Research On Compassion: Kindness Releases Anandamide and Oxytocin
Whether she knew it or not it was her Endocannabinoid system (ECS) rewarding the brain with a rush of oxytocin that made it feel 'that good' to help others - which truly causes an addiction. Many...
Mike Robinson
5 min read
As a cannabis compassion provider with an extensive history, there's always been a connection between giving and showing kindness and feeling better both physically and mentally. This effects the masses that are giving, many doing so with nobody knowing, as they treat their own health issues or personal calamities by gifting something – maybe it's their time. It could be the showing love to other humans by being an ear that listens to another's problem – or it could be to the extent Mother Theresa went to in order to heal the suffering.
Whether she knew it or not it was her Endocannabinoid system (ECS) rewarding the brain with a rush of oxytocin that made it feel 'that good' to help others – which truly causes an addiction. Many look at the lives of those that gave and gave up until the end – like Princess Di – and see the same affliction of the necessity to show affection and forever giving up their love. When people question the motives behind those they see giving a lot – it's highly likely they haven't felt that rush coming from our ECS.
"Compassion is a selfish act" I'm known as saying quite often as it makes me 'feel better' – My thoughts were that everyone knew this but as I've shared this research lately either the feedback is a large group that's simply playing dumb in order not to give or an apparent lack of education in regards to the purpose of the ECS in rewarding us in this manner. The latter is the reason – few are aware that their internal system they tout on the daily is what makes them tick in this manner.
Even less are aware or make a practice of exercising the ECS in this manner – by simply showing random acts of kindness – but doing so purposely as medicine for the soul and the brain. Not just a thought that 'this is a kind thing to do' but the scientific knowledge that we're healing ourselves by being kind, giving, and we know it when we get 'that feeling inside' over it all. It feels good – plain and simple – and that's 100% due to the Endocannabinoid System.
The Research is, by far, not new:
Endocannabinoid signaling mediates oxytocin-driven social reward
Don Wei, DaYeon Lee, Conor D. Cox, Carley A. Karsten, Olga Peñagarikano, Daniel H. Geschwind, Christine M. Gall, and Daniele PiomelliPNAS November 10, 2015 112 (45) 14084-14089; first published October 26, 2015; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1509795112
An Analysis:
The hormone oxytocin, which has been associated with interpersonal bonding, may enhance the pleasure of social interactions by stimulating production of marijuana-like neurotransmitters in the brain, according to a University of California, Irvine study.
The research provides the first link between oxytocin – dubbed the "love hormone" – and anandamide, which has been called the "bliss molecule" for its role in activating cannabinoid receptors in brain cells to heighten motivation and happiness. Results of the study first appeared in an online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
To investigate the role of anandamide in social contact, UCI's Daniele Piomelli — the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in the Neurosciences and founding director of the drug discovery & development department at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, Italy — and his colleagues measured levels of this marijuana-like neurotransmitter in mice that had been either isolated or allowed to interact. Anandamide is among a class of naturally occurring chemicals in the body known as endocannabinoids that attach to the same brain cell receptors as does marijuana's active ingredient, THC, with similar outcomes.
The researchers discovered that social contact increased production of anandamide in a brain structure called the nucleus accumbens, which triggered cannabinoid receptors there to reinforce the pleasure of socialization. When cannabinoid receptors were blocked, this reinforcement disappeared.
Piomelli's team then looked for a possible connection between anandamide and oxytocin, which is well known for its role in promoting social contact. A small number of neurons in the brain make oxytocin and use it as a neurotransmitter. When the scientists stimulated those neurons, they saw an increase in anandamide creation in the nucleus accumbens. More importantly, they found that blocking anandamide's effects also blocked the pro-social effects of oxytocin, which implies that oxytocin reinforces social ties by inducing anandamide formation.
Adding medical interest to this discovery, the researchers showed that interrupting anandamide degradation enhanced the pleasure of social contact. Animals treated with a drug that stops anandamide degradation behaved as though they enjoyed spending time with their cage mates more than animals treated with a placebo, Piomelli noted.
Oxytocin has also been called the hug hormone, cuddle chemical and moral molecule due to its effects on behavior, including its role in love and female reproductive functions. A 2011 study by Dutch scientists revealed that oxytocin makes people feel more extroverted, and clinical researchers are investigating it as a possible treatment for the symptoms of autism. But it's very hard to deliver oxytocin, a small protein, to the human brain.
"Our findings open the exciting possibility that drugs that block the degradation of anandamide, which are currently being tested for various anxiety disorders, could give a boost to the brain's own oxytocin and help people with autism socialize more," Piomelli said.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of California – Irvine. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Don Wei, DaYeon Lee, Conor D. Cox, Carley A. Karsten, Olga Peñagarikano, Daniel H. Geschwind, Christine M. Gall, and Daniele Piomelli. Endocannabinoid signaling mediates oxytocin-driven social reward. PNAS, October 26, 2015 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1509795112
Thank you for visiting the Global Cannabinoid Research Center website,
–Mike Robinson, Founder – Global Cannabinoid Research Center / GCRC Publications
This article is educational commentary from GCRC. It is not a report of study findings and is not medical advice. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional about your own health.
