Opposing Effects of Oxytocin on Overt Compliance and Lasting Changes to Memory

Abstract

From infancy we learn to comply with societal norms. However, overt compliance is not necessarily accompanied by a change in internal beliefs. The neuromodulatory processes underlying these different phenomena are not yet understood. Here, we test the role of oxytocin in controlling overt compliance versus internalization of information delivered by a social source. After intranasal oxytocin administration, participants showed enhanced compliance to the erroneous opinion of others. However, this expression was coupled with a decrease in the influence of others on long-term memories. Our data suggest that this dissociation may result from reduced conflict in the face of social pressure, which increases immediate conforming behavior, but reduces processing required for deep encoding. These findings reveal a neurobiological control system that oppositely affects internalization and overt compliance.

The Neuropeptide Oxytocin Enhances Information Sharing and Group Decision Making Quality

“…If, as was suggested by previous work232425, oxytocin stimulates quick “uncritical” conformity to the majority opinion in the group, we should have found that oxytocin groups performed worse after discussion. Instead, our results suggest that oxytocin facilitated the exchange and processing of information, raises members willingness to correctly shift their preference during discussion and thus groups seemed to benefit from oxytocin.…”

“…Previous research on oxytocin’s effects on social behavior has mostly been limited to situations in which participants could not freely communicate15172324474849. In these studies social behavior was inferred from reactions to preprogrammed responses, scenarios or (patterns of) choices; communication was not possible, not allowed or limited to exchanging choices via the computer15172324474849.…”

“…In these studies social behavior was inferred from reactions to preprogrammed responses, scenarios or (patterns of) choices; communication was not possible, not allowed or limited to exchanging choices via the computer15172324474849. Few studies1626 examining the effects of intranasal oxytocin have included unstructured communication and free exchange of information.…”

“…There is some evidence that oxytocin indeed results in such conformity driven decision-making: Under oxytocin people are more likely to conform to their group members on factual23, and judgmental issues2425. This willingness to align one’s opinion to others – based on little more than joined group membership – suggests that oxytocin might reduce group decision-quality by resorting to quick compromises in which members with a minority preference conform to those members with the majority preference.…”

Oxytocin-enforced norm compliance reduces xenophobic outgroup rejection

“…Consistent with the latter are findings from field studies of wild chimpanzees showing that heightened endogenous release of OXT correlates with greater ingroup cohesion during intergroup conflict (22). Furthermore, OXT IN facilitates social norm conformity (23)(24)(25). Social norms, and personally costly sanctions against defectors of these norms, an inclination defined as altruistic punishment, may have evolved to protect ingroup biases from erosion through selfish motives (26)(27)(28)(29).…”