New research explored the possible beneficiary effects of oxytocin for the reduction of social stress and anxiety and the improvement of cognitive processes.
The study, conducted at São Paulo University, unveiled that oxytocin may be beneficial to professional entertainers who seek to reduce their anxiety and social stress when initiating public performances.
The results were released in Frontiers in Neuroscience.
“Considering that oxytocin (OXT) has a potential therapeutic effect on anxiety, cognitive processes, and decreased psychosocial stress, this study’s objective was to assess the effects of a single dose of 24 UI of intranasal OXT among professional singers, during a public singing simulation test, on self-rated performance and mood,” the authors wrote in their journal report.
“The results show that the use of OXT during the performance and immediate post-stress favored more positive and less negative assessments of musical performance than when placebo was used. No treatment effects were found in any VAMS subscales, indicating no direct anxiolytic effects.”
The research involved 54 male professional music entertainers from Brazil.
