ArticleScientific reports2019
Martial arts increase oxytocin production.
Article in Scientific reports, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systematic review: pain, cognition, and cardioprotection-unpacking oxytocin's contributions in a sport context.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Pooled it
- The Effects of Martial Arts on Cancer-Related Fatigue and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients: An Up-to-Date Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Alcohol does not influence trust in others or oxytocin, but increases positive affect and risk-taking: a randomized, controlled, within-subject trial.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2024Trial
- Endogenous oxytocin-linked heart-rate synchrony and social connection during live sports spectatorship.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Neurophysiological mechanisms of embodied empathy in martial arts.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Martial arts induce quasicritical brain states: a unified, multiscale, and mechanistic theory of brain health optimization.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Effect of regular physical activities and daytime nap intervention on enhancing mental health and self-esteem in healthy participants.Journal of education and health promotion · 2025Article
- Current and preservice teachers' views and beliefs regarding martial arts and the inclusion of martial arts in Australian school settings: A cross-sectional study.Health science reports · 2023Article
- Oxytocin Reactivity during a Wilderness Program without Parents in Adolescents.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The Effect of Tai Chi Chuan Training on Stereotypic Behavior of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2022Article
- Discussions and perspectives regarding oxytocin as a biomarker in human investigations.Heliyon · 2021Review
- Salivary oxytocin, cognitive anxiety and self-confidence in pre-competition athletes.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Neural Contributions of the Hypothalamus to Parental Behaviour.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Mother brain is wired for social moments.eLife · 2021Article
- Integrating Rough-and-Tumble Play in Martial Arts: A Practitioner's Model.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- The Effect of Martial Arts Training on Cognitive and Psychological Functions in At-Risk Youths.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2021Article
- Radically Embodied Compassion: The Potential Role of Traditional Martial Arts in Compassion Cultivation.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Article
- Measuring Sports' Perceived Benefits and Aggression-Related Risks: Karate vs. Football.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Numerous studies have demonstrated that oxytocin (OT), a peptide hormone, plays an important role in regulating mammalian social behaviors, linking it to social affiliation in parent-infant attachment, romantic and filial relationships, and other prosocial behaviors, such as trust and cooperation. Not surprisingly, research efforts have been made to increase endogenous levels of OT. In the present study, we investigated whether traditional martial arts training, which integrates the natural benefits of physical exercise with dyadic prosocial interaction, would result in OT response. To this end, 68 beginner and advanced participants were recruited from several schools practicing Jujitsu ("soft art"), a form of traditional martial arts originating in Japan. Salivary OT levels were assessed at baseline, immediately following high-intensity training, and following a cool-down period. Analyses revealed a significant increase in OT immediately after a high-intensity training, returning to baseline levels following a cool-down period. Additionally, although no significant difference between beginner and advanced martial artists was found, a significantly higher increase in salivary OT followed ground grappling, as compared to "punch-kick" sparring, indicating an added benefit of close contact tactile interaction. These results suggest that the reportedly socially beneficial effects of traditional martial arts may be in part mediated by OT release and underscore the potentially therapeutic applications of these methods for disorders involving social dysfunction, such as autism, conduct problems, or schizophrenia.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.