Kinder?

May 14th, 2022| Topic: RaMbLeS | 2

Getting old, say most old folks, ain’t fun. But did y’all know, old folks (and that includes me), that we are kinder than most? It’s a proven fact.

So saith a new study, from researchers in Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, and USC, Los Angeles, CA, in “Oxytocin Release Increases With Age and Is Associated With Life Satisfaction and Prosocial Behaviors,” published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.

Oxytocin is a neurochemical widely known for its role in social attachment, interpersonal trust, and generosity. It’s also known as the “love hormone.” So, yeah, seniors really are kinder than younger generations thanks to the “love hormone” released in greater quantity in older people’s brains, according to new research. People who release more of the neurochemical oxytocin are kinder to others and tend to be more satisfied with their lives, say these scientists.

Helping behaviors and life satisfaction generally increase after middle-age. … The present study examines the endogenous release of the neuromodulator oxytocin (OT) in participants aged 18–99 and its relationship to prosocial behaviors.”

Added first author Dr. Paul J. Zak:

We have previously shown a link between how kind and generous people are, known as prosocial behaviors, and the release of oxytocin,” he adds. “Seniors spend more time volunteering and donate a larger proportion of their income to charity than do younger people, so we wanted to see if there was a neurochemical basis for these behaviors.”

These folks examined blood samples from 103 participants before and after a video stimulus: Participants watched a 100-second video of a father describing his feelings about his 2-year-old son who is dying from brain cancer; in the video, the child is playing in the hospital while his father talks.

We found that OT release following a social prime increased with age and that OT moderated the relationship between age and donations to charity.”

The average amount donated to charity was $8.19. Charitable donations for the young age group (18–35) were $4.64, increasing to $9.30 for middle-aged participants (36–64), and rising to $12.45 for seniors (>65). In other words, on average, people are more caring as they get older.

Zak again:

This is the first time a distinct change in oxytocin has been related to past prosocial behaviors. We also found that the release of oxytocin increased with age and was positively associated with life satisfaction.”

And the paper declares:

Our findings indicate that the neural chemistry that helps sustain social relationships and live a fulfilled life appear to strengthen with age.”

So that’s all I need—give me a shot of Oxytocin (or Pitocin, its labor-inducing analog) and I’ll become a kinder and gentler old fuddy duddy!

BTW, the study also found Oxytocin levels increasing with “religious commitment.”

In Ephesians 4, Paul gives five exhortations for building up the body of Christ. Each exhortation has a negative element, a positive command, and a motivation for the positive command. One of the five exhortations is this:

Let all bitterness and wrath and rage and clamor and slander
be put away from you, with all malice.
But be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31–32

And the basis of a Christian body-building lifestyle lies in the character of God, his attributes his children are called to emulate as the new people they are …

… created in accordance with God[‘s likeness]
in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:24

God must have a real high blood level of Oxytocin! Let’s crank up ours, too!

SOURCE:
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience; Study Finds