Oxytocin increases trust in humans | Nature Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Advertisement View all Nature Research journals Search My Account Login Explore our content Journal information Subscribe nature letters article Published: 02 June 2005 Oxytocin increases trust in humans Michael Kosfeld1  na1, Markus Heinrichs2  na1, Paul J. Zak3 , Urs Fischbacher1 & Ernst Fehr1,4   Nature volume 435, pages673–676(2005)Cite this article 7737 Accesses 1993 Citations 744 Altmetric Metrics details Abstract Trust pervades human societies1,2. Trust is indispensable in friendship, love, families and organizations, and plays a key role in economic exchange and politics3. In the absence of trust among trading partners, market transactions break down. In the absence of trust in a country's institutions and leaders, political legitimacy breaks down. Much recent evidence indicates that trust contributes to economic, political and social success4,5. Little is known, however, about the biological basis of trust among humans. Here we show that intranasal administration of oxytocin, a neuropeptide that plays a key role in social attachment and affiliation in non-human mammals6,7,8, causes a substantial increase in trust among humans, thereby greatly increasing the benefits from social interactions. We also show that the effect of oxytocin on trust is not due to a general increase in the readiness to bear risks. On the contrary, oxytocin specifically affects an individual's willingness to accept social risks arising through interpersonal interactions. These results concur with animal research suggesting an essential role for oxytocin as a biological basis of prosocial approach behaviour. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Access through your institution Change institution Buy or subscribe Access options Subscribe to Journal Get full journal access for 1 year $199.00 only $3.83 per issue Subscribe All prices are NET prices. VAT will be added later in the checkout. Rent or Buy article Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube. from$8.99 Rent or Buy All prices are NET prices. Additional access options: Log in Access through your institution Learn about institutional subscriptions Figure 1: The trust game. Figure 2: Transfers in the trust and the risk experiment. Figure 3: Average back transfer of trustees to their investors. References 1Luhmann, N. Trust and Power (Wiley, New York, 1979) Google Scholar  2Coleman, J. Foundations of Social Theory 91–118 (Belknap Press of Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1990) Google Scholar  3Arrow, K. Gifts and exchanges. Phil. Publ. Affairs 1, 343–362 (1972) Google Scholar  4Knack, S. & Keefer, P. Does social capital have an economic payoff? A cross-country investigation. Q. J. Econ. 112, 1251–1288 (1997) Article  Google Scholar  5Zak, P. J. & Knack, S. Trust and growth. Econ. J. 111, 295–321 (2001) Article  Google Scholar  6Carter, C. S. Neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love. Psychoneuroendocrinology 23, 779–818 (1998) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  7Uvnas-Moberg, K. Oxytocin may mediate the benefits of positive social interaction and emotions. Psychoneuroendocrinology 23, 819–835 (1998) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  8Insel, T. R. & Young, L. J. The neurobiology of attachment. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 2, 129–136 (2001) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  9Landgraf, R. & Neumann, I. D. Vasopressin and oxytocin release within the brain: a dynamic concept of multiple and variable modes of neuropeptide communication. Front. Neuroendocrinol. 25, 150–176 (2004) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  10Huber, D., Pierre, V. & Ron, S. Vasopressin and oxytocin excite distinct neuronal populations in the central amygdala. Science 308, 245–248 (2005) ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar  11Carter, C. S., Altemus, M. & Chrousos, G. P. Neuroendocrine and emotional changes in the post-partum period. Prog. Brain Res. 133, 241–249 (2001) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  12Young, L. J., Lim, M. M., Gingrich, B. & Insel, T. R. Cellular mechanisms of social attachment. Horm. Behav. 40, 133–138 (2001) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  13Pedersen, C. A. Oxytocin control of maternal behavior. Regulation by sex steroids and offspring stimuli. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 807, 126–145 (1997) ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar  14Heinrichs, M., Neumann, I. & Ehlert, U. Lactation and stress: protective effects of breast-feeding in humans. Stress 5, 195–203 (2002) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  15Insel, T. R. & Shapiro, L. E. Oxytocin receptor distribution reflects social organization in monogamous and polygamous voles. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 89, 5981–5985 (1992) ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar  16Born, J. et al. Sniffing neuropeptides: a transnasal approach to the human brain. Nature Neurosci. 5, 514–516 (2002) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  17Heinrichs, M., Baumgartner, T., Kirschbaum, C. & Ehlert, U. Social support and oxytocin interact to suppress cortisol and subjective responses to psychosocial stress. Biol. Psychiatry 54, 1389–1398 (2003) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  18Heinrichs, M., Meinlschmidt, G., Wippich, W., Ehlert, U. & Hellhammer, D. H. Selective amnesic effects of oxytocin on human memory. Physiol. Behav. 83, 31–38 (2004) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  19Camerer, C. & Weigelt, K. Experimental tests of a sequential equilibrium reputation model. Econometrica 56, 1–36 (1988) MathSciNet  Article  Google Scholar  20Fehr, E., Kirchsteiger, G. & Riedl, A. Does fairness prevent market clearing? An experimental investigation. Q. J. Econ. 108, 437–459 (1993) Article  Google Scholar  21Berg, J., Dickhaut, J. & McCabe, K. Trust, reciprocity and social history. Games Econ. Behav. 10, 122–142 (1995) Article  Google Scholar  22Bohnet, I. & Zeckhauser, R. Trust, risk and betrayal. J. Econ. Behav. Organ. 55, 467–484 (2004) Article  Google Scholar  23Holt, C. & Laury, S. Risk aversion and incentive effects. Am. Econ. Rev. 92, 1644–1655 (2002) Article  Google Scholar  24Fehr, E. & Schmidt, K. M. A theory of fairness, competition, and cooperation. Q. J. Econ. 114, 817–868 (1999) Article  Google Scholar  25Hong, K. & Bohnet, I. Status and Distrust: the Relevance of Inequality and Betrayal Aversion (Working Paper RW04-041, Kennedy School, Harvard Univ., Cambridge, 2004) Google Scholar  26Steyer, R., Schwenkmezger, P., Notz, P. & Eid, M. Der Mehrdimensionale Befindlichkeitsfragebogen (MDBF) [Multidimensional mood questionnaire] (Hogrefe, Göttingen, 1997) Google Scholar  27Gintis, H., Bowles, S., Boyd, R. & Fehr, E. Explaining altruistic behavior in humans. Evol. Hum. Behav. 24, 153–172 (2003) Article  Google Scholar  28Engelmann, D. & Strobel, M. Inequality aversion, efficiency, and maximin preferences in simple distribution experiments. Am. Econ. Rev. 94, 857–869 (2004) Article  Google Scholar  29Kendrick, K. M. et al. Neural control of maternal behaviour and olfactory recognition of offspring. Brain Res. Bull. 44, 383–395 (1997) CAS  Article  Google Scholar  30Fischbacher, U. z-Tree. Zurich Toolbox for Readymade Economic Experiments (Working Paper No. 21, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, Univ., Zurich, 1999) Google Scholar  Download references Acknowledgements This paper is part of the Research Priority Program ‘Foundations of Human Social Behaviour—Altruism versus Egoism’ at the University of Zurich. Financial support from the MacArthur Foundation (Network on Economic Environments and the Evolution of Individual Preferences and Social Norms) and the Cogito Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. M.H. also acknowledges support from the Swiss National Science Foundation. We thank F. Heusi, A. Enzler, S. Gilomen, E. Götz, M. Koenigsberg, K. Korsunsky, S. Krammer, S. Lauber, P. Obrist-Rybar, M. Schellhammer, B. Studer, R. Stünzi and M. Trottmann for research assistance. Author information Author notes Michael Kosfeld and Markus Heinrichs: *These authors contributed equally to this work Affiliations University of Zurich, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, Blumlisalpstrasse 10, CH-8006, Zurich, Switzerland Michael Kosfeld, Urs Fischbacher & Ernst Fehr Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurichbergstrasse 43, CH-8044, Zurich, Switzerland Markus Heinrichs Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, 91711-6165, USA Paul J. Zak Collegium Helveticum, Schmelzbergstrasse 25, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland Ernst Fehr Authors Michael KosfeldView author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar Markus HeinrichsView author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar Paul J. ZakView author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar Urs FischbacherView author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar Ernst FehrView author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar Corresponding authors Correspondence to Markus Heinrichs or Ernst Fehr. Ethics declarations Competing interests Reprints and permissions information is available at npg.nature.com/reprintsandpermissions. The authors declare no competing financial interests. Rights and permissions Reprints and Permissions About this article Cite this article Kosfeld, M., Heinrichs, M., Zak, P. et al. Oxytocin increases trust in humans. Nature 435, 673–676 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03701 Download citation Received: 20 April 2005 Accepted: 05 May 2005 Issue Date: 02 June 2005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03701 Further reading Relation of Promoter Methylation of the Oxytocin Gene to Stressful Life Events and Depression Severity Simon Sanwald , Maximilian Gahr , Katharina Widenhorn-Müller , Carlos Schönfeldt-Lecuona , Kerstin Richter , Bernhard J. Connemann , Thomas Kammer , Christian Montag  & Markus Kiefer Journal of Molecular Neuroscience (2020) Consistency and efficacy of two methods of intranasal oxytocin application in dogs F.S. Schaebs , T. Deschner , F. Range , S. Karl  & S. Marshall-Pescini Domestic Animal Endocrinology (2020) Oxytocin administration modulates rats’ helping behavior depending on social context Atsuhito Yamagishi , Maya Okada , Masatoshi Masuda  & Nobuya Sato Neuroscience Research (2020) The evolution of trust and trustworthiness Aanjaneya Kumar , Valerio Capraro  & Matjaž Perc Journal of The Royal Society Interface (2020) The awareness of the scared - context dependent influence of oxytocin on brain function Linda Baettig , Andreas Baeumelt , Jutta Ernst , Heinz Boeker , Simone Grimm  & Andre Richter Brain Imaging and Behavior (2020) Comments By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Access through your institution Change institution Buy or subscribe Associated Content Nature | News & Views Brain trust Antonio Damasio Explore our content Research News Opinion Research Analysis Careers Books and Culture Podcasts Videos Current Issue Browse Issues Browse Articles Browse Collections Browse Subjects Sign up for alerts RSS feed Journal information About the Journal For Authors For Referees Awards Subscribe Submit manuscript Search Article Search Search Advanced search Quick links Explore articles by subject Find a job Guide to authors Editorial policies Nature ISSN 1476-4687 (online) nature.com sitemap About us Press releases Press office Contact us Discover content Journals A-Z Articles by subject Nano Protocol Exchange Nature Index Publish with us Guide to Authors Guide to Referees Editorial policies Open access Reprints & permissions Researcher services Research data Language editing Scientific editing Nature Masterclasses Nature Research Academies Libraries & institutions Librarian service & tools Librarian portal Open research Recommend to library Advertising & partnerships Advertising Partnerships & Services Media kits Branded content Career development Nature Careers Nature Conferences Nature events Regional websites Nature China Nature India Nature Japan Nature Korea Nature Middle East Legal & Privacy Privacy Policy Use of cookies Manage cookies/Do not sell my data Legal notice Accessibility statement Terms & Conditions California Privacy Statement © 2020 Springer Nature Limited Close Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. Email address Sign up I agree my information will be processed in accordance with the Nature and Springer Nature Limited Privacy Policy. Close Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing