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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Neuroscience

Is the oxytocin system a keystone in human wellbeing?

  • C. Sue Carter
  • Hans P. Nazarloo
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Abstract

It has also taken over a century for science to fully realize that oxytocin is far more than a “female reproductive hormone.” Both the measurement and interpretation of the biochemical and functional properties of oxytocin have raised controversy and remain works in progress. However, oxytocin is now recognized as a pleiotropic molecule that sits at the center of an extended system which includes vasopressin, the autonomic nervous system, the immune system and more. This larger system affects essentially every bodily function and helps to coordinate these with social context, the history of each individual and perhaps the existence of humans as a species. Together these support survival, reproduction and wellbeing, allowing mammals to manage and benefit from various forms of hormetic challenge. Here we suggest that oxytocin, viewed as a system, in turn acts as a keystone capable of connecting mammalian regulatory physiology to the benefits of social connection.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{carter2026oxytocin,
  title = {{Is the oxytocin system a keystone in human wellbeing?}},
  author = {C. Sue Carter and Hans P. Nazarloo},
  journal = {Frontiers in Neuroscience},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fnins.2026.1989082},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2026.1989082},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Is the oxytocin system a keystone in human wellbeing?
AU  - C. Sue Carter
AU  - Hans P. Nazarloo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/28
JO  - Frontiers in Neuroscience
DO  - 10.3389/fnins.2026.1989082
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2026.1989082
AB  - It has also taken over a century for science to fully realize that oxytocin is far more than a “female reproductive hormone.” Both the measurement and interpretation of the biochemical and functional properties of oxytocin have raised controversy and remain works in progress. However, oxytocin is now recognized as a pleiotropic molecule that sits at the center of an extended system which includes vasopressin, the autonomic nervous system, the immune system and more. This larger system affects essentially every bodily function and helps to coordinate these with social context, the history of each individual and perhaps the existence of humans as a species. Together these support survival, reproduction and wellbeing, allowing mammals to manage and benefit from various forms of hormetic challenge. Here we suggest that oxytocin, viewed as a system, in turn acts as a keystone capable of connecting mammalian regulatory physiology to the benefits of social connection.
SN  - 1662-453X
ER  -