Neuroeconomics, oxytocin and trust

Via Brain Waves:

A soon to be published paper (Neuroactive Hormones and Interpersonal Trust: International Evidence, Zak & Fakhar, in press) links societal levels of happiness with the hormone oxytocin which plays a role in bonding and increased interpersonal trust.

The authors contend that higher levels of oxytocin in a society makes that society more trusting - and happy.

The major finding is that factors that raise overall levels of oxytocin and/or estrogens (which increase oxytocin uptake) affect country-level measures of trust...While the causation is likely bidirectional, we now know that trusting people are happier.

[Oxytocin levels are boosted by, among other things, physical contact (mothers bonding with their babies during breastfeeding, etc.) so I'll leap to silly conclusions and suggest that petting your cat a lot engenders trust of cats, and trusting cats may make it easier for toxoplasma gondii to propogate. HMM. It's all coming together now...]