What is Oxytocin and How Can You Harness Your Influence With It?

From bonding with loved ones and relieving anxiety to aiding pregnancy and establishing trust and empathy — oxytocin serves many purposes. It’s what fulfills the human need for building meaningful connections.

When you feel all warm and gooey inside while holding a puppy, hugging a child, or cuddling with your partner, oxytocin is what’s at work, and harnessing it extends beyond simply using the sensation of touch.

In this article, we’ll explain what oxytocin is, how to increase oxytocin, how to use an oxytocin supplement such as an oxytocin-based pheromone product, and how to naturally increase oxytocin — it’s a calming hormone, but you can also increase your influence with it.

What is Oxytocin?

Oxytocin is a hormone and a neurotransmitter that’s produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland. 

It plays a significant role during pregnancy by stimulating contractions during childbirth and helping produce milk. After the child is born, oxytocin helps strengthen the bond between mother and child through physical touch. The effect of touch is important if you want to understand how to increase oxytocin.

Touch is the first sense to develop in children and is crucial for the healthy development and growth of the child. Oxytocin is hence commonly referred to as the ‘love hormone’ or the ‘cuddle hormone’.

The effects of this hormone extend to romantic relationships where it evokes love and affection, develops emotional intimacy, and increases arousal between partners. Oxytocin is also dubbed a ‘feel-good hormone’ because of the euphoric feeling it induces. This is why it can reduce stress and increase happiness.

Besides maternal and romantic relationships, oxytocin is also responsible for building trust, and empathy, and creating strong social affiliations with friends and colleagues.

To summarize, Oxytocin plays a pivotal role in:

• Pregnancy, childbirth, lactation
• Romantic relationships
• Reducing stress and anxiety
• Building trust and empathy

Now that you know the basics of oxytocin, let’s talk about how to increase oxytocin and harness it in your relationships at home, at work, and with yourself.

How to Harness Your Influence With Oxytocin?

Though touch is important, oxytocin isn’t released through physical contact only. There are many ways you can boost its production in your body, whether through social and physical activities or through oxytocin supplements like pheromone oils. Higher levels of oxytocin will help you enjoy the full extent of its benefits in all walks of life.

During Maternity

A mother’s touch is one of the first sensations experienced by a child. The oxytocin released through the simple act of a mother holding her child and breastfeeding can be crucial for the child’s physical, social and psychological development. Without oxytocin, you might struggle to bond with your child, so it’s important to know how to increase oxytocin naturally or otherwise.

One way to do it is by using oxytocin-based pheromones such as Liquid Finesse in the form of an oil, diffuser, or candle in your room during and after your pregnancy. It will help you cope with labor pains and aches, and reduce anxiety and the risk of postpartum depression. For your child, it may help calm them down and elevate their mood.

Another way to increase oxytocin naturally is by governing how you eat. Eating foods rich in nutrients such as Vitamin D & C and Magnesium to supplement the production of oxytocin is necessary for all stages of life.

When Stressed

Oxytocin has been proven to be effective against stress and anxiety by changing our behavioral and neurological responses to it. In fact, it is the lack of oxytocin that has been associated with postpartum depression as well as depression and anxiety in general.

This powerful neurotransmitter helps buffer the effects of excessive cortisol, which causes anxiety, by lowering blood pressure and inducing feelings of happiness. So how can you increase the amount of oxytocin in your body when you’re stressed?

Exercising, listening to music, getting a massage, having social interactions with friends, making love with our partners, and playing with animals — these are all activities that help us feel good by boosting oxytocin production. If you feel stressed and anxious often, then we also recommend trying out oxytocin-based diffusers that can add supplementary oxytocin to your room and help you relax and feel more joyous.

At the Workplace

Harnessing oxytocin at your workplace is trickier but also necessary if you want to build trust with your colleagues. But how do you increase oxytocin when the possibility of physical touch is removed from the equation?

It’s simple — you build a genuine connection. Let your peers know that you appreciate their efforts and value them by offering words of praise where it’s due. Try to connect with them on a deeper level to build trust. You can also use Liquid Finesse to increase your empathy, trustworthiness, and persuasiveness while interacting with your coworkers.

When you have sincere communication with your colleagues, it naturally leads to a stronger connection and affects how you feel around them, leading to increased oxytocin production.

For Romance

Oxytocin, this powerful love hormone, is abundantly present in all romantic relationships initially. Every time you see your partner or touch them, your body reacts by sending oxytocin racing through your body. Spending time together and making love only helps boost this effect naturally.

But when you’re through the ‘honeymoon stage’, the levels of oxytocin dip. And if things get stressful, the same ‘love drug’ can create a disconnect between you and your partner. In such cases, to increase your oxytocin levels, external intervention might be required to help you attract your man or woman again.

Oxytocin Pheromones to Harness Your Influence

External oxytocin supplements such as Essence of Ecstasy work by making you seem more charismatic and affable. These are oxytocin-based pheromone products that can help you increase arousal and intimacy, and reignite the spark in your relationship. If you’re seeking romantic relationships, they may help you appear more charming and seductive.

You can also leverage oxytocin-based pheromones to feel calmer, improve your mood, and alleviate day-to-day stress and anxieties. At work, they can help you seem more trustworthy and persuasive while interacting with your peers.

Now that you know how to increase oxytocin, come explore Heaux Cosmetics' range of oxytocin-based pheromone products to harness the full power of this neurotransmitter. Take our scent quiz to determine which pheromone might be right for you. Find your scent today!