The same hormone that is released when people experience orgasms, childbirth, and physical contact has also been found to cause an increased feeling of fear in stressful circumstances, and make negative emotional memories more intense.

The same feel-good hormone that is released when people experience orgasms, childbirth, and physical contact has also been found to cause an increased feeling of fear in stressful circumstances, and make negative emotional memories more intense.
Experiments by researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois found that mice with a high level of oxytocin receptors showed more fear and anxiety when they were put in a cage where an aggressive mouse had previously bullied them.

Mice with no oxytocin receptors showed no fear of the cage where they had been exposed to the aggressive mice.

Jelena Radulovic, senior author on the study and a professor at Northwestern University's medical school said: “By understanding the oxytocin system's dual role in triggering or reducing anxiety, depending on the social context, we can optimize oxytocin treatments that improve well-being instead of triggering negative reactions.”

Oxytocin has been tested as a treatment for autism and depression, but medical professionals have not approved it.

One study found that when given oxytocin, subjects became closer to those around them, and more aggressive towards outsiders.