Women find same-sex social interactions more rewarding than men do. This discovery could change how mental illnesses, like depression, are treated in women.

Researchers from Georgia State University found that women are more sensitive to the rewards of oxytocin, a chemical released during social interactions. The team observed that the more intense the interaction, the greater the reward.

Understanding sex differences in social reward processing is crucial to understanding sex differences in the occurrence, as well as treatment, of mental illness.

This study offers new insight that could lead to effective mental health treatment centered around social interactions for women.

Source:

Georgia State University. (2019, January 30). Females find social interactions to be more rewarding than males, study reveals. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 21, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190130175604.htm