The Regulatory Effect Of Oxytocin On Pain Empathy Of Avoidant Attachment Individuals

Pain empathy plays an extremely important role in human life.It refers to individual’s prediction,judgment and emotional response to others’ pain.Pain empathy is affected by many factors,including individual attachment type.According to attachment theory,secure and avoidant individuals have different internal working patterns and adopt different attachment strategies in face of external information.For example,avoidant individuals often show defensive repulsion actions towards others.So,do avoidant individuals show an avoidance response instead of an empathic response when confronted with pain? Oxytocin has been dubbed "love hormone " in numerous studies and has been shown to regulate emotional expressions,weaken self-centeredness and strengthen bonding with others.Can oxytocin improve defensive rejection and increase pain empathy in avoidant attachment individuals? At present,there is no empirical exploration from this perspective.This study first explored the differences in pain empathy among individuals with different attachment styles,and then further explored how oxytocin increases pain empathy in individuals with avoidant attachment styles and explained the related brain mechanisms.Study 1 used 2（attachment types: avoidant attachment,secure attachment）*2（task types:pain,no pain）mixed experimental design.In this study,44 college students（22 avoidant and22 secure attachment individuals）were selected by Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory（ECR）.The main task was to complete the pain task and the non-pain task on the computer.Three behavioral data including reaction time,pain rating,and self-discomfort rating were collected,as well as EEG components N1,N2,and P3,to explore the characteristics and brain mechanism of pain empathy in avoidant attachment individuals.Based on the results of study 1,study 2 used 2（category: oxytocin group,placebo group）* 2（task types: pain,no pain）mixed experimental design.A total of 44 college students with avoidant attachment were recruited（22 in the oxytocin group and 22 in the placebo group）,and the combination of behavioral measurement and ERP technology was still used to further explore the effect of oxytocin on pain empathy and its brain mechanism in avoidant attachment individuals.The main conclusions of the study are as followings:1.Attachment type affects participants’ empathy for others’ pain,secure attachment individuals show pain empathy,avoidant attachment individuals don’t response pain empathy by avoidance reaction: In behavioral data,avoidant attachment individuals’ reaction time was longer than that of secure attachment individuals,and the scores of pain intensity of others were lower than those of secure attachment individuals,avoidant attachment individuals’ self-comfort scores were lower than those of secure attachment individuals.In EEG data,the peaks of N1 components evoked by avoidant attachment individuals were much lower than those of secure attachment individuals,and the peaks of N2 components evoked by avoidant attachment individuals were much lower than those of secure attachment individuals.Attachment theory states that avoidant attachment individuals tend to adopt deactivation strategies,that is,they perceive others as unapproachable and dangerous,and exhibit avoidant responses and expressive inhibitions.Behavioral and EEG results confirmed that avoidant attachment individuals perceive the pain of others as threatening information that is unfavorable to their own survival,adopted a deactivated internal processing mode,and show an avoidance response to the pain of others.2.Oxytocin can regulate the deactivation strategies of avoidantly attached individuals to a certain extent,and increase the avoidantly attached individuals’ empathy for the pain of others: in terms of behavioral data,the oxytocin group of avoidant attachment individuals had a shorter response time than the placebo group of avoidant attachment individuals,scores of others’ pain scores were higher than those of avoidant attachment individuals in the placebo group,and scores of self-comfort scores were higher than those of avoidant attachment individuals in the placebo group.EEG data showed that avoidant attachment individuals in the oxytocin group had more negative N1 peaks than those in the placebo group.A large number of previous studies have shown that oxytocin has the effect of increasing individual trust in others and promoting prosocial behavior.After receiving nasal spray oxytocin,the deactivation strategy of avoidant attachment individuals is adjusted,and pain information is no longer regarded as negative harmful stimuli.But instead of perception that the other person is trustworthy,they generate emotional sharing of the other person’s painful situation,and then show empathy and concern.