Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Indirectly Predict Prosocial Behavior Through Perspective Taking and Empathic Concern

Abstract

Engaging in prosocial behavior can provide positive outcomes for self and others. Prosocial tendencies contribute to the propensity to engage in prosocial behavior. The oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) has also been associated with prosocial tendencies and behaviors. There has been little research, however, investigating whether the relationship between OXTR and prosocial behaviors is mediated by prosocial tendencies. This relationship may also vary among different types of prosocial behavior. The current study examines the relationship between OXTR, gender, prosocial tendencies, and both altruistic and public prosocial behavior endorsement. Students at a midwestern university (N = 398; 89.2% Caucasian; Mage = 20.76; 26.6% male) provided self-report measures of prosocial tendencies and behaviors and buccal cells for genotyping OXTR polymorphisms. Results indicated that OXTR single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2268498 genotype significantly predicted empathic concern, whereas gender moderated the association between several other OXTR SNPs and prosocial tendencies. Increased prosocial tendencies predicted increased altruistic prosocial behavior endorsement and decreased public prosocial behavior endorsement. Our findings suggest an association between genetic variation in OXTR and endorsement of prosocial behavior indirectly through prosocial tendencies, and that the pathway is dependent on the type of prosocial behavior and gender.

Empathy as a driver of prosocial behaviour: highly conserved neurobehavioural mechanisms across species

“…Prosocial behaviour is also associated with the OXTR. The association between prosocial behaviour and OXTR has been shown to be mediated by empathic concern and perspective-taking, which are important components of human empathy [97].…”

The oxytocin receptor gene and social perception

“…Melchers et al (2013) were able to show better emotion-recognition abilities in carriers of the T-allele compared to noncarriers. Christ, Carlo, and Stoltenberg (2014) demonstrated higher empathic accuracy in carriers of the TT-genotype. O'Connell et al (2012) reported that TT carriers (compared to C-allele carriers) show a stronger activation of the inferior occipital gyrus when confronted with fearful faces, which highlights the importance of this genetic variation for the processing of emotional faces.…”

How Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Act on Prosociality: The Mediation Role of Moral Evaluation

“…Prosociality is an umbrella term for positive emotions, attitudes, and behaviors directed toward others (Israel et al, 2015), which lead to known beneficial outcomes, including higher self-esteem, and positive social interactions (Christ et al, 2016). Attempts to better understand mechanisms underlying individual differences in prosociality have resulted in a large body of literature (Penner et al, 2005).…”

“…Attempts to better understand mechanisms underlying individual differences in prosociality have resulted in a large body of literature (Penner et al, 2005). Recently, genetic factors have been showed to contribute to such differences (Knafo et al, 2008; Christ et al, 2016), and multiple facets of prosociality had also been shown to be associated with certain common genetic determinant (Knafo-Noam et al, 2015). One factor of particular interest, the oxytocin receptor ( OXTR ) gene at the region of chromosome 3p25, which encodes the oxytocin receptor, may partly explain individual differences in social behaviors (Christ et al, 2016) and associated traits such as trust (Krueger et al, 2012).…”