Take a whiff of Oxytocin and become a better mind-reader!

Domes et al. show that a single oxytocin dose from a nasal inhaler (Syntocinon spray, Novartis, Basel, Switzerland) improves the ability of 21-30 year old men to infer the mental state of others from social cues triggered by small muscle movements in the eye region. Here is a PDF of the article. Previous work has shown that oxytocin, in addition to its familiar roles in labor and lactation, reduces responses to social stress and increases trust in social interactions.