Abstract
Oxytocin has been well researched in association with psychological variables and is widely
accepted as a key modulator of human social behaviour. Previous work indicates involvement of
oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human-human empathy,
however little is known about associations of OXTR SNPs with empathy and affective reactions
of humans towards animals. Five OXTR SNPs previously found to associate with human social
behaviour were genotyped in 161 students. Empathy towards animals and implicit associations
were evaluated. A General Linear Model was used to investigate the OXTR alleles and allelic
combinations along with socio-demographic variables and their influence on empathy towards
animals. Empathy towards animals showed a significant association with OXTR SNP rs2254298;
homozygous G individuals reported higher levels of empathy towards animals than heterozygous
(GA). Our preliminary findings show, for the first time, that between allelic variation in OXTR and
animal directed empathy in humans maybe associated, suggesting that OXTRs social behaviour role
crosses species boundaries, warranting independent replication.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 140 |
Pages (from-to) | 140 - 149 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Animals |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 8 |
Early online date | 14 Aug 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | First published - 14 Aug 2018 |
Bibliographical note
1032199Keywords
- Empathy
- Human-animal-interaction
- Implicit associations
- OXTR