Social dialogue triggers biobehavioral synchrony of partners' endocrine response via sex-specific, hormone-specific, attachment-specific mechanisms.

Djalovski A, Kinreich S, Zagoory-Sharon O, Feldman R

Scientific reports14 Jun 2021Cited by 13 (Europe PMC)

PMID34127717PMCIDPMC8203689DOI10.1038/s41598-021-91626-0PepBankPUB-34127717

Summary

Social contact is known to impact the partners' physiology and behavior but the mechanisms underpinning such inter-partner influences are far from clear. Guided by the biobehavioral synchrony conceptual frame, we examined how social dialogue shapes the partners' multi-system endocrine response as mediated by behavioral synchrony. To address sex-specific, hormone-specific, attachment-specific mechanisms, we recruited 82 man-woman pairs (N = 164 participants) in three attachment groups; long-term couples (n = 29), best friends (n = 26), and ingroup strangers (n = 27). We used salivary measures of oxytocin (OT), cortisol (CT), testosterone (T), and secretory immuglobolinA (s-IgA), biomarker of the immune system, before and after a 30-min social dialogue. Dialogue increased oxytocin and reduced cortisol and testosterone. Cross-person cross-hormone influences indicated that dialogue carries distinct effects on women and men as mediated by social behavior and attachment status. Men's baseline stress-related biomarkers showed both direct hormone-to-hormone associations and, via attachment status and behavioral synchrony, impacted women's post-dialogue biomarkers of stress, affiliation, and immunity. In contrast, women's baseline stress biomarkers linked with men's stress response only through the mediating role of behavioral synchrony. As to affiliation biomarkers, men's initial OT impacted women's OT response only through behavioral synchrony, whereas women's baseline OT was directly related to men's post-dialogue OT levels. Findings pinpoint the neuroendocrine advantage of social dialogue, suggest that women are more sensitive to signs of men's initial stress and social status, and describe behavior-based mechanisms by which human attachments create a coupled biology toward greater well-being and resilience.

CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study3

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Natural levels measured3

These results measure the body's own peptide. Nobody was given the peptide. They are not evidence about taking it. They are left out of key results, evidence counts and charts.

01HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyOther
In 82 man-woman pairs, a 30-minute social dialogue increased salivary oxytocin levels.
In plain wordsIn couples, friends and strangers, a 30-minute talk raised the body's own oxytocin levels in saliva.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseSalivary oxytocin change after social dialogue
Study
n = 164
Outcome group
Sex hormones and fertility · Endocrine and hormones
Source sentences
Summary
Dialogue increased oxytocin
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
To address sex-specific, hormone-specific, attachment-specific mechanisms, we recruited 82 man-woman pairs (N = 164 participants) in three attachment groups; long-term couples (n = 29), best friends (n = 26), and ingroup strangers (n = 27).
Summary · context
We used salivary measures of oxytocin (OT), cortisol (CT), testosterone (T), and secretory immuglobolinA (s-IgA), biomarker of the immune system, before and after a 30-min social dialogue.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3412771701
02HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyMechanism
In man-woman pairs, men's baseline salivary oxytocin affected women's oxytocin response only through behavioral synchrony.
In plain wordsIn couples, men's starting levels of the body's own oxytocin linked to women's later levels only through shared behavior.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
MixedMen's initial oxytocin and women's oxytocin response
Study
n = 164
Outcome group
Sex hormones and fertility · Endocrine and hormones
Source sentences
Summary
men's initial OT impacted women's OT response only through behavioral synchrony
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
To address sex-specific, hormone-specific, attachment-specific mechanisms, we recruited 82 man-woman pairs (N = 164 participants) in three attachment groups; long-term couples (n = 29), best friends (n = 26), and ingroup strangers (n = 27).
Summary · context
We used salivary measures of oxytocin (OT), cortisol (CT), testosterone (T), and secretory immuglobolinA (s-IgA), biomarker of the immune system, before and after a 30-min social dialogue.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3412771702
03HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyMechanism
In man-woman pairs, women's baseline salivary oxytocin was directly related to men's post-dialogue oxytocin levels.
In plain wordsIn couples, women's starting levels of the body's own oxytocin were linked to men's oxytocin levels after talking.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
MixedWomen's baseline oxytocin and men's post-dialogue oxytocin
Study
n = 164
Outcome group
Sex hormones and fertility · Endocrine and hormones
Source sentences
Summary
whereas women's baseline OT was directly related to men's post-dialogue OT levels.
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
To address sex-specific, hormone-specific, attachment-specific mechanisms, we recruited 82 man-woman pairs (N = 164 participants) in three attachment groups; long-term couples (n = 29), best friends (n = 26), and ingroup strangers (n = 27).
Summary · context
We used salivary measures of oxytocin (OT), cortisol (CT), testosterone (T), and secretory immuglobolinA (s-IgA), biomarker of the immune system, before and after a 30-min social dialogue.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3412771703

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Version 2Current
11 Oct 2026, 00:50 UTC
Study results updated
Version 1
9 Oct 2026, 02:49 UTC
First added · source update from Europe PMC

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