Oxytocin reduces the link between neural and affective responses after social exclusion

Being socially excluded triggers negative emotional and behavioral reactions. We examined the influence of oxytocin on the processing of social exclusion. To this end, intranasal oxytocin or placebo were administered in a double-blind trial to 90 females while neurophysiological and emotional reactions to exclusion in a Cyberball game were assessed. In the placebo group a positive correlation was found between self-reports of rejection and late positive potential (LPP) amplitude when being omitted in the game. This correlation was absent in the oxytocin group. No main effects of oxytocin on the self-reports of rejection or the LPP in exclusion trials were found. The hypothesis that oxytocin exacerbates feeling rejected after social exclusion via enhancing the salience of social cues could not be confirmed. However, our results show that the link between neural and affective reactions to social exclusion is eliminated by oxytocin. This mechanism might explain how oxytocin enacts its multiple influences on behavior.