Testing the null hypothesis of oxytocin’s effects in humans

“There are so many reports of relationships between oxytocin and social behaviors. It is impossible that not a single one of these effects is real.

Isn’t it?

When running a battery of three tasks for every subject who underwent oxytocin treatment..finding false effects becomes almost guaranteed – over 90%.”

http://theneuroeconomist.com/2016/01/the-self-justification-molecule-how-have-we-accumulated-a-vast-behavioral-oxytocin-literature-for-over-a-decade/ “The self-justification molecule: how have we accumulated a vast behavioral oxytocin literature for over a decade”


From one of the references, Why Most Published Research Findings Are False:

“For many current scientific fields, claimed research findings may often be simply accurate measures of the prevailing bias.”


Also see the researcher’s response on their blog post Does oxytocin increase trust in humans? Frequently asked questions:

“Scientists publish only positive findings and not negative ones, and I cannot think of a single study in the vast human oxytocin literature that was replicated by an independent research group.”

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