The findings revealed older adults released more oxytocin in response to watching the video compared to younger subjects. And those older adults with higher levels of oxytocin generally reported greater degrees of life satisfaction.
“People who released the most oxytocin in the experiment were not only more generous to charity, but also performed many other helping behaviors,” said Zak. “This is the first time a distinct change in oxytocin has been related to past prosocial behaviors.”
The study was not able to establish a direct causal link between oxytocin and generous behavior. Instead, the researchers hypothesize oxytocin plays more of a bi-directional role in the positive feedback loop between empathetic behavior and chemically-enhanced feelings of life satisfaction.
According to Zak this oxytocin-enhanced feedback loop most likely plays a role in the consistently observed link between charitable religious behavior and increased life satisfaction. Helping others tends to make you feel good by triggering the release of oxytocin, which then enhances sensations of empathy leading to more prosocial behaviors.
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