Rewards of beauty: the opioid system mediates social motivation in humans

Chelnokova, Olga; Laeng, Bruno; Eikemo, Marie; Riegels, J; Løseth, Guro Engvig; Maurud, H; Willoch, Frode; Leknes, Siri

doi:10.1038/mp.2014.1

Cited by 142 publications

(188 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Inagaki et al 2016), or comparisons with a morphine treatment, with participants performing a non-physical experimental task that did not specifically activate the opioid system (e.g. Chelnokova et al 2014). In the present between-subject study, a single 50 mg dose of naltrexone was not sufficient to significantly inhibit all endorphin-induced increases in pain thresholds when participants danced in synchrony for 13 min.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…For example, 50 mg naltrexone significantly affects motivation for viewing attractive faces of the opposite sex, as well as aesthetic evaluation (Chelnokova et al 2014). In the present study, naltrexone-treated participants may have experienced differential inter-personal judgments and social motivation (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…A pre-activity questionnaire included demographic information, a personality scale (Cooper et al 2010), and a Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS: Mackinnon et al 1999 see Online Resource 1 for more details). As the onset of naltrexone effects occur 15-30 min after oral ingestion (Roy et al 2014), participants waited for 60 min before continuing with the experiment, thereby ensuring the movement task coincided with the maximum plasma concentration of naltrexone (as per proceedure in: Chelnokova et al 2014). After the waiting period, participants learned four basic dance moves from a video (Online resource 2), and rated their recall confidence.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been suggested that activities which activate the EOS become associated with the positive effects experienced as a result of high opioid uptake, which reinforces the desire to seek out that activity again. Indeed, evidence that the EOS mediates aspects of reward (Olmstead and Franklin 1997) and social motivation (Chelnokova et al 2014) in humans makes this plausible. However, to date, direct means of determining whether the EOS is activated during group human social bonding activities is lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…some indicate that antagonists decrease the experience of positive emotions and reward, and others suggest that antagonists increase the need for social contact and affiliative behaviours; Martel et al 1995), the link between EOS activity and social behaviour is well established. In humans, a commonly administered opioid antagonist, naltrexone, has been used to demonstrate causal links between EOS activity and motivation to view attractive faces (Chelnokova et al 2014), hedonistic aspects of ingestive behaviours (Yeomans and Gray 2002) including alcoholism and opioid dependence (for a review see: Barnett et al 2014), and as a hyperalgesia-inducing intervention for individuals engaging in self-harm (e.g. Symons et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Naltrexone Blocks Endorphins Released when Dancing in Synchrony’

Tarr

Launay

Benson

et al. 2017

Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology

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Group synchronised dance is hypothesised to activate the Endogenous Opioid System (EOS), thereby increasing pain threshold, and encouraging social closeness. Previous studies have been limited to the use of pain threshold as a proxy indicator of EOS activation. We conducted a double-blind administration of placebo and naltrexone (an endorphin antagonist) before groups of strangers danced in synchrony and measured both pain threshold and sense of belonging to the group after dancing. A 100 mg dose of naltrexone resulted in significant hyperalgesic effects compared to the control participants, confirming that increases in pain threshold in the control group are due to activation of the EOS and release of endorphins during synchronised dancing. However, there was no significant effect of treatment on perceptions of social closeness. Social bonding during dance may plausibly be underpinned by elements of the EOS not blocked by naltrexone and/or interactions with other neurohormones and socio-cognitive mechanisms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

‘Naltrexone Blocks Endorphins Released when Dancing in Synchrony’

Tarr

Launay

Benson

et al. 2017

Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Effects of dopamine and opioid receptor antagonism on the neural processing of social and nonsocial rewards

Massaccesi,

Korb,

Götzendorfer

et al. 2024

Human Brain Mapping

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Rewards are a broad category of stimuli inducing approach behavior to aid survival. Extensive evidence from animal research has shown that wanting (the motivation to pursue a reward) and liking (the pleasure associated with its consumption) are mostly regulated by dopaminergic and opioidergic activity in dedicated brain areas. However, less is known about the neuroanatomy of dopaminergic and opioidergic regulation of reward processing in humans, especially when considering different types of rewards (i.e., social and nonsocial). To fill this gap of knowledge, we combined dopaminergic and opioidergic antagonism (via amisulpride and naltrexone administration) with functional neuroimaging to investigate the neurochemical and neuroanatomical bases of wanting and liking of matched nonsocial (food) and social (interpersonal touch) rewards, using a randomized, between‐subject, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind design. While no drug effect was observed at the behavioral level, brain activity was modulated by the administered compounds. In particular, opioid antagonism, compared to placebo, reduced activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex during consumption of the most valued social and nonsocial rewards. Dopamine antagonism, however, had no clear effects on brain activity in response to reward anticipation. These findings provide insights into the neurobiology of human reward processing and suggest a similar opioidergic regulation of the neural responses to social and nonsocial reward consumption.

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Aristotle's dream: Evolutionary and neural aspects of aesthetic communication in the arts

Sütterlin

2021

PsyCh Journal

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Art in general perception is something that transcends our notion of reality. In view of the earliest findings in Paleolithic sites, their abstract appearance and sometimes ceremonial context increased their status of a secret language. Even the first figurative cave paintings remained in a context of an encoded semantic whole. The highly symbolic value of art seemed invulnerable. It was just the claim for "mimesis" in Greek antiquity (Plato) that urged artists to "realistically" depict what can be seen-as to stay in track of eternal messages behind. This devaluated the artistic oeuvre to a purely imitating craft and had to overcome at once several inherent obstacles. First, that reality (the phenomenal world) is in general only a pale reflection of what lays behind (Platonic ideas) and second, that the human eye, unlike the human mind, cannot penetrate to more than ephemeral impressions. Moreover, it mixed up reality with what we are able to see (i.e. visual perception), thus supposing a pinpoint representation of the world by our senses. Aristotle was the first to qualify art as picturing more than we usually are meant to see, filling the gap between the sensual and the spiritual world. Aristotelian aesthetics includes concepts of reduction and selection of composition and emotion, thus a summarized view within any performance of poetics or painting.And it took centuries to close the gap between natural and aesthetic perception or art. Life sciences in the 20th century discovered the evolutionary basis of sensory perception as being highly biased and organized, concept as emotion-driven and thus, mentally equipped as well. This sets a new approach in our understanding of perception, art, and aesthetics as an ongoing communication in process on common bases. Art may cooperate or disagree, but never can cut the nexus with its perceptual prejudices and substrate.

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Rewards of beauty: the opioid system mediates social motivation in humans

Cited by 142 publications

References 15 publications

‘Naltrexone Blocks Endorphins Released when Dancing in Synchrony’

‘Naltrexone Blocks Endorphins Released when Dancing in Synchrony’

Effects of dopamine and opioid receptor antagonism on the neural processing of social and nonsocial rewards

Aristotle's dream: Evolutionary and neural aspects of aesthetic communication in the arts

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