Konkvistador comments on Open Thread, June 2-15, 2013 - Less Wrong

5 Post author: TimS 02 June 2013 02:22AM

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Comment author: [deleted] 11 June 2013 05:54:20PM *  4 points [-]

bonding behaviors (e.g. parent-child, pets, snuggling / Karezza)

Playing a team sport. Killing other people with your allies in combat. Being held in captivity and/or abused severely enough.

Comment author: Vladimir_Golovin 12 June 2013 11:14:18AM *  1 point [-]

Hmm, this is surprising. At first I thought you're providing examples of bonding behaviors that don't raise oxytocin levels, but decided to google anyway, and voila: Oxytocin and the Biopsychology of Performance in Team Sports, Gert-Jan Pepping and Erik J. Timmermans.

The second example, killing others with allies in combat, seems to be similar to team sports. However, the third one, being held in captivity / abused, seems to be different in kind. Do you have any sources on it?

Edit: I wonder if playing a team-based competitive game like Team Fortress 2 has any effect on oxytocin levels, in addition to dopamine effects that are typical for video games?