P.1.a.027 Second-to-fourth digit ratio is associated with cognitive empathy in men depending on common polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene

Abstract Empathy is essential for navigating complex social environments. Prior work has shown associations between rs53576, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), and generalized empathy. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of rs53576 on subdomains of empathy, specifically cognitive empathy (CE) and affective empathy (AE), in healthy adults. Twenty cohorts of 8933 participants aged 18–98 were identified, including data from the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study, a cohort of older community adults. Meta-analyses found G homozygotes had greater generalized empathic abilities only in young to middle-aged adults. While meta-analyses of empathy subdomains yielded no significant overall effects, there were differential effects based on ethnicity. G homozygotes were associated with greater CE abilities in Asian cohorts (standardized mean difference; SMD: 0.09 [2.8·10−3–0.18]), and greater AE performance in European cohorts [SMD: 0.12 (0.04–0.21)]. The current literature highlights a need for further work that distinguishes between genetic and ethnocultural effects and explores effects of advanced age on this relationship.

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Supplemental Material for Common Variants of the Oxytocin Receptor Gene Do Not Predict the Positive Mood Benefits of Prosocial Spending

Emotion ◽

10.1037/emo0000589.supp ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Receptor Gene ◽

Positive Mood ◽

Oxytocin Receptor ◽

Common Variants ◽

Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽

Prosocial Spending

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of A common allele in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) impacts prosocial temperament and human hypothalamic-limbic structure and function.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.718383546.793495023 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Douglas Drossman ◽

Eva Szigethy

Keyword(s):

Receptor Gene ◽

Oxytocin Receptor ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Limbic Structure ◽

Common Allele ◽

Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽

And Function

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The Hormonal Underpinnings of Sexual Communication

The Oxford Handbook of the Physiology of Interpersonal Communication ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190679446.013.14 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 234-260

Author(s):

Amanda Denes ◽

Anuraj Dhillon ◽

Ambyre L. P. Ponivas ◽

Kara L. Winkler

Keyword(s):

Interpersonal Relationships ◽

Sexual Communication ◽

Receptor Gene ◽

Oxytocin Receptor ◽

Communication Research ◽

Future Directions ◽

Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽

Broad Domain ◽

Relational Outcomes

Sexual communication is a pivotal part of interpersonal relationships; recent research reveals associations between sexual communication and various relational outcomes. Within the broad domain of sexual communication, current scholarship specifically addresses the role of postsex communication in relationships and its links to physiological and genetic markers. Given these advancements, the present chapter offers an overview of research linking physiology, hormones, and genes to communication after sexual activity. The chapter first presents reviews of two key hormones in sexual communication research: testosterone (T) and oxytocin (O). The oxytocin receptor gene and its link to social behavior broadly, and sexual behavior specifically, is also explored. The chapter then offers a review of several theories relevant to understanding the hormonal underpinnings of sexual communication, as well as future directions for research exploring sexual communication and physiology.

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