Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, decreases willingness to harm others by promoting moral emotions of guilt and shame.

Zheng X, Wang J, Yang X, Xu L, Becker B, Sahakian BJ, Robbins TW, Kendrick KM

Molecular psychiatry20 May 2024Cited by 7 (Europe PMC)

PMID38769372PMCIDPMC11540849DOI10.1038/s41380-024-02590-wPepBankPUB-38769372

Summary

Prosocial and moral behaviors have overlapping neural systems and can both be affected in a number of psychiatric disorders, although whether they involve similar neurochemical systems is unclear. In the current registered randomized placebo-controlled trial on 180 adult male and female subjects, we investigated the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin and vasopressin, which play key roles in influencing social behavior, on moral emotion ratings for situations involving harming others and on judgments of moral dilemmas where others are harmed for a greater good. Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, enhanced feelings of guilt and shame for intentional but not accidental harm and reduced endorsement of intentionally harming others to achieve a greater good. Neither peptide influenced arousal ratings for the scenarios. Effects of oxytocin on guilt and shame were strongest in individuals scoring lower on the personal distress subscale of trait empathy. Overall, findings demonstrate for the first time that oxytocin, but not vasopressin, promotes enhanced feelings of guilt and shame and unwillingness to harm others irrespective of the consequences. This may reflect associations between oxytocin and empathy and vasopressin with aggression and suggests that oxytocin may have greater therapeutic potential for disorders with atypical social and moral behavior.

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

Results from this study5

5 results from studies that gave the peptide. 5 results from people.

01HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In adults, intranasal oxytocin enhanced feelings of guilt for intentional but not accidental harm versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn adults, oxytocin spray increased guilt about deliberately harming others, but not about accidental harm, compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseFeelings of guilt for intentional harm
Study
n = 180
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Anxiety and mood · Mental health and mood
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, enhanced feelings of guilt and shame for intentional but not accidental harm and reduced endorsement of intentionally harming others to achieve a greater good.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
In the current registered randomized placebo-controlled trial on 180 adult male and female subjects, we investigated the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin and vasopressin, which play key roles in influencing social behavior, on moral emotion ratings for situations involving harming others and on judgments of moral dilemmas where others are harmed for a greater good.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3876937201
02HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In adults, intranasal oxytocin enhanced feelings of shame for intentional but not accidental harm versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn adults, oxytocin spray increased shame about deliberately harming others, but not about accidental harm, compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseFeelings of shame for intentional harm
Study
n = 180
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Anxiety and mood · Mental health and mood
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, enhanced feelings of guilt and shame for intentional but not accidental harm and reduced endorsement of intentionally harming others to achieve a greater good.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
In the current registered randomized placebo-controlled trial on 180 adult male and female subjects, we investigated the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin and vasopressin, which play key roles in influencing social behavior, on moral emotion ratings for situations involving harming others and on judgments of moral dilemmas where others are harmed for a greater good.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3876937202
03HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In adults, intranasal oxytocin reduced endorsement of intentionally harming others to achieve a greater good versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn adults, oxytocin spray made people less willing to endorse deliberately harming others for a greater good, compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseEndorsement of intentionally harming others for a greater good
Study
n = 180
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Cognition and memory · Mental health and mood
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, enhanced feelings of guilt and shame for intentional but not accidental harm and reduced endorsement of intentionally harming others to achieve a greater good.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
In the current registered randomized placebo-controlled trial on 180 adult male and female subjects, we investigated the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin and vasopressin, which play key roles in influencing social behavior, on moral emotion ratings for situations involving harming others and on judgments of moral dilemmas where others are harmed for a greater good.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3876937203
04HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In adults, intranasal oxytocin did not influence arousal ratings for the harm scenarios.
In plain wordsIn adults, oxytocin spray did not change arousal ratings for the harm scenarios.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
No significant changeArousal ratings for harm scenarios
Study
n = 180
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Anxiety and mood · Mental health and mood
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
Neither peptide influenced arousal ratings for the scenarios.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
In the current registered randomized placebo-controlled trial on 180 adult male and female subjects, we investigated the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin and vasopressin, which play key roles in influencing social behavior, on moral emotion ratings for situations involving harming others and on judgments of moral dilemmas where others are harmed for a greater good.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3876937204
05HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
Oxytocin effects on guilt and shame were strongest in individuals with lower scores on the personal distress subscale of trait empathy.
In plain wordsIn adults, oxytocin spray changed guilt and shame most in people with lower personal distress scores.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
MixedOxytocin effect on guilt and shame by trait personal distress
Study
n = 180
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Anxiety and mood · Mental health and mood
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
Effects of oxytocin on guilt and shame were strongest in individuals scoring lower on the personal distress subscale of trait empathy.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
In the current registered randomized placebo-controlled trial on 180 adult male and female subjects, we investigated the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin and vasopressin, which play key roles in influencing social behavior, on moral emotion ratings for situations involving harming others and on judgments of moral dilemmas where others are harmed for a greater good.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3876937205

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

Registered trials1

Trials this study reports on, or that list this study as a reference. Registry data from ClinicalTrials.gov.

1 trial · 1 completed · source ClinicalTrials.gov (opens in a new tab)

CompletedNot applicableNCT04890470

Effects of Oxytocin and Vasopressin on Moral Decision Making

University of Electronic Science and Technology of Chinan = 1802 Mar 2021 to 12 Dec 2022

Healthy

Trial page ClinicalTrials.govUpdated 21 Sept 2023

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.

Version 2Current
11 Oct 2026, 00:50 UTC
Study results updated
Version 1
9 Oct 2026, 02:47 UTC
First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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