Vasopressin and Oxytocin, other effects

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/18/are-mean-people-born-that-way/

As we discussed at length in class, Vasopressin is the key component to urine concentration.  However, as this article shows, it does have another effect that we did not discuss much.  Vasopressin and Oxytocin both have effects on the brain, often called the “cuddle hormone” that is involved with pair bonding.  This article specifically looked into the “meanness” of people as related to their receptors for these hormones, “We’ve found that these genes also predict people’s willingness to be nice on behalf of other people or aggressive on behalf of other people”.  It is interesting to see that these hormones have wide-ranging effects beyond the urinary effects that we originally discussed (such as the niceness of people!).