The Hormone of Love

Oxytocin the so-called "love hormone" is being increasingly shown to trigger a wide variety of physical and
psychological effects in both women and men.
The hormone's influence on our behavior and physiology originates in the brain, where it's produced by
the by a structure called the hypothalamus, and then transfers to the pituitary gland which releases into
the bloodstream.. Like antennas picking up a signal, oxytocin receptors are found on cells throughout the
body. Levels of the hormone tend to be higher during both stressful and socially bonding experiences,
according to the American Psychological Association.
"It's like a hormone of attachment, you might say," said Carol Rinkleib Ellison, a clinical psychologist in
private practice in Loomis, California and former assistant clinical psychiatry professor at the University of
California, San Francisco. "It creates feelings of calm and closeness."
Thought scientists have long known about oxytocin's rolein breastfeeding and childbirth, "We're just
learning more about it now," Ellison said.
A stream of studies in the last decade have focused on oxytocin's effects on body and mind. Here's a look
at what we've learned.