Oxytocin Effects on the Tolerance of Infidelity

What Was Tested

In this not phased trial, researchers set out to test Oxytocin.

It had four arms (groups): male oxytocin group (experimental), female oxytocin group (experimental), male placebo group (placebo comparator) and female placebo group (placebo comparator).

Male subjects with oxytocin treatment.

Female subjects with oxytocin treatment.

Male subjects with placebo treatment.

The registry classes the interventions as drug.

More on the Plan

In a double-blind, between-subject, placebo controlled design, investigators plan to investigate the effect of oxytocin treatment on the tolerance of infidelity.

Male and female subjects would firstly see a neutral face of the opposite sex presented with a sentence descried their fidelity or infidelity behavior (sexual or emotional) in a relationship.

Next the participant will rate the attractiveness, likability and trustworthiness of each individual, and whether they would like to have a short/long relationship with him/her.

After that there will be some implicit attitude tasks to test their implicit attitude towards potential partners exhibiting previous fidelity or and infidelity.

Who Took Part

Enrollment: 160 actual participants took part.

It was open to people of any sex aged from 19 years up to 28 years.

Healthy volunteers could join, not only people with the condition.

Examples of who could join: Healthy subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders.

The full record lists 1 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria; among the exclusions: history of head injury;; pregnant,menstruating,taking oral contraceptives; medical or psychiatric illness.

How the Study Was Run

The set-up was randomized, parallel-group and double-blind.

Because people in this Oxytocin study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Groups ran in parallel: each of the participants stayed in one arm throughout.

Blinding on both sides kept the participants and researchers unaware of who received Oxytocin.

Those kept unaware of assignments: participant and investigator.

It started in 2015-04 with completion listed for 2016-04.

It ran at 1 site in China.

Its stated primary purpose is basic science.

What Was Measured

Researchers chose this as the main measure: attitude towards fidelity and infidelity of potential mate (time frame: 1 hour).

What This Means in Plain Language

Put simply, this is a not phased, randomized trial of Oxytocin in 160 people.

The trial is marked completed; no results are posted to the registry yet, so nothing here describes outcomes.

More context: the Oxytocin compound page, all human trials.