New research on oxytocin and longevity pulled me out of my little writing hiatus. Fear not, I expect the return shall be brief. 

To remind you, this is written by a human. Who just so happened to love the em dash PRE-2024. An unfortunate position to now be in but I remain true to my — passions —

We’ll be able to snort friendship soon

Unless you’ve been living under a rock larger than mine, you’ll have heard (just a few times) about how important social ties are for our health. 

Yet we’re still treating social connection as a soft perk. A nice to have. Probably because it isn’t exactly clear how it impacts our bodies and aging. And also, you know, effort. 

Now we are closer to understanding — from a longevity perspective — why we need friends: Oxytocin, the hormone released during social interactions, seems to be a main lever behind healthier aging.

And of course, it can be sold in a bottle. 

So let’s get into it

~

You all know this, but to lay it on the table: Humans are social beings. So when we are socially isolated, our brains don’t like it. It creates chronic stress. Stress promotes inflammation, and inflammation speeds up both physical and mental decline. This is all, of course, happening on a physiological level. 

But why social isolation is so inflammatory and deadly to us was always rather unclear. What biochemical changes happen in the body when social connection is missing? 

Turns out, it’s oxytocin. 

When we interact with other humans, our brains release oxytocin. Oxytocin starts a cascade of epigenetic changes that lower stress and inflammation — the key drivers of aging. 

So more social connection means more oxytocin means a healthier brain and body. And when you have less social interaction and thus less oxytocin release, a bunch of downstream effects are triggered, all bad. 

The kicker is that once this ‘low oxytocin, high inflammation’ cycle starts, it appears to reinforce itself, progressively getting worse. 

Crudely, the social-connection-oxytocin-aging-cycle goes something like this:

Now for those of you (the silent majority, if you will) who are about to enthusiastically Google what exactly is oxytocin let me save you a tab: it’s that stuff we call the ‘cuddle hormone.’ Oxytocin signals the brain to relax, trust, and connect. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Among, famously, other things.

So, researchers naturally asked: What happens if you supplement with oxytocin using a nasal spray? Will it, alone, have the same positive effect on the body as social interactions?  

And wouldn’t ya know, the answer was yes. 

Researchers found that in just ten days, plasma oxytocin was restored to youthful levels. Inflammation dropped. Mitochondrial function improved. 

Listen I know there are a lot of sciencey words here but guys, oxytocin nasal spray reactivated cellular processes linked to repair and maintenance, suggesting oxytocin isn’t acting on one pathway, but nudges an entire anti-aging network back online.

Now this study did use rodents and while I am the first to remind every Redditor in r/NMN that rats are not humans, babes these new molecular-level findings fit undeniably well into what we already know: Social ties determine how well, or poorly, we age. We just didn’t have a mechanism to explain why until this oxytocin-inflammation link surfaced.

Do we need to do human trials to confirm this? Absolutely. We are far from knowing what it really means for human longevity. But while I’m a science nerd I’m also a business trend analyst and, should the science hold, this points to an opportunity no one can ignore.

Just think of the ~16 million older Americans at risk of social isolation. Pop them a nasal spray, and — woop! Even if they’re immobile (or, ahem, grumpy and friendless), we could provide them with at least some of the benefits that social connection would. 

And then there’s the longevity industry. Ready to jump on the oxytocin-as-a-longevity-supplement bandwagon. Just like testosterone replacement therapy, as soon as your oxytocin levels start to naturally decline (for women, as early as their 40s, btw!) you could be put on oxytocin replacement therapy. 

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s come back to the point of this all: social connection isn’t just about emotional support. 

The data says it behaves more like sleep or exercise. Social connection, through oxytocin, is part of the machinery that determines how well we age. 

And it may soon be a supplement — for which the people are ready. 

Now to be clear, I am not saying we can (or should) replace social connection with a nasal spray. I’m talking about this from a longevity perspective, as part of an already healthy lifestyle. Just like TRT, it could be life-changing for many people — and others may abuse it.

Because let’s face it, the idea of oxytocin supplements sets off more than one alarm bell. 

Take the lonely youths, who are already outsourcing critical thinking and embracing AI companions. What’s next, throwing away their friends and replacing them with an oxy (oops) canister and a robot? If we can all have our cute nose squirties then who needs flaky Steve? Let alone pants?

Forgive me for indulging in a little pessimism. I’m allowed to, as a treat. The world is burning. I hope my oxytocin nasal spray¹ arrives in the mail soon. 

¹ They do already exist, btw. Time to buy more biotech shares!²

² This is not financial advice. I just want to make sure we all know that.

Thank you for reading! If you find yourself enjoying these essays and you’re inclined to forward one to a friend, please do. Nerds are terrible at self-promotion, obviously.