because the article license does not allow reuse. Read it at the source (opens in a new tab)

Text rights: Publisher copyright. Results still quote short attributed sentences.

Results from this study4

4 results from studies that gave the peptide. 4 results from people.

  1. 01HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In healthy men, intranasal oxytocin increased the time spent fixating upon the eye-region of the protagonist's face across emotions, versus placebo.

    In plain wordsIn healthy men, oxytocin increased the time spent looking at the eyes in videos, compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseTime fixating on the eye region
    Study

    n = 40

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasalAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    OXT led to an increase in time spent fixating upon the eye-region of the protagonist's face across emotions.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In a double-blind, within-subjects, randomized control trial, 40 healthy male participants received 24 IU intranasal OXT or placebo in two identical experimental sessions, separated by a 2-week interval.
  2. 02HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In healthy men, intranasal oxytocin selectively enhanced self-reported affective empathy for fear versus placebo.

    In plain wordsIn healthy men, oxytocin raised self-reported emotional empathy for fear, compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseSelf-reported affective empathy for fear
    Study

    n = 40

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasalAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    OXT also selectively enhanced self-reported affective empathy for fear
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In a double-blind, within-subjects, randomized control trial, 40 healthy male participants received 24 IU intranasal OXT or placebo in two identical experimental sessions, separated by a 2-week interval.
  3. 03HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In healthy men, intranasal oxytocin did not affect cognitive or affective empathy for emotions other than fear, versus placebo.

    In plain wordsIn healthy men, oxytocin did not change empathy for emotions other than fear, compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    No significant changeCognitive or affective empathy for other emotions
    Study

    n = 40

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasalAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    but did not affect cognitive or affective empathy for other emotions.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In a double-blind, within-subjects, randomized control trial, 40 healthy male participants received 24 IU intranasal OXT or placebo in two identical experimental sessions, separated by a 2-week interval.
  4. 04HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    In healthy men, there was no positive relationship between eye-gaze patterns and affective empathy.

    In plain wordsIn healthy men, where they looked on the face was not linked to how much empathy they reported.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    No significant changeRelationship between eye-gaze patterns and affective empathy
    Study

    n = 40

    Outcome group
    Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasalAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Nevertheless, there was no positive relationship between eye-gaze patterns and affective empathy
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In a double-blind, within-subjects, randomized control trial, 40 healthy male participants received 24 IU intranasal OXT or placebo in two identical experimental sessions, separated by a 2-week interval.

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

PepBank keeps every version of the data on this study. Status changes from Retraction Watch, Europe PMC and Crossref are listed with their source.

  1. Version 2Current

    11 Oct 2026, 01:30 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    9 Oct 2026, 02:49 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

PepBank is a research reference. Talk to a doctor before you use any peptide.