Genome Engineering

Something nice for a Friday. Oxytocin, also known as the cuddle hormone, makes us feel good. It’s released during sex, pair bonding and breastfeeding, and our levels (and the dog’s levels) rise when we stroke our pets. The oxytocin gene may also make us more optimistic. Differences in our responses to oxytocin seem to affect how empathic we are – so if you are a nice person, it might be (at least a little bit) down to your oxytocin gene.

The rs53576 SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) is a single base change of G to A in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene. People with two G alleles seem to be more likely to be prosocial (nice) than people who carry the A allele. In a study published in PNAS, the researchers looked at how this change affects how people behave, and how they appear to other people, using thin-slicing methodology – impressions of people based on a very brief assessment.

People were shown 20-second silent videos of 23 romantic couples, and in just 20 seconds, based simply on body language, people with the G allele were judged to be more trustworthy and kind than the people with the A allele. This suggests that our genes may affect our emotions and our behaviour – but of course, empathy is complex, and other genes, upbringing, and our own personal choices and decisions also affect our body language. And this is also only a small study in young white Americans , which has drawn some criticism, so more work is needed, both larger studies and in more diverse cultural groups. So, whether it’s in your genes or not, be nice to someone today!

Kogan, A., Saslow, L., Impett, E., Oveis, C., Keltner, D., & Rodrigues Saturn, S. (2011). Thin-slicing study of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and the evaluation and expression of the prosocial disposition Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1112658108