Yay for Oxytocin
Most of you have heard me going on and on about the power of oxytocin in healing, bonding and labour. As you might recall, oxytocin is the “love hormone,” but it is also referred to as the “anti-stress” hormone.
This morning I was sitting at home enjoying a quiet moment and my morning cup of coffee, reading a business magazine called Fast Company. Imagine my surprise when I turn the page after reading an article about how Apple does business to find a huge article entitled OXYTOCIN.
Essentially it is detailing some of the work of a scientist by the name of Dr. Paul Zak from Clarmore Graduate University. He has also been coined “Dr. Love” based on his research on how oxytocin influences economic decisions. Some very exciting research such as:
The presence of oxytocin influences charitable giving by as much as 33%!
Social networking, texting, on-line interactive gaming shows a remarkable spiking in oxytocin after just 10 minutes and a reduction in cortisol, the primary stress hormone.
As well as that the brain may actually respond to on-line relationship activities in the same manner that it percieves offline in person relationships!
Read for yourself:
I really like his comment: “Enjoy and remember, think soft thoughts…they release oxytocin!” I did not know that soft words
release oxytocin, so there we have it…another reason why it’s sooooo important for HypnoBirthing parents to embrace the terminology.