How Hormones & Status Shape Our Values & Decisions | Dr. Michael Platt

Oxytocin's Role

Oxytocin plays a crucial role in shaping social behaviors and attachments in both humans and primates. Michael Platt explains that oxytocin, along with vasopressin, has been integral in building bonds, particularly between mothers and their offspring, and has evolved to influence broader social interactions 1. In research, oxytocin is often administered intranasally to study its effects, which include reducing anxiety and flattening social hierarchies among primates 2. Andrew Huberman highlights its anxiolytic properties, noting its potential to alter emotional and behavioral responses 3.

Oxytocin is released during childbirth, it's released when mom is nursing.

--- Michael Platt

These findings underscore oxytocin's potential as a therapeutic tool for enhancing social bonds and reducing anxiety.

   

Testosterone Effects

Testosterone significantly influences risk-taking and social behaviors, particularly in competitive settings. Andrew Huberman discusses how testosterone can lead to more impulsive decision-making and a desire for conspicuous consumption, such as purchasing luxury items 4. Michael Platt adds that testosterone tends to amplify existing personality traits, making aggressive individuals more so, and enhancing the confidence of those who are already confident 5. This hormone's effects are evident in both human and primate behaviors, where displays of vigor and status are common 6.

Higher testosterone, more impulsive, with responses less reflective.

--- Andrew Huberman

Understanding testosterone's role can help in managing its impact on decision-making and social interactions.

   

Primate Social Dynamics

Hormones like oxytocin and testosterone shape social hierarchies and interactions among primates, offering insights into human social structures. Michael Platt notes that oxytocin can flatten social hierarchies by making dominant individuals more relaxed and subordinates bolder 2. Andrew Huberman discusses how resource availability influences hierarchy steepness, with more monopolizable resources leading to steeper hierarchies 7. Additionally, experiments show that primates, like humans, are influenced by social cues, such as high-status individuals, in their decision-making processes 8.

They spend more time making eye contact. They pay more attention to the other individual.

--- Michael Platt

These parallels highlight the complex interplay between hormones and social behavior across species.