Can oxytocin help against loneliness? Results of a randomized controlled trial

Loneliness is not a disease. However, it is a significant health problem. Depression, heart disease or dementia - people who constantly feel lonely have a higher risk of getting sick.

A team led by Dr. Jana Liberz from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), who also conducts research at the University of Bonn, and Prof. Dr. Dirk Schele (Ruhr-University Bochum) investigated how loneliness can be combated in a targeted manner. In a controlled study, which also involved the universities of Oldenburg, Bochum, Freiburg and Haifa (Israel), 78 women and men who felt lonely were given the so-called "cuddle hormone" oxytocin as a nasal spray.

The article was published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

Everyone is probably familiar with the feeling of loneliness - this is a negative feeling that occurs when one's own social relationships are perceived as insufficient in quantity or quality. However, if this sensation persists, it can be associated with a variety of mental and physical illnesses. Despite this, there has been a lack of effective interventions to reduce chronic loneliness in those who suffer from it.

Senior authors Dr Liberz and Professor Dr Schele, together with first author Ruben Berger (UKB), investigated whether the attachment hormone oxytocin could help improve the effectiveness of group therapy against loneliness in a recent study.

In the evidence-based study, participants completed five weekly group therapy sessions supplemented with oxytocin nasal spray. The control group received a placebo.

Participants' perceptions of their own loneliness were assessed at the beginning of the study, after completion of all sessions, and again at two subsequent points (three weeks and three months later). In addition, acute feelings of loneliness, stress levels, quality of life, and the therapeutic relationship were assessed at each session.

Senior author of the study, Dr. Libertz, summarizes: “The psychological intervention was associated with a decrease in perceived stress and an improvement in overall levels of loneliness in all treatment groups, which was visible three months after completion of therapy.”

Oxytocin had no significant effect on reported loneliness, quality of life, or perceived stress. However, compared to placebo, participants receiving oxytocin reported reduced acute feelings of loneliness after the sessions. In addition, the administration of oxytocin improved positive communication between group members.

"This is a very important observation that we made - oxytocin was able to increase positive relationships with other group members and reduce acute feelings of loneliness from the very beginning. This may be useful in supporting patients at the beginning of psychotherapy. We know that patients may feel worse early in therapy, when their problems become apparent, the observed effects of oxytocin administration may in turn help those who need support stay on track with treatment,” explains Dr. Liberc.

The psychologist stresses that oxytocin should not be seen as a panacea and that therapy is not always necessary to reduce loneliness. Although the study did not find long-term effects of oxytocin administration, the results suggest that oxytocin can be used to achieve positive effects during interventions.

Further research is now required to determine optimal intervention designs so that the observed acute effects of oxytocin can be translated into long-term benefits.