conuly | WTF?

This is not the sort of thing one can coherently respond to at four in the morning.

I second that statement.

It has even been suggested that the spray could be used as a therapy for trust-diminishing conditions, such as autism or some social phobias.

Wait. I thought people with ASDs are often characterized as naive and overly trusting? So this should help us be more likely to lose money to strangers and stuff, and this is a good thing?

That was my reaction. If somebody's not trusting, maybe it's because most of the time, people show themselves to not be trustworthy...? Like they ask stupid questions as a set-up for mocking you? Or they... nevermind.

Absolute anti-stranger paranoia, in some cases to the point that they are almost uncontrollable if their care giver passes away.

I have what I guess you could call "trust issues", and I'm a social-phobic with some definite autistic tendencies, and if anyone ever tried to use something like that on me, I can guarantee that while it might possibly "work" in the short term, the long term reaction from it would be "never trust any bugger with a nasal spray".

Ditto.

I already don't trust those pills they give me (or used to give me) to make me feel better (SSRI's. etc); now I have to watch out for some spray?

I haven't read the article yet, but I can see it now - they already paint the walls of waiting rooms etc. certain colors to induce calm; some even put fragrance into the air to elicit the same effect. Next they'll be using chemical sprays so that when the receptionist says, "Bye now, have a nice day!" she'll really mean it.

Next: SSRI's piped into supermarkets to increase our buying and cut down on shopping rage...

LOL ditto.

I want to make a prediction. Some big ol- company has already looked into this. And we have to wait ten years for it to go on mainstream news, ten more for people to pass "anti oxytocin laws" which have so many loopholes they may as well not even be there.

I like the other universe stories though. Of course, according to some theories, I'm already there O_O

If i have trust issues it is because life has taught me how people abuse trust. *snarls wiht incoherency* IT is most annoying that my jacobs ladder micorwave projector project is more of a death ray, less of a interdimensional portal generator.

You have to accept that along with hacking computers there will be those that hack meat. Figure out the virus checker for that and make a trillion dollars, guaranteed.

I cannot remember where I read it but there's something about nipples and that hormone. It makes men stay around women or something.

::nods:: Male voles and female voles, actually, unless I'm misremembering. I don't think there's actually been a trial study with humans yet, but yeah, there's a definite fidelity association, among other things. It's also the hormone that triggers lactation, so you were right about that, too.

::yay for stuff learned in Vertebrate Bio::

I can see it all now: Axe Oxytocin Body Spray; oxytocin replaces ecstasy as the rave drug; test cases in court -- will oxytocin be considered a date rape drug?; Republicans will condemn it and the DEA will make it Schedule II.

I didn't get past the part of the article where they mentioned it's oxytocin...

oxytocin is one of the chemicals your body natural creates that causes you to love/lust after people... it's a sex drug. It gets released during sexual acts...

I think it's the one specifically responsible for "new relationship energy" that head over heels feeling, but I could be wrong and it could just be a pleasurable making out drug.

...

I think I'm at a loss for words that they want to spray people with it to make them more trusting. And... uh, giving people access to it... it certainly can be addicting. People do get addicted to it. Usually it's expressed by being addicted to the acts that make your body create it... but uh.... weird, just weird.

It might be a good aphrodisiac (sp?) though.

::nods:: Precisely. It's associated with that "falling in love" feeling, and with orgasms. Also uterine contractions, mothering reflex, male fidelity, friendship/family bonding, lactation, and a bunch of other things. WHY they think that spraying something with such a wide range of effects is a good idea is beyond me.

Also, while there may be applications for treating sociopaths, the social difficulties of people on the autism spectrum are, as far as I know, completely unrelated to the sort of reactions oxytocin is associated with. My ability to "read" people may be impaired, but my ability to bond certainly isn't!

*shrug* All it is is oxytocin. Pregnant women walk around reeking of it and don't generally manage great feats of mind control.