The role of oxytocin on touching and daily life

• Published in: Journal for the Integrated Study of Dietary Habits Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 127 - 134
• Main Author: Yamaguchi, Hajime
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: THE JAPAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE INTEGRATED STUDY OF DIETARY HABITS 2024; 日本食生活学会
• ISSN: 1346-9770; 1881-2368
• DOI: 10.2740/jisdh.35.3_127

This paper describes the effects of oxytocin from two aspects: touching and daily life. Touching has many important functions for human beings and animals, such as bond formation and healing. And its effects are mainly brought about by oxytocin. Oxytocin builds attachment bonds between parents and children during childhood, and skin-to-skin contact plays an important role in this process. This is because the nerve fibers involved in skin-to-skin contact cause the secretion of oxytocin. Therefore, if children do not have proper physical contact with their caregivers during childhood and are under excessive stress, oxytocin nerve development may be impaired and oxytocin receptor DNA may be methylated, resulting in suppression of oxytocin secretion even in adulthood.　Second, in the diet, oxytocin secretion is stimulated by the consumption of sweetened foods, which suppresses the reward value of food. Thus, oxytocin has a suppressive effect on craving for snacks. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the skin barrier function was higher in people with higher levels of happiness. This may be because people with higher levels of happiness had higher levels of oxytocin, and oxytocin stimulated the production of substances such as hyaluronic acid from the fibroblasts of the skin. It was also found that the oxytocin secretion was enhanced by touching soft and smooth fabrics. Oxytocin secretion is known to be increased by pleasant stimulation of the 5 senses. Finally, as a result of a 3-month program to increase physical contact at a nursery school in Kakegawa City, oxytocin secretion increased in the children, and improvements in attachment and social skills were observed. It is assumed that activities which help to increase oxytocin secretion in daily life will contribute to improving people's health and sense of well-being.