Yes, Really: Facebook and Twitter Trigger ‘Cuddle Hormone’ [MONKEY VIDEO]

Adrianne Jeffries — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:56:50 -0400

So this is why social media is so addictive. Oxytocin is a single neuropeptide also referred to as the "cuddle hormone," because it's the chemical that bonds babies and nursing mothers. The feel-good chemical is reportedly also triggered by social networking on the internet.

Adam Penenberg at Fast Company had a researcher measure his levels of oxytocin before and after a ten-minute Twitter sesh."In those intervening 10 minutes my levels of oxytocin had risen 13.2 percent--as much as a groom at a wedding," he writes.

Another journalist saw his levels of oxytocin increase 150 percent after going on Facebook.

Betabeat » Yes, Really: Facebook and Twitter Trigger ‘Cuddle Hormone’ [MONKEY VIDEO]

Yes, Really: Facebook and Twitter Trigger ‘Cuddle Hormone’ [MONKEY VIDEO]