Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Oxytocin
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Oxytocin
Cambridge 13 | Test 2 | Passage 2
Oxytocin
In almost half of the existing research results, oxytocin influenced only certain individuals or in certain circumstances. Where once researchers took no notice of such findings, now a more nuanced understanding of oxytocin’s effects is propelling investigations down new lines. The key to understanding what the hormone does lies in pinpointing its core function rather than in cataloguing its seemingly endless effects. There are
several hypotheses which are not mutually exclusive. Oxytocin could help to reduce anxiety and fear. Or it could simply motivate people to seek out social connections. Oxytocin acts as a chemical spotlight that shines on social clues—a shift in posture, a flicker of the eyes, a dip in the voice—making
people more attuned to their social environment. This would explain why it makes us more likely to look others in the eye and improves our ability to identify emotions. But it could also make things worse for people who are overly sensitive or prone to interpreting social cues in the worst light.
nuanced (adjective)
made slightly different in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.
pinpoint (verb)
to discover or describe the exact facts about something
mutually exclusive (adjective)
If two things are mutually exclusive, they cannot exist or happen together at the same time
View all episodes
By LingophoenixCambridge 13 | Test 2 | Passage 2
Oxytocin
In almost half of the existing research results, oxytocin influenced only certain individuals or in certain circumstances. Where once researchers took no notice of such findings, now a more nuanced understanding of oxytocin’s effects is propelling investigations down new lines. The key to understanding what the hormone does lies in pinpointing its core function rather than in cataloguing its seemingly endless effects. There are
several hypotheses which are not mutually exclusive. Oxytocin could help to reduce anxiety and fear. Or it could simply motivate people to seek out social connections. Oxytocin acts as a chemical spotlight that shines on social clues—a shift in posture, a flicker of the eyes, a dip in the voice—making
people more attuned to their social environment. This would explain why it makes us more likely to look others in the eye and improves our ability to identify emotions. But it could also make things worse for people who are overly sensitive or prone to interpreting social cues in the worst light.
nuanced (adjective)
made slightly different in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.
pinpoint (verb)
to discover or describe the exact facts about something
mutually exclusive (adjective)
If two things are mutually exclusive, they cannot exist or happen together at the same time