Oxytocin Said to Help Prevent Men From Cheating

Hormone deters men in monogamous relationships from straying

If the government released a cloud of oxytocin, a brain chemical found to promote trust and bonding, it might prevent future cheating and infidelity scandals like the Gen. David Petraeus affair, new research suggests. A study, published Tuesday in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that men in monogamous relationship who got a whiff of oxytocin stayed away from an attractive woman they’d just met. However, the chemical didn’t have the same effect on single heterosexual men. The finding suggests that oxytocin, said to flood the body in response to orgasm and early romance, acts more subtly in humans than previously understood. In other words, the more oxytocin present, the more likely a man will reject urges for sex with an attractive woman he just met. Ladies, this stuff is not currently on sale over-the-counter. (Los Angeles Times)

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