Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T08:44:23.120Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Neuropeptide Y and religious commitment in healthy young women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2018

Mathilde T. Tønnesen
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Alessandro Miani
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Anders Sune Pedersen
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Panagiotis Mitkidis
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark Center for Advanced Hindsight, Duke University, NC, USA
Paul J. Zak
Affiliation:
Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, USA
Michael Winterdahl*
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
*
Author for correspondence: Michael Winterdahl, Associate Professor in Neuroimaging, Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University, Nørrebrogade 44, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. Tel: +45 7846 3029; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Objective

The present study explores the relationship between neuroactive hormones and religious commitment. We hypothesised that religious commitment is mediated by neuropeptide Y and oxytocin. These neurohormones have a well-established role in general well-being, anxiety regulation, stress-resilience, social affiliation and spirituality.

Methods

Sixty healthy women (median age 21) participated in the study and completed the Religious Commitment Inventory and other psychometric surveys. Blood was sampled from each participant and serum levels of neuropeptide Y were measured using radioimmunoassay. Oxytocin, stress and sex hormones were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Correlations were tested using non-parametric statistical methods.

Results

We found a positive correlation between serum neuropeptide Y levels and religious commitment, but not between oxytocin and religious commitment.

Conclusions

The present study provides preliminary evidence that neuropeptide Y is a biological correlate of religious commitment.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
© Scandinavian College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Part of this work was presented at Neuroscience Day, Aarhus University, as an oral presentation, May 2017 and poster, May 2018.

References

1. AbdAleati, NS, Mohd Zaharim, N and Mydin, YO (2016) Religiousness and mental health: systematic review study. J Relig Health 55, 19291937.Google Scholar
2. Clements, AD and Ermakova, AV (2012) Surrender to god and stress: a possible link between religiosity and health. Psychol Relig Spiritual 4, 93107.Google Scholar
3. Davis, SR (2007) Religiosity, hope, and stress: a test of a mediational model. ProQuest Information & Learning (US). Available at https://search.proquest.com/psycinfo/docview/622016557/EE15FE961C094471PQ/1. Accessed August 24, 2017.Google Scholar
4. Koenig, HG and Cohen, HJ (2002) The link between religion and health. Oxford University Press. Available at http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195143607.001.0001/acprof-9780195143607. Accessed August 24, 2017.Google Scholar
5. Pargament, KI and Cummings, J (2010) Anchored by faith: religion as a resilience factor. In: Reich JW, Zautra AJ, Hall JS, editors. Handbook of adult resilience, Chapter xix. New York, NY: Guilford Press, p. 193210.Google Scholar
6. Raleigh, KG (2001) Religiosity as a protective factor: its influence on family relationships and well-being among rural African American families, PhD, GA: University of Georgia. Available at https://search.proquest.com/docview/276284873/abstract/587C41F3E04246E8PQ/1. Accessed August 24, 2017.Google Scholar
7. Reutter, KK and Bigatti, SM (2014) Religiosity and spirituality as resiliency resources: moderation, mediation, or moderated mediation?: Religiosity and spirituality as resources. J Sci Study Relig 53, 5672.Google Scholar
8. Schafer, WE (1997) Religiosity, spirituality, and personal distress among college students. J Coll Stud Dev Baltim 38, 633.Google Scholar
9. Hill, PC, Pargament, KI, Hood, RW, McCullough, M, Swyers, JP, Larson, DB and Zinnbauer, BJ (2000) Conceptualizing religion and spirituality: points of commonality, points of departure. J Theory Soc Behav 30, 5177.Google Scholar
10. Magyar-Russell, G (2013) Restoring the temple: religiousness, spirituality, and health. Res Soc Sci Study Relig 24, 4551.Google Scholar
11. Pargament, KI and Park, CL (1997) In times of stress: the religion–coping connection. In: Spilka B, McIntosh DN, editors. The psychology of religion: theoretical approaches, Chapter xii. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, p. 4353.Google Scholar
12. Pargament, KI and Raiya, HA (2007) A decade of research on the psychology of religion and coping: things we assumed and lessons we learned. Psyke Logos 28, 742766.Google Scholar
13. Norenzayan, A and Shariff, AF (2008) The origin and evolution of religious prosociality. Science 322, 5862.Google Scholar
14. Anderson, LR and Mellor, JM (2009) Religion and cooperation in a public goods experiment. Econ Lett 105, 5860.Google Scholar
15. Ottoni-Wilhelm, M (2010) Giving to organizations that help people in need: differences across denominational identities. J Sci Study Relig 49, 389412.Google Scholar
16. Brewer, MB (1999) The psychology of prejudice: ingroup love and outgroup hate? J Soc Issues 55, 429444.Google Scholar
17. Hunsberger, B and Jackson, LM (2005) Religion, meaning, and prejudice. J Soc Issues 61, 807826.Google Scholar
18. Johnson, MK, Rowatt, WC and LaBouff, JP (2012) Religiosity and prejudice revisited: in-group favoritism, out-group derogation, or both? Psychol Relig Spiritual 4, 154168.Google Scholar
19. Xygalatas, D, Klocová, EK, Cigán, J, Kundt, R, Maňo, P, Kotherová, S, Mitkidis, P, Wallot, S and Kanovsky, M (2016) Location, location, location: effects of cross-religious primes on prosocial behavior. Int J Psychol Relig 26, 304319.Google Scholar
20. Carter, CS (1996) Hormonal influences on human behavior. In: Schmitt A, Atzwanger K, Grammer K and Schäfer K, editors. New aspects of human ethology. Boston, MA: Springer, p. 141162.Google Scholar
21. Reichmann, F and Holzer, P (2016) Neuropeptide Y: a stressful review. Neuropeptides 55, 99109.Google Scholar
22. Eaton, K, Sallee, FR and Sah, R (2007) Relevance of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in psychiatry. Curr Top Med Chem 7, 16451659.Google Scholar
23. Gøtzsche, CR and Woldbye, DPD (2016) The role of NPY in learning and memory. Neuropeptides. 55, 7989.Google Scholar
24. Morin, LP (2013) Neuroanatomy of the extended circadian rhythm system. Exp Neurol 243, 420.Google Scholar
25. Sajdyk, TJ, Shekhar, A and Gehlert, DR (2004) Interactions between NPY and CRF in the amygdala to regulate emotionality. Neuropeptides 38, 225234.Google Scholar
26. White, JD (1993) Neuropeptide Y: a central regulator of energy homeostasis. Regul Pept 49, 93107.Google Scholar
27. Zhang, L, Bijker, MS and Herzog, H (2011) The neuropeptide Y system: pathophysiological and therapeutic implications in obesity and cancer. Pharmacol Ther 131, 91113.Google Scholar
28. Heilig, M (2004) The NPY system in stress, anxiety and depression. Neuropeptides 38, 213224.Google Scholar
29. Zak, PJ (2013) The moral molecule: the source of love and prosperity: New York: Dutton;. 269 pp.Google Scholar
30. Carter, C, Grippo, A, Pournajafi-Nazarloo, H, Ruscio, M and Porges, S (2008) Oxytocin, vasopressin and sociality. In: Neumann ID and Landgraf R, editors. Progress in brain research. Amsterdam, Holland: Elsevier, p. 331336.Google Scholar
31. Carter, CS (2014) Oxytocin pathways and the evolution of human behavior. Annu Rev Psychol 65, 1739.Google Scholar
32. Carter, CS (1998) Neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love. Psychoneuroendocrinology 23, 779818.Google Scholar
33. De Dreu, CK, Greer, LL, Handgraaf, MJ, Shalvi, S, Van Kleef, GA, Baas, M, Ten Velden, FS, Van Dijk, E and Feith, SW (2010) The neuropeptide oxytocin regulates parochial altruism in intergroup conflict among humans. Science 328, 14081411.Google Scholar
34. Donaldson, ZR and Young, LJ (2008) Oxytocin, vasopressin, and the neurogenetics of sociality. Science 322, 900904.Google Scholar
35. Heinrichs, M and Domes, G (2008) Neuropeptides and social behaviour: effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in humans. In: Neumann ID and Landgraf R, editors. Progress in brain research. Amsterdam, Holland: Elsevier, p. 337350.Google Scholar
36. Holbrook, C, Hahn-Holbrook, J and Holt-Lunstad, J (2015) Self-reported spirituality correlates with endogenous oxytocin. Psychol Relig Spiritual 7, 4650.Google Scholar
37. Insel, TR and Young, LJ (2001) The neurobiology of attachment. Nat Rev Neurosci 2, 129136.Google Scholar
38. Kosfeld, M, Heinrichs, M, Zak, PJ, Fischbacher, U and Fehr, E (2005) Oxytocin increases trust in humans. Nature 435, 673676.Google Scholar
39. Lim, MM and Young, LJ (2006) Neuropeptidergic regulation of affiliative behavior and social bonding in animals. Horm Behav 50, 506517.Google Scholar
40. Zak, PJ, Kurzban, R and Matzner, WT (2005) Oxytocin is associated with human trustworthiness. Horm Behav 48, 522527.Google Scholar
41. Zak, PJ, Kurzban, R and Matzner, WT (2004) The neurobiology of trust. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1032, 224227.Google Scholar
42. Bartz, JA, Zaki, J, Bolger, N and Ochsner, KN (2011) Social effects of oxytocin in humans: context and person matter. Trends Cogn Sci 15, 301309.Google Scholar
43. Van Cappellen, P, Way, BM, Isgett, SF and Fredrickson, BL (2016) Effects of oxytocin administration on spirituality and emotional responses to meditation. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 11, 15791587.Google Scholar
44. Stallen, M, De Dreu, CKW, Shalvi, S, Smidts, A and Sanfey, AG (2012) The herding hormone: oxytocin stimulates in-group conformity. Psychol Sci 23, 12881292.Google Scholar
45. Kelsch, CB, Ironson, G, Szeto, A, Kremer, H, Schneiderman, N and Mendez, AJ (2013) The relationship of spirituality, benefit finding, and other psychosocial variables to the hormone oxytocin in HIV/AIDS. Res Soc Sci Study Relig 24, 137162.Google Scholar
46. Winterdahl, M, Miani, A, Vercoe, MJH, Ciovica, A, Uber-Zak, L, Rask, CU and Zak, PJ (2017) Vulnerability to psychogenic non-epileptic seizures is linked to low neuropeptide Y levels. Stress 20, 589597.Google Scholar
47. Worthington, EL Jr, Wade, NG, Hight, TL, Ripley, JS, McCullough, ME, Berry, JW, Schmitt, MM, Berry, JT, Bursley, KH and O’connor, L (2003) The religious commitment inventory–10: development, refinement, and validation of a brief scale for research and counseling. J Couns Psychol 50, 8496.Google Scholar
48. Jacobs, DF (2002) Jacobs neglect, abandonment and abuse protocol (J-NAAP). Redlands, CA: Author.Google Scholar
49. Fraley, RC, Waller, NG and Brennan, KA (2000) An item response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. J Pers Soc Psychol 78, 350365.Google Scholar
50. Beck, AT, Ward, CH, Mendelson, M, Mock, J and Erbaugh, J (1961) An inventory for measuring depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 4, 561571.Google Scholar
51. Diener, E, Emmons, RA, Larsen, RJ and Griffin, S (1985) The satisfaction with life scale. J Pers Assess 49, 7175.Google Scholar
52. Wagnild, GM and Young, HM (1993) Development and psychometric evaluation of the Resilience scale. J Nurs Meas 1, 165178.Google Scholar
53. Worthington, EL (1988) Understanding the values of religious clients: a model and its application to counseling. J Couns Psychol 35, 166174.Google Scholar
54. Heilig, M, Koob, GF, Ekman, R and Britton, KT (1994) Corticotropin-releasing factor and neuropeptide Y: role in emotional integration. Trends Neurosci 17, 8085.Google Scholar
55. Kautz, M, Charney, DS and Murrough, JW (2017) Neuropeptide Y, resilience, and PTSD therapeutics. Neurosci Lett 649, 164169.Google Scholar
56. Mickey, BJ, Zhou, Z, Heitzeg, MM, Heinz, E, Hodgkinson, CA, Hsu, DT, Langenecker, SA, Love, TM, Peciña, M, Shafir, T, Stohler, CS, Goldman, D and Zubieta, JK (2011) Emotion processing, major depression, and functional genetic variation of neuropeptide Y. Arch Gen Psychiatry 68, 158166.Google Scholar
57. Zhou, Z, Zhu, G, Hariri, AR, Enoch, M-A, Scott, D, Sinha, R et al. (2008) Genetic variation in human NPY expression affects stress response and emotion. Nature 452, 9971001.Google Scholar
58. Enman, NM, Sabban, EL, McGonigle, P and Van Bockstaele, EJ (2015) Targeting the neuropeptide Y system in stress-related psychiatric disorders. Neurobiol Stress 1, 3343.Google Scholar
59. Nomura, M, McKenna, E, Korach, KS, Pfaff, DW and Ogawa, S (2002) Estrogen receptor-beta regulates transcript levels for oxytocin and arginine vasopressin in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of male mice. Brain Res Mol Brain Res 109, 8494.Google Scholar
60. Grazzini, E, Guillon, G, Mouillac, B and Zingg, HH (1998) Inhibition of oxytocin receptor function by direct binding of progesterone. Nature 392, 509512.Google Scholar
61. Patchev, VK, Schlosser, SF, Hassan, AH and Almeida, OF (1993) Oxytocin binding sites in rat limbic and hypothalamic structures: site-specific modulation by adrenal and gonadal steroids. Neuroscience 57, 537543.Google Scholar
62. Nawijn, L, van Zuiden, M, Koch, SBJ, Frijling, JL, Veltman, DJ and Olff, M (2017) Intranasal oxytocin increases neural responses to social reward in post-traumatic stress disorder. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 12, 212223.Google Scholar
63. Smith, TB, McCullough, ME and Poll, J (2003) Religiousness and depression: evidence for a main effect and the moderating influence of stressful life events. Psychol Bull 129, 614636.Google Scholar
64. Pollard, SE, Riggs, SA and Hook, JN (2014) Mutual influences in adult romantic attachment, religious coping, and marital adjustment. J Fam Psychol 28, 615624.Google Scholar
65. Ferriss, AL (2002) Religion and the quality of life. J Happiness Stud 3, 199215.Google Scholar
66. Okulicz-Kozaryn, A (2010) Religiosity and life satisfaction across nations. Ment Health Relig Cult 13, 155169.Google Scholar
67. Jordan, S, Watkins, A, Storey, M, Allen, SJ, Brooks, CJ and Garaiova, I et al. (2013) Volunteer bias in recruitment, retention, and blood sample donation in a randomised controlled trial involving mothers and their children at six months and two years: a longitudinal analysis. Hills RK, editor. PLoS One 8, e67912.Google Scholar
68. Szeto, A, McCabe, PM, Nation, DA, Tabak, BA, Rossetti, MA and McCullough, ME et al. (2011) Evaluation of enzyme immunoassay and radioimmunoassay methods for the measurement of plasma oxytocin. Psychosom Med 73, 393400.Google Scholar
69. Furnham, A (1986) Response bias, social desirability and dissimulation. Personal Individ Differ 7, 385400.Google Scholar
70. Terris, ET, Beavin, LE, Barraza, JA, Schloss, J and Zak, PJ (2018) Endogenous oxytocin release eliminates in-group bias in monetary transfers with perspective-taking. Front Behav Neurosci 12, 35.Google Scholar