Summary Helping behaviors and life satisfaction generally increase after middle age. Identification of the neural substrates of prosocial behaviors in older adults may offer additional information about these changes across the lifespan. The present study examines the endogenous release of the neuromodulator oxytocin (OT) in participants aged 18 to 99 years and its relationship with prosocial behaviors. OT has been shown to influence trust, altruism, charity, and generosity, but the effect of age on OT release has not been well established. Blood samples were obtained before and after a video stimulus from 103 participants to examine the impact of OT on prosocial behaviors. We found that OT release after a social peak increased with age (r = 0.49, p = 0.001) and that OT moderated the relationship between age and charitable giving. We tested robustness by examining three additional prosocial behaviors, money and goods donated to charities in the past year, and volunteering in the social sector. OT moderated the impact of age on the three prosocial behaviors (ps < 0.05). The analysis also showed that participants’ change in OT was positively associated with life satisfaction (p = 0.04), empathic concern (p = 0.015), dispositional gratitude (p = 0.019), and commitment. religious (p = 0.001). Our findings indicate that the neural chemistry that helps maintain social relationships and live a fulfilling life appears to strengthen with age. |
Comments
As we get older, we become kinder; A new study has linked this behavioral change, as well as overall life satisfaction, to the release of oxytocin from the brain.
A new study has linked life satisfaction to the chemistry in our brains. People who release more neurochemical oxytocin are kinder to others and tend to be more satisfied with their lives. Additionally, the release of oxytocin increases with age, demonstrating why, on average, people worry more as they age. These findings are consistent with many religious philosophies, where satisfaction with one’s life increases by helping others.
People whose brains release more neurochemical oxytocin are kinder to others and more satisfied with their lives. This is the finding of new research, published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, which also found that the release of oxytocin increases with age, demonstrating why, on average, people worry more as they age.
"The findings of our study are consistent with many religions and philosophies, where satisfaction with one’s life increases by helping others," reported first author Dr. Paul J Zak of Claremont Graduate University.
“The participants in our study who released the most oxytocin were more generous with charity when given the opportunity and performed many other helping behaviors. “The change in oxytocin was also positively related to participants’ empathy, religious participation, and gratitude.”
Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a neurochemical widely known for its role in social attachment, interpersonal trust, and generosity. Zak and his colleagues wanted to know if the release of oxytocin changed with age, as it does with other neurochemicals that influence feelings and behavior.
“We have previously shown a link between how kind and generous people are, known as prosocial behaviors, and the release of oxytocin,” Zak said. “Older people spend more time volunteering and donate a greater proportion of their income to charities than younger people, so we wanted to see if there was a neurochemical basis for these behaviors.”
The researchers recruited more than 100 people for the study, ranging in age from 18 to 99 years old. They were each shown a video about a young child with cancer, which previous work had confirmed induces the release of oxytocin in the brain. Blood was taken before and after the video to measure the change in oxytocin.
“Participants had the option to donate part of their study earnings to a childhood cancer charity, and this was used to measure their immediate prosocial behavior. We also collect data on their emotional states to provide information on their overall satisfaction with life,” Zak explained.
Be kind, love life
“The people who released the most oxytocin in the experiment were not only more generous with charity, but they also performed many other helping behaviors. “This is the first time that a clear change in oxytocin has been linked to past prosocial behaviors,” Zak reported.
“We also found that oxytocin release increased with age and was positively associated with life satisfaction.”
The finding that helping behaviors improve quality of life is consistent with many religious traditions and philosophies. Serving others appears to prime the brain to release more oxytocin in a positive feedback loop of increased empathy and gratitude.
Zak would like to repeat this study in a more ethnically and geographically diverse sample of people to see if the findings hold for different cultures.
“We would also like to do longer-term measurement of neurophysiology using non-invasive wearable technologies to see which specific activities increase people’s satisfaction with life,” he concluded.
