Physical activity associates empathy in Japanese young adults with specific gene variations of oxytocin receptor and vasopressin V1B receptor

Augmented-reality-based multi-person exercise has more beneficial effects on mood state and oxytocin secretion than standard solitary exercise

“…Oxytocin is also associated with empathy (Meyer-Lindenberg et al, 2011), and several studies have reported that oxytocin administration enhances empathy and related behaviors in humans (Auyeung et al, 2015;Geng et al, 2018). Considering that physical activities also contribute to enhancing empathy (Shima et al, 2022a(Shima et al, , 2022b(Shima et al, , 2021c(Shima et al, , 2021a(Shima et al, , 2021b, it is conceivable that exercise-induced oxytocin secretion plays a role in enhancing empathy. Therefore, AR-based multi-person exercise may have more beneficial effects on enhancing empathy than standard exercise, warranting further investigation.…”

“…Future studies would benefit from analyzing the quality of social interaction using established methods (Lopes et al, 2004; Reis & Wheeler, 1991). Secondly, the effects of oxytocin and exercise, mediated by oxytocin, may vary among individuals (Shima et al, 2022; Sikich et al, 2021). Therefore, further research is needed to determine whether the current Ex+AR condition effectively enhances human well-being.…”

“…Therefore, further study is warranted to determine the optimal duration for AR-based multi-person exercise. Thirdly, the effects of oxytocin and exercise may vary among individuals (Shima et al, 2022a; Sikich et al, 2021). Therefore, further research is needed to determine whether the current Ex+AR condition effectively enhances human well-being.…”

Systematic review: pain, cognition, and cardioprotection—unpacking oxytocin’s contributions in a sport context

“…Carriers of OXTR rs53576 and AVPR1a are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors, such as trust in strangers and participation in charitable activities, but an introduction of intranasal oxytocin showed varied results ( Sonne and Gash, 2018 ). Interestingly, a study done in Japan showed that physical activity levels might interact with genetic predispositions to influence emotional and cognitive processes relevant to sports performance, particularly in individuals carrying the G variant of the OXTR rs53576 and AVP V1b ( Shima et al, 2022 ). Lastly, OXTR rs53576 can even influence how empathetically one reacts to the pain of others outside or inside their racial group suggesting that there might be individual differences in oxytocin receptor functioning that can affect social and emotional processing ( Luo et al, 2015 ).…”

“…The interaction of hope, positive and negative reinforcement, and oxytocin could possibly hold staggering discoveries in the future as previously tested in a well-known study on rats where hope meant survival and increased mobility ( Castagné et al, 2011 ). Furthermore, exogenous or administered oxytocin is capable of increasing exercise performance in SHR and W rats, which, if tested in humans, could lead to improved sports performance and recovery ( Cruz et al, 2013 ; Juif and Poisbeau, 2013 ; Liu and Xue, 2017 ; Shima et al, 2022 ). It is also possible that higher oxytocin levels can be associated with better trainability in horses ( Kim et al, 2021 ; Kim et al, 2023 ) and dogs ( Mitsui et al, 2011 ), changing their proclivity to react preferably to ambiguous stimuli.…”