Helping hands, healthy body? Oxytocin receptor gene and prosocial behavior interact to buffer the association between stress and physical health

Hormones and Behavior

Volumn 63, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 510-517

  Poulin, Michael J ^a   Holman, E Alison ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

Caregiving; Genetics; Health; OXTR; Oxytocin; Prosocial behavior; Social behavior; Stress; Volunteering

Indexed keywords

OXYTOCIN RECEPTOR;

ADULT; AGED; ARTICLE; BEHAVIOR; BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY; CHARITABLE BEHAVIOR; DISEASE COURSE; FEMALE; GENE; GENOTYPE; HEALTH; HORMONE ACTION; HUMAN; LIFE EVENT; LONGITUDINAL STUDY; MALE; NORMAL HUMAN; OXTR GENE; PHYSICAL DISEASE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; SOCIAL SUPPORT; STRESS; STRESS BUFFERING EFFECT; STRESSFUL LIFE EVENT; WELLBEING;

ADULT; GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION; GENOTYPE; HEALTH STATUS; HELPING BEHAVIOR; HUMANS; LONGITUDINAL STUDIES; OXYTOCIN; POLYMORPHISM, GENETIC; PREDICTIVE VALUE OF TESTS; QUESTIONNAIRES; RECEPTORS, OXYTOCIN; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; STRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL;

EID: 84875050802     PISSN: 0018506X     EISSN: 10956867     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.01.004     Document Type: Article

References (47)

1. Baker L.C., Bundorf M.K., Singer S., Wagner T.H. Validity of the survey of health and Internet and knowledge network's panel and sampling 2003, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA.
2. Bakermans-Kranenburg M.J., van IJzendoorn M.H. Oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and serotonin transporter (5-HTT) genes associated with observed parenting. Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci. 2008, 3:128-134.
3. Baumeister R.F., Leary M.R. The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychol. Bull. 1995, 117:497-529.
4. Baumgartner T., Heinrichs M., Vonlanthen A., Fischbacher U., Fehr E. Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adaptation in humans. Neuron 2008, 58:639-650.
5. Bell D.C., Richard A.J. Caregiving: the forgotten element in attachment. Psychol. Inq. 2000, 11:69-83.
6. Breslau N., Kessler R.C., Chilcoat H.D., Schultz L.R., Davis G.C., Andreski P. Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in the community: the 1996 Detroit Area Survey of Trauma. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 1998, 55:626-632.
7. Brown S.L., Brown R.M. Target article: selective investment theory: recasting the functional significance of close relationships. Psychol. Inq. 2006, 17:1-29.
8. Brown S.L., Nesse R.M., Vinokur A.D., Smith D.M. Providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving it: results from a prospective study of mortality. Psychol. Sci. 2003, 14:320-327.
9. Brown S.L., Brown R.M., House J.S., Smith D.M. Coping with spousal loss: potential buffering effects of self-reported helping behavior. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 2008, 34:849-861.
10. Campbell A. Oxytocin and human social behavior. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Rev. 2010, 14:281-295.
11. Carter C.S. Neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1998, 23:779-818.
12. Chen F.S., Kumsta R., von Dawans B., Monakhov M., Ebstein R.P., Heinrichs M. Common oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphism and social support interact to reduce stress in humans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2011, 108:19937-19942.
13. Collins N.L., Ford M.B., Guichard A.C., Kane H.S., Feeney B.C. Responding to need in intimate relationships: social support and caregiving processes in couples. Prosocial Motives, Emotions, and Behavior: the Better Angels of Our Nature 2010, 367-389. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. M. Mikulincer, P.R. Shaver (Eds.).
14. Ditzen B., Schaer M., Gabriel B., Bodenmann G., Ehlert U., Heinrichs M. Intranasal oxytocin increases positive communication and reduces cortisol levels during couple conflict. Biol. Psychiatry 2008, 65:728-731.
15. Feldman R. Oxytocin and social affiliation in humans. Horm. Behav. 2012, 61:380-391.
16. Floyd K., Mikkelson A.C., Tafoya M.A., Farinelli L., La Valley A.G., Judd J., Haynes M.T., Davis K.L., Wilson J. Affectionate communication accelerates neuroendocrine stress recovery. Health Commun. 2007, 22:123-132.
17. Gillath O., Shaver P.R., Mikulincer M., Nitzberg R.E., Erez A., Van Ijzendoorn M.H. Attachment, caregiving, and volunteering: placing volunteerism in an attachment-theoretical framework. Pers. Relatsh. 2005, 12:425-446.
18. Goetz J.L., Keltner D., Simon-Thomas E. Compassion: an evolutionary analysis and empirical review. Psychol. Bull. 2010, 136:351-374.
19. Gouin J.P., Carter C.S., Pournajafi-Nazarloo H., Glaser R., Malarkey W.B., Loving T.J., Stowell J., Kiecolt-Glaser J.K. Marital behavior, oxytocin, vasopressin, and wound healing. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2010, 35:1082-1090.
20. Holman E.A., Silver R.C., Waitzkin H. Traumatic life events in primary care patients: a study in an ethnically-diverse sample. Arch. Fam. Med. 2000, 9:802-810.
21. Kim H.S., Sherman D.K., Sasaki J.Y., Xu J., Chu T.Q., Ryu C., Suh E.M., Graham K., Taylor S.E. Culture, distress, and oxytocin receptor polymorphism (OXTR) interact to influence emotional support seeking. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2010, 107:15717-15721.
22. Kirsch P., Esslinger C., Chen Q., Mier D., Lis S., Siddhanti S., Gruppe H., Mattay V.S., Gallhofer B., Meyer-Lindenberg A. Oxytocin modulates neural circuitry for social cognition and fear in humans. J. Neurosci. 2005, 25:11489-11493.
23. Kogan A., Saslow L.R., Impett E.A., Oveis C., Keltner D., Saturn S.R. Thin-slicing study of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and the evaluation and expression of the prosocial disposition. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2011, 108:19189-19192.
24. Konrath S., Fuhrel-Forbis A., Lou A., Brown S.L. Motives for volunteering are associated with mortality risk. Health Psychol. 2012, 31:87-96.
25. Krause N. Church-based social support and mortality. J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci. 2006, 61:S140-S146.
26. Norman G.J., Hawkley L., Luhmann M., Ball A.B., Cole S.W., Berntson G.G., Cacioppo J.T. Variation in the oxytocin receptor gene influences neurocardiac reactivity to social stress and HPA function: a population based study. Horm. Behav. 2012, 61:134-139.
27. Okun M.A., August K.J., Rook K.S., Newsom J.T. Does volunteering moderate the relation between functional limitations and mortality?. Soc. Sci. Med. 2010, 71:1662-1668.
28. Omoto A.M., Snyder M., Hackett J.D. Personality and motivational antecedents of activism and civic engagement. J. Pers. 2010, 78:1703-1734.
29. O'Reilly D., Connolly S., Rosato M., Patterson C. Is caring associated with an increased risk of mortality? A longitudinal study. Soc. Sci. Med. 2008, 67:1282-1290.
30. Altruism and Health: Perspectives From Empirical Research 2007, Oxford University Press, New York. S.G. Post (Ed.).
31. Poulin M.J., Brown S.L., Ubel P.A., Smith D.M., Jankovic A., Langa K.M. Does a helping hand mean a heavy heart? Helping behavior and well-being among spouse caregivers. Psychol. Aging 2010, 25:108-117.
32. Poulin M.J., Holman E.A., Buffone A. The neurogenetics of nice: oxytocin and vasopressin receptor genes and prosocial behavior. Psychol. Sci. 2012, 23:44-452.
33. Poulin, M.J., Brown, S.L., Dillard, A., Smith, D.M., in press. Stress does not predict increased mortality among those who give to others. Am. J. Public Health.
34. Robins L.N., Helzer J.E., Croughan J.L., Williams J.B.W., Spitzer R.L. Diagnostic Interview Schedule: Version III 1981, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD.
35. Rodrigues S.M., Saslow L.R., Garcia N., John O.P., Keltner D. Oxytocin receptor genetic variation relates to empathy and stress reactivity in humans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2009, 106:21437-21441.
36. Schwartz C.E., Sendor M. Helping others helps oneself: response shift effects in peer support. Soc. Sci. Med. 1999, 48:1563-1575.
37. Shaver P.R., Mikulincer M., Shemesh-Iron M. A behavioral-systems perspective on prosocial behavior. Prosocial Motives, Emotions, and Behavior: the Better Angels of Our Nature 2010, 72-91. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. M. Mikulincer, P.R. Shaver (Eds.).
38. Silver R.C., Holman E.A., McIntosh D.N., Poulin M.J., Gil-Rivas V. Nationwide longitudinal study of psychological responses to September 11. JAMA 2002, 288:1235-1244.
39. Silver R.C., Holman E.A., McIntosh D.N., Poulin M., Gil-Rivas V., Pizarro J. Coping with a national trauma: a nationwide longitudinal study of responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11. 9/11: Mental Health in the Wake of Terrorist Attacks 2006, 45-70. Cambridge University Press, New York. Y. Neria, R. Gross, R. Marshall, E. Susser (Eds.).
40. Singer J.D., Willett J.B. Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis: Modeling Change and Event Occurrence 2003, Oxford University Press, New York.
41. Sober E., Wilson D.S. Unto Others: the Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior 1998, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
42. Sullivan P.F. Spurious genetic associations. Biol. Psychiatry 2007, 61:1121-1126.
43. Tost H., Kolachana B., Hakimi S., Lemaitre H., Verchinski B.A., Mattay V.S., Meyer-Lindenberg A. A common allele in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) impacts prosocial temperament and human hypothalamic-limbic structure and function. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2010, 107:13936-13941.
44. U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics Volunteering in the United States Retrieved July 8, 2011, from. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm.
45. U.S.Department of Health and Human Services National Health Interview Survey Questionnaire 2000 2000, National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD.
46. von Dawans B., Fischbacher U., Kirschbaum C., Fehr E., Heinrichs M. The social dimension of stress reactivity: acute stress increases prosocial behavior in humans. Psychol. Sci 2012, 23:651-660.
47. Wilson J. Volunteering. Annu. Rev. Sociol. 2000, 26:215-240.