Oxytocin and Human Connection

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Dr. Sue Carter, the former director of the Kinsey Institute and a world renowned scientist. She discusses the evolutionary history of oxytocin and its important role in human bonding. She underscores the fact that oxytocin affects every tissue of the body and is the physiologic basis for pair bonding and relationships. In a sense, it defines who we feel safe with.

Sue Carter, PhD is the former director of the Kinsey Institute and a world renowned scientist. Her research program has discovered important new developmental functions for oxytocin and vasopressin, and implicated these hormones in the regulation of human connection and early social experiences. She is also studying oxytocin’s implications for controlling stress and chronic pain.