Oxytocin the love chemical
Oxytocin, also called a love drug kicks in when you do a good deed, shake hand or trust. This chemical is being activated when you touch someone near and dear to you like a friend, relative or a lover.
It boosts a feeling of love and trust and that is why being in a relationship makes people happy. Hight level of oxytocin can help you effectively fight stress, increase sex drive and lower your blood pressure. It also boosts our immune systems and actually lessens our cravings and addictions.
Good deeds
Oxytocin gives us a positive feeling when we do something good for someone or someone does something good for us. It makes us perform acts of generosity and makes us empathic. It enables us to rely on each other, to have a partner to raise children and even to love our children.
We trust others to help us build our businesses and feel human connections, like being in the company of people we like. However, the main purpose of oxytocin is not just to make us feel good but to help us to survive in a group and as a group. Simon Sinek stated that “Oxytocin makes us social.”
Oxytocin is long-lasting
Oxytocin is long-lasting and the more time we spend with someone, the more we are willing to make ourselves vulnerable around them. Even a little expense of time and energy to do a small favour, with no expectation of anything in return, give us a small shot of oxytocin. We realise that it feels good to help people and also when we witness the act of generosity we feel good. Also, physical contact releases oxytocin and that is why it feels nice to hold hands or hug someone.
“Love is giving someone the power to destroy us and trusting they won’t use it.”
Oxytocin is long-term and plays a vital role when we have to rely on someone to help us do things and protect us when we are weak. For Simon Sinek “love is giving someone the power to destroy us and trusting they won’t use it.”
“Circle of Safety” in business
This hormone is also responsible for the feelings of trust, loyalty and things we do for each other as well as how we look out for each other. We create a “Circle of Safety” in which we have a feeling of comfort and confidence at work. When leaders choose to employees before their numbers, we can actually feel a sense of trust and improve our cognitive abilities and become us better at solving complex problems.
Companies like Enron, Tyco, WorldCom and Lehman Brothers are examples of organizations that collapsed because of lack of trust and inconsistencies in their cultures.
An environment in which one is looking after another – Costco
Sinegal , the co-founder of Costco ran the company from 1983 until his retirement in January 2012, with belief in a balanced culture. He created an environment in which one is looking after another. Employees were like family to him and they have reciprocated with trust and loyalty. People-first was the foundation for a culture that allowed trust and cooperation to develop. The safety he built lasted through bad times as well as good times.
A low level makes you feel lonely
A low level of oxytocin makes you feel lonely, stressed, tired and unworthy. People like that tend to stay at home and avoid communication. They never have the energy to meet up with others or even keep up a conversation. This lifestyle may seem peaceful however it makes these people unhappy and they can’t know why.
Get a message
In order to increase the level of oxytocin, we should look for positive human physical contact like getting a message. Our muscles will relax as prolonged physical contact will release oxytocin.
Also, don’t forget to hug your close ones!
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