Salivary Oxytocin Is Negatively Associated With Religious Faith in Japanese Non-Abrahamic People

• Main Authors: Junko Yamada, Yo Nakawake, Qiulu Shou, Kuniyuki Nishina, Masahiro Matsunaga, Haruto Takagishi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-08-01
• Series: Frontiers in Psychology
• Subjects: spirituality/religiosity; religious faith; salivary oxytocin; non-Abrahamic religion; endogenous hormone
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.705781/full

Spirituality and religiosity have a significant impact on one's well-being. Although previous studies have indicated that the neuropeptide hormone oxytocin is associated with spirituality/religiosity, existing findings remain inconsistent. Some studies have reported a positive relationship between oxytocin and spirituality/religiosity, while other studies have reported a negative association. Herein, we examined the association between endogenous oxytocin and spirituality/religiosity in 200 non-Abrahamic Japanese individuals (102 females, mean age ± standard deviation = 41.53 ± 10.46) by measuring the level of salivary oxytocin and spiritual/religious faith. We found that the level of salivary oxytocin was negatively associated with spiritual/religious faith. Individuals with higher levels of salivary oxytocin tend to have more negative spiritual/religious faith compared with those with low oxytocin levels (e.g., “Spirituality/religiosity makes people passive and clinging.”). Moreover, this tendency was only significant in individuals who were not interested in a specific religion. The uniqueness of spirituality/religiosity in Japan could help interpret the current findings.