Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Marmosets Treated With Oxytocin Are More Socially Attractive To Their Long-Term Mate, Jon Cavanaugh, Michelle C. Huffman, April M. Harnisch, Jeffrey French

Psychology Faculty Publications

Adult male-female bonds are partly characterized by initiating and maintaining close proximity with a social partner, as well as engaging in high levels of affiliative and sociosexual behavior. Oxytocin (OXT), a neuromodulatory nonapeptide, plays a critical role in the facilitation of social bonding and prosocial behavior toward a social partner (Feldman, 2012). However, less attention has been given to whether augmentation of OXT levels in an individual alters others’ perceptions and behavior toward an OXT-treated social partner. We examined social dynamics in well-established male-female pairs of marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) in which one member of the pair was …