The Party Drug Molly Can Make You a Racist: Study — TIME
A new study from the Netherlands suggests that the “love hormone” oxytocin, triggered by the party drug MDMA, might only make you love people in your in-group and can contribute to conflict with outsiders
The hormone released by the popular party drug Molly — also known as Ecstasy or MDMA — doesn’t only make you feel all loved-up and happy, but also racist and nepotistic, a new study suggests.
The oxytocin hormone, which is triggered by MDMA, is often described as the “love hormone” or “cuddling chemical,” but there might be a darker side to it.
In the study, professor of psychology at the University of Amsterdam Carsten de Dreu found that the loved-up feeling you get after taking MDMA, or being flooded with oxytocin, only extends to your “in-group.”
Oxytocin, he said, “motivates in-group favoritism” and “derogation” of outsiders. He added that it had “a role in the emergence of intergroup conflict and violence.”