Psychological stress provokes an oxytocin response in the female body This is the conclusion of scientists from the Southern Methodist University in the USA.
Social anxiety or stress triggers oxytocin activation in women, researchers have found. They obtained additional evidence that this hormone plays an important role in the psychological response to social stressful situations. Recall that oxytocin is a hormone that is produced by the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland. It plays an important role in several social processes at once, and is informally called the “hug hormone” because oxytocin increases emotional bonds between people.
Stress has been proven to not cause breast cancer!
However, the authors of a new study found that this hormone is associated with reactions to stress. The study involved a little over 100 people aged 18 to 25 who took online tests for the level of social anxiety and depressive symptoms before attending a laboratory experiment. And on it they were subjected to social stress. The experiment required participants to give a five-minute speech in front of one woman and one male actor. The performance was followed by an arithmetic problem, where it was necessary to calculate in reverse order from 2023 to 17. There were video cameras in the room, and the participants were specifically informed that their performance would be recorded and judged.
A pregnant mother transmits stress to her baby
To measure oxytocin levels, participants took one baseline blood test about a minute before receiving test instructions, and four more within 30 minutes after the test was completed. It turned out that the concentration of oxytocin increased after the stress test, and the more socially anxious participants in this experiment showed the highest levels of oxytocin. Moreover, these results were specific for women. (READ MORE) 
Southern Methodist University
Medicine
a private research university in Dallas, Texas, USA. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church