When someone betrays us, how does the brain deal with it?

These new studies out of Switzerland give clues to a hormone, oxytocin, associated with social attachment. In order to investigate the role of oxytocin following breaches of trust, the experimenters scanned 49 participants who were given either placebo or oxytocin via a nasal spray. The participants in the oxytocin group showed decreases in responses in areas of the brain responsible for emotions. The male and female brain may react differently - under normal conditions - since females naturally have more oxytocin in their brains than males. Females may be more trusting or take longer to realize they have been betrayed.

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Spotted on: SavvyMiss

According to a couple of recent studies in Britain and the U.S., smart gals have a tougher time finding relationships, noting that for each 16-point jump in their IQ, their marriage prospects decreased by 40 percent.  (more…)

Spotted On: TangoMag
It may be a bit premature, but TangoMag is proclaiming the death of traditional marriage in an interesting series of articles on non-traditional relationships, particularly open marriages. This may seem like a man’s dream set up, but for many women, the notion of resigning one’s self to the inevitability of straying is a sad idea. That’s because our female brains are programmed for nesting, thus making partnerships outside of marriage generally distasteful.

Women do cheat sometimes. A not-so-PC theory from evolutionary biology argues that it’s a female strategy to secure the most reliable nesting partner while reproducing with an alpha male’s studly genes. Women are most likely to cheat two days before ovulation, when they are most fertile and flirtatious.

If an open relationship sounds appealing to you, it may be best to test it out before or long after you have kids, since your female brain may have a tough time risking your husband’s devotion when you’ve got little ones depending on you.