Breastfeeding dynamically changes endogenous oxytocin levels and emotion recognition in mothers | Zendy

Michiko Matsunaga | Zendy; Takefumi Kikusui | Zendy; Kazutaka Mogi | Zendy; Miho Nagasawa | Zendy; Rumi Ooyama | Zendy; Masako Myowa | Zendy

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Breastfeeding dynamically changes endogenous oxytocin levels and emotion recognition in mothers

Author(s) -

Michiko Matsunaga,

Takefumi Kikusui,

Kazutaka Mogi,

Miho Nagasawa,

Rumi Ooyama,

Masako Myowa

Publication year - 2020

Publication title -

biology letters

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 1.596

H-Index - 110

eISSN - 1744-957X

pISSN - 1744-9561

DOI - 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0139

Subject(s) - breastfeeding , oxytocin , affect (linguistics) , developmental psychology , emotion recognition , cognition , psychology , biology , medicine , endocrinology , pediatrics , psychiatry , neuroscience , communication

Breastfeeding behaviours can significantly change mothers' physiological and psychological states. The hormone oxytocin may mediate breastfeeding and mothers' emotion recognition. This study examined the effects of endogenous oxytocin fluctuation via breastfeeding on emotion recognition in 51 primiparous mothers. Saliva oxytocin was assessed before and after the manipulation (breastfeeding or holding an infant), and emotion recognition tasks were conducted. Among mothers who breastfed daily, mothers with more increased levels of oxytocin after breastfeeding showed more reduced negative recognition and enhanced positive recognition of adult facial expressions. These oxytocin functions accompanying breastfeeding may support continued nurturing behaviours and also affect the general social cognition of other adults beyond any specific effect on infants.

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