--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oxytocin is lauded for how it promotes…" description: "\"Oxytocin is lauded for how it promotes warmth, generosity, social bonding, cooperation, trust, and compassion.\" — Robert M. Sapolsky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_bonding_oxytocin-is-lauded-for-how-it-promotes-w_3044142.png" --- # Oxytocin is lauded for how it promotes warmth, generosity… ![“Oxytocin is lauded for how it promotes warmth, generosity, social bonding, cooperation, trust, and compassion.” quote by Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_bonding_oxytocin-is-lauded-for-how-it-promotes-w_3044142.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_bonding_oxytocin-is-lauded-for-how-it-promotes-w_3044142.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_bonding_oxytocin-is-lauded-for-how-it-promotes-w_3044142.png) > “Oxytocin is lauded for how it promotes warmth, generosity, social bonding, cooperation, trust, and compassion.” [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Oxytocin fosters warmth, generosity, trust, and cooperation, shaping social bonds. **In simple terms:** Oxytocin builds social connection. Key Takeaway Cultivate trust through empathy. Themes social bonding trust biology Mood analytical hopeful Type scientific educational When to use this quote - team building - relationship counseling - community events Key Concepts neuroscience psychology empathy Questions to Reflect On - How does oxytocin influence conflict? - Can we harness it ethically? A Different Perspective Overreliance may ignore other factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bonding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bonding/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Cooperation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperation/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Generosity Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity-social-3773350/) [Hormone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hormone/) [Oxytocin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxytocin/) [Oxytocin Lauded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxytocin-lauded-5032697/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Bonding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-bonding-5032698/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Warmth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warmth/) [Warmth Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warmth-generosity-5032699/) ## Related quotes > [To out-group-members, oxytocin makes you crappier - less cooperative and more preemptively aggressive. It's not the luv hormone. It's the in-group parochialism/xenophobia hormone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/to-out-group-members-oxytocin-makes-you-crappier-less-cooperative-and/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [Give lab rats oxytocin and, according to that meme, they get better at talking about their feelings and sing like Joan Baez.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/give-lab-rats-oxytocin-and-according-to-that-meme-they-get-better-at/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Oxytocin, the luv hormone, makes us more prosocial to Us and worse to everyone else. That’s not generic prosociality. That’s ethnocentrism and xenophobia. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/oxytocin-the-luv-hormone-makes-us-more-prosocial-to-us-and-worse-to/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“women with variants of genes that produce higher levels of oxytocin or oxytocin receptors average higher levels of touching their infants and more synchronized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/women-with-variants-of-genes-that-produce-higher-levels-of-oxytocin/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“So oxytocin is central to female mammals nursing, wanting to nurse their child, and remembering which one is their child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/so-oxytocin-is-central-to-female-mammals-nursing-wanting-to-nurse/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Obviously, oxytocin and vasopressin are the grooviest hormones in the universe. Pour them into the water supply, and people will be more charitable, trusting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/obviously-oxytocin-and-vasopressin-are-the-grooviest-hormones-in-the/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“there are studies showing that one oxytocin receptor gene variant is associated with extreme aggression in kids, as well as a callous, unemotional style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/there-are-studies-showing-that-one-oxytocin-receptor-gene-variant-is/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [Naturally, things are more complicated - those groovy, pro-social effects of oxytocin apply to how we interact with in-group members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/naturally-things-are-more-complicated-those-groovy-pro-social-effects/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Infuse oxytocin into the brain of a virgin rat, and she’ll act maternally—retrieving, grooming, and licking pups. Block the actions of oxytocin in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/infuse-oxytocin-into-the-brain-of-a-virgin-rat-and-she-ll-act-2/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Thus, oxytocin and vasopressin facilitate bonding between parent and child and between couples.fn10 Now for something truly charming that evolution has cooked up recently.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/thus-oxytocin-and-vasopressin-facilitate-bonding-between-parent-and/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“For starters, circulating oxytocin levels are elevated in couples when they’ve first hooked up. Furthermore, the higher the levels, the more physical affection, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/for-starters-circulating-oxytocin-levels-are-elevated-in-couples-when/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Infuse oxytocin into the brain of a virgin rat, and she’ll act maternally—retrieving, grooming, and licking pups. Block the actions of oxytocin in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/infuse-oxytocin-into-the-brain-of-a-virgin-rat-and-she-ll-act/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [Oxytocin is a Teflon hormone - bad news rolls off it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/oxytocin-is-a-teflon-hormone-bad-news-rolls-off-it/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“The authors’ other argument is for the supposed social-bonding role of sex but how many ancestral males would choose to ‘socially-bond’ with a middle-aged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-saxon/the-authors-other-argument-is-for-the-supposed-social-bonding-role-of/) [Lynn Saxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-saxon/) > [“oxytocin is the “god hormone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/oxytocin-is-the-god-hormone/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) ## More by Robert M. Sapolsky > [“Secure-attachment 7Rs show more generosity than average. Thus 7R has something to do with generosity—but its effect is entirely context dependent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/secure-attachment-7rs-show-more-generosity-than-average-thus-7r-has/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [But if you get chronically, psychosocially stressed, you're going to compromise your health. So, essentially, we've evolved to be smart enough to make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/but-if-you-get-chronically-psychosocially-stressed-you-re-going-to/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Finally, for the same criminal conviction, the more stereotypically Af-rican a black individual’s facial features, the longer the sentence.15 In contrast, juries view black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/finally-for-the-same-criminal-conviction-the-more-stereotypically-af/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“So testosterone does subtle things to behavior. Nonetheless, this doesn’t tell us much because everything can be interpreted every which way. Testosterone increases anxiety—you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/so-testosterone-does-subtle-things-to-behavior-nonetheless-this-doesn/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“pain makes aggressive people more aggressive, while doing the opposite to unaggressive individuals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/pain-makes-aggressive-people-more-aggressive-while-doing-the-opposite/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Thus, for our purposes, genes aren’t about inevitability. Instead they’re about context-dependent tendencies, propensities, potentials, and vulnerabilities. All embedded in the fabric of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/thus-for-our-purposes-genes-aren-t-about-inevitability-instead-they/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“If we accept that there will always be sides, it’s a nontrivial to-do list item to always be on the side of angels. Distrust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/if-we-accept-that-there-will-always-be-sides-it-s-a-nontrivial-to-do/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“In other words, the more genomically complex the organism, the larger the percentage of the genome devoted to gene regulation by the environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/in-other-words-the-more-genomically-complex-the-organism-the-larger/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“The subject of one experiment is a rat that receives mild electric shocks (roughly equivalent to the static shock you might get from scuffing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/the-subject-of-one-experiment-is-a-rat-that-receives-mild-electric/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“No brain region is an island, and the formation of circuits connecting far-flung brain regions is crucial—how else can the frontal cortex use its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/no-brain-region-is-an-island-and-the-formation-of-circuits-connecting/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“We process emotionally salient information more rapidly and automatically, but with less accuracy. Frontal function—working memory, impulse control, executive decision making, risk assessment, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/we-process-emotionally-salient-information-more-rapidly-and/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Most broadly, the PFC chooses between conflicting options—Coke or Pepsi; blurting out what you really think or restraining yourself; pulling the trigger or not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/most-broadly-the-pfc-chooses-between-conflicting-options-coke-or/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“One stretch of the gene is repeated a variable number of times, and the version with seven repeats (the “7R” form) produces a receptor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/one-stretch-of-the-gene-is-repeated-a-variable-number-of-times-and/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“some people always get more than their share of equality than others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/some-people-always-get-more-than-their-share-of-equality-than-others/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [It's probably even the case that if you stoked up some Buddhist monks with tons of testosterone, they'd become wildly competitive as to who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/it-s-probably-even-the-case-that-if-you-stoked-up-some-buddhist-monks/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) [Explore all 280 Robert M. Sapolsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) ## More Bonding quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [I liked climbing trees and could often be found up one reading a book. I played games with Dad and drew maps for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/i-liked-climbing-trees-and-could-often-be-found-up-one-reading-a-book/) [Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/) > [“If you cannot wait for time to unearth roots, you must dig.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelou-keramati/if-you-cannot-wait-for-time-to-unearth-roots-you-must-dig/) [Nelou Keramati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelou-keramati/) > [“You grew up too fast, baby." 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