Scientist at the University of Zurich have demostrated how neurobiological factors can influence human behavior. They used nasal spray to give volunteers oxytocin, a hormone produced by the body, oxytocin has been shown to promote social contacts in laboratory test animals. The people who receive oxytocin showed more faith and goodwill towards their neighbor. For example, in the study, male college students who played an investment game were more likely to entrust their money to someone they did not known well.
The researches are not concerned about potential manipulation, however. It is not possible to make people unwittingly compliant by exposing them to oxytocin via the air conditioning, for example. The hormone would have to be sprayed directly into your nose for there to be a noteworthy effect.
What's Driving This Trend
- Social Connection Enhancement
- The development of nasal sprays that enhance social connections can lead to disruptive innovation opportunities in pharmaceutical, mental health, and social media industries.
- Trust Building Technologies
- The creation of trust-building technologies through the use of hormones, especially oxytocin, can lead to disruptive innovation opportunities in finance, investment, and human resources industries.
- Behavioral Influence Through Hormones
- Exploring behavioral influence techniques through the use of hormones has disruptive innovation opportunities in marketing, psychology, and education industries.
Who This Affects Most
- Pharmaceutical
- Pharmaceutical companies can develop and market oxytocin sprays to enhance social connections as a treatment option for social anxiety and other mental health concerns.
- Finance
- Developing and using trust-building technologies based on oxytocin can lead to the creation of more trustworthy financial institutions and investment products.
- Marketing
- Marketers can use knowledge about the effects of oxytocin to create more effective advertising campaigns that appeal to consumers' emotional responses and social connection needs.
