Oxytocin and Non-verbal Communication

Exploring the Effects of Oxytocin on Non-verbal Communication

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03228901

Enrollment

104

Registered

2017-07-25

Start date

2007-01-31

Completion date

2009-07-31

Last updated

2017-07-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Social Interaction

Keywords

Oxytocin, Affiliation

Brief summary

In this protocol registration, the investigators plan a secondary data analysis of a dataset to explore the effects of intra-nasal oxytocin on the non-verbal expression of affiliation.

Detailed description

Using Liu et al.'s (2012) dataset, the investigators seek to observe whether the administration of oxytocin modifies non-verbal communication with a stranger. This dataset involves a conversation between two strangers that took place 45 minutes after drug administration. While Liu et al. coded the video for markers of interpersonal distance (physical distance, eye contact, conversational intimacy), the investigators seek to analyse oxytocin's effects on non-verbal communication of affiliative and sexual cues (e.g., smiles, lip puckers). Based on findings that oxytocin's effects depend on context, the investigators will explore these relationships as a function of the conversational context (where participants converse with each other using low-, medium-, and high-intimacy topics, or in an unstructured conversation).

Interventions

DRUGOxytocin

Administration of the hormone oxytocin

DRUGPlacebos

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

FACTORIAL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* healthy

Exclusion criteria

* pregnant; * history of epilepsy, severe depression, severe anxiety, or psychosis; * smoking more than 15 cigarettes a day; * addicted to illegal substances.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Non-verbal communication	Measured in the interaction which commenced 45mins after drug administration	Based on coding the video-recorded interaction between two strangers, using a coding scheme by Gonzaga et al. (for affiliative and sexual cues)

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Ratings of the person participants interacted with	Measured following the interaction (which commenced 45 mins after drug administration)	Positivity or sexual attraction towards the other participant in the conversation (as measured using visual analogue scales based on person perception studies)

Countries

Australia

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026