A nasal spray containing a "love" hormone could help keep couples calm during arguments.
Oxytocin, dubbed the "cuddle drug", is made naturally in the body and helps people bond in sex by building trust and confidence. It's also released during labour to help the mother and baby bond.
Researchers at Zurich University were curious about what happens when you give couples oxytocin then get them to talk about a topic that usually makes them fight.
They recruited 47 couples and gave some a nasal spray that contained the hormone oxytocin, and others a placebo spray.
When couples were administered oxytocin, the UK's Daily Mail reported women became calmer and friendlier and the men became more sensitive and positive during arguments.
The 47 couples who participated were married or had cohabitated for more than one year. Forty-five minutes after they'd been administered the oxytocin or placebo, they were filmed alone in a room discussing a contentious issue.
Ordinarily when couples fight, they experience an increased heart rate and higher blood pressure.
The researchers watched the participants' behaviour and took saliva swabs to confirm whether the nervous system was working.
Of the couples who took the oxytocin, the women's nervous system activity decreased, while the men's increased.
The researchers said women generally showed more demanding behaviour in an argument, whereas the men were more likely to withdraw.
As a result, the women were found to be more friendly and less demanding and the men engaged more, compared with those who took the placebo.
Previous studies have shown men's libido also improves when they sniff oxytocin spray.
Social psychologist Dr Fiona Kate Barlow from the University of Queensland told ninemsn that the study is interesting because it shows how oxytocin has a powerful effect over behaviour.
"We release oxytocin naturally when we cuddle and kiss and share those flirtatious looks and when we have sex –– oxytocin is already that which bonds us, but we don't necessarily need a nasal spray," she said.
Instead, Dr Barlow suggests we focus on known oxytocin triggers to keep calm and be more understanding when fighting with loved ones.
"Starting off with a hug and making sure you break it up with a little laugh together … any of those beautiful little bonding things that release oxytocin can put a positive spin on a discussion that could otherwise turn sour," she said.
"We can never underestimate that our bodies guide how we feel. We have these beautiful notions of ourselves as these logical, cerebral beings, but our mood can drastically change through the release of a chemical like oxytocin."
Dr Barlow doubts we'll be seeing bottles of oxytocin spray for sale any time soon.
"I suspect this is more of a novelty and it gives us insight into what our bodies do extremely naturally when we bond," she said.
"It gives us insight into the couples that discuss contentious issues well. That little touch, that little hug, that little kiss in between talking allows natural oxytocin to release –– I feel that that's more what this research gets at."
The study was printed in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
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