Oxytocin receptors OXTR rs53576 anyone?

[Gondwanaland]

From Promethease:

OXTR rs53576
lack of empathy? You have a SNP in the oxytocin receptor which may make you less empathetic than most people. When under stress you may have more difficulty recognizing the emotional state of others which impacts loneliness, parenting, and socializing skills.

rs53576 is a silent G to A change in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene. Studies have demonstrated that individuals with the G allele are more empathetic, feel less lonely, employ more sensitive parenting techniques, and have lower rates of autism (discussed in ) The blog Not Exactly Rocket Science discusses that Americans with (G;G) tend to be more sensitive parents, more empathetic and less lonely than those with an ‘A’. In a Korean population people with (G;G) were less likely to seek support from their peers. Culture, distress, and oxytocin receptor polymorphism (OXTR) interact to influence emotional support seeking. Oxytocin receptor genetic variation relates to empathy and stress reactivity in humans. In brief, people with the G;G genotype were better able to discern the emotional sta...

I am +/+ (AA). What are you?
My husband is GG (poor him, lucky me).

 

[halcyon]

AA here.

 

[ebethc]

I am +/+ (AA). What are you?

I'm a GG, and am definitely empathetic.... Empathy is this big buzzword now, and I feel like people consider it solely a "plus".. well, sometimes it's definitely not... If you're extra empathetic, you're like the canary in the coalmine... If the coalmine is toxic, it's not so good to be the canary

1. I have a sense of people and that other's do not.. Usually, it's information that I have to work to tune out because I have to interact w someone while having this strong sense that they're unstable (which makes me feel physically dizzy) or, more often they're a jerk (which makes me physically nervous or awkward, because I'm working so hard to be phony - which is something I hate doing), It's extremely exhausting because not a lot of people have great energy.

2. As a manager, it's a strength and a weakness. I've been told in work reviews that I have an uncanny understanding of what will work and what won't. However, I was also told that if I could learn how to frame / articulate / sell my ideas better my career would take a quantum leap.. Hard to do this when it comes to intuition, because I just sense things and I can't understand why others can't ... it just IS... I usually do best when I work w people over a longer period of time and so the trust develops; it's especially true for me.. Maybe if I didn't have such bad brain fog, I could think of better strategies to communicate.. It def compounds the problem.

3. I can get confused, because I really do understand everyone's viewpoint, but, frankly, not everyone's viewpoint counts... e.g., sometimes you have to put in extra hours even though it's not fair...

4. on the plus side.. I'm great at coming up w contingency plans, because even though I can't just be blunt and say "we can't count on support from this other team" etc., I can just quietly come up w a plan b & have it ready when the time comes...

 

[ahmo]

AG, and overly empathetic/empathic. Lithium has dampened this, I'm far less likely to burst into tears over tragic stories.

 

[ebethc]

AG, and overly empathetic/empathic. Lithium has dampened this, I'm far less likely to burst into tears over tragic stories.

which form of lithium do you take? I have avoided it because I am hypoT and also need to lose weight.... Have you gained weight? Can you lose? Has it impacted your thyroid health? I noticed that you're hypoT, too.


I don't usually burst into tears, although coincidentally I've been crying and depressed this week. that's not typical, though. I get usually get emotional because I'm exhausted.. irritable, anxious, and sometimes I cry...Fatigue, joint pain and brain fog are HUGE problems for me..

thanks

 

[ahmo]

@ebethc I'm using Ortho Molecular products Lithium Orotate. Have also used Dr's Best, but I think they're no longer making them. I started with 5mg. but my body seemed to stabilize at 10mg. Although, now not every day. There are references to lithium helping w/ B12 absorption or assimilation, but I don't know the story.

I can't see that anything impacts my thyroid health. My thyroid is pretty non-functional, I use T3 replacement. No weight gain, my weight's been pretty stable since I've been on GAPS diet and my various supps.

 

[pogoman]

I'm AG.
not empathatic at all when younger, now after years of experiences I'd say I am more.

 

[ebethc]

@ebethc I'm using Ortho Molecular products Lithium Orotate. Have also used Dr's Best, but I think they're no longer making them. I started with 5mg. but my body seemed to stabilize at 10mg. Although, now not every day. There are references to lithium helping w/ B12 absorption or assimilation, but I don't know the story.

I can't see that anything impacts my thyroid health. My thyroid is pretty non-functional, I use T3 replacement. No weight gain, my weight's been pretty stable since I've been on GAPS diet and my various supps.

@ahmo - do you know anything about "ionic lithium" ? I found it on amazon, and it comes in a liquid so I don't have to take 5 mg, I can start even lower. thanks!

 

[Hip]

Interesting thread.

I am GG, and I considered myself pretty empathetic and a good reader of other's minds, although after an episode of viral meningitis a few years ago, which caused some brain damage, I unfortunately lost a great deal of my empathetic faculties. I wish to God that I could regain them, because losing the ability enter into another's mind has left me feeling much more cut off from the rest of humanity.



Another factor relating to empathetic ability is testosterone levels, with higher testosterone resulting in lower empathy. See this paper.

 

[Valentijn]

AG.

15% of the population is AA, 48% is AG, and 37% is GG (55% of Europeans). Effect sizes for these alleles are fairly small as well.

So while it might make a difference, it's not making a lot of a difference, and half of the population is just as "empathetic" as you if you're GG.

 

[ahmo]

do you know anything about "ionic lithium" ? I found it on amazon, and it comes in a liquid so I don't have to take 5 mg, I can start even lower. thanks!

No, I don't know anything about it beth.

 

[jepps]

Thank you, @Gondwanaland, for posting this. I am AA, my husband is AG. I would myself mention as empathic, my husband is also empathic (but he decides by himself to whom he is empathic).

 

[Sidereal]

GG here.

 

[jepps]

Whereas I believe, that in the end experiences, not our genes are responsible, if we react less or more empathic.

 

[Gondwanaland]

@ahmo - do you know anything about "ionic lithium" ? I found it on amazon, and it comes in a liquid so I don't have to take 5 mg, I can start even lower. thanks!

I would try it. I wish all supplements were in liquid for, it would be so easy to titrate them up. How much does it contain of Li per drop?

Of course this oxytocin story must involve other SNPs for the impact in your personality. I have a funny story to tell:

A few weeks ago I was having lunch with my sister and she was telling me about a big problem of her best friend. And when she did a pause in her talking and it was the moment for me to say "I am so sorry for your friend", I said "this food is delicious", and I have been this way pretty much all my life

Other than this, I can pretty much catch what is going on with people just by talking with them for a few minutes.

 

[ukxmrv]

GG

 

[Gondwanaland]

I think this SNP might be a big factor behind my social ineptitude, plus I never wanted to have children + I never felt energy enough to be able to raise children.

At the same time, whenever it was needed, my parents said that I am the choosen child to take care of them when they get sick

It is not that I don't care, but pretty muche more like I can't express my feelings publicly.

And here I am doing some online psychoanalysis

 

[perchance dreamer]

A couple of times a week I use an Oxytocin sublingual to help with sleep. I go to a NeuroSensory Center, and my doctor prescribes Oxytocin for some patients with anxiety. I don't have day-time anxiety usually, but the Oxytocin does help with sleep.

I don't think it has affected me in any other way. My cynicism remains intact!

@Gondwanaland, I never wanted to have kids, either. However, I feel nurturing toward my cat, husband, and close friends, so I think maternal-like feelings can have outlets other than toward offspring.

 

[Gondwanaland]

I never wanted to have kids, either. However, I feel nurturing toward my cat, husband, and close friends, so I think maternal-like feelings can have outlets other than toward offspring.

Same here
Plus I have a very good way with children

 

[Hip]

Empathy is this big buzzword now, and I feel like people consider it solely a "plus".. well, sometimes it's definitely not... If you're extra empathetic, you're like the canary in the coalmine... If the coalmine is toxic, it's not so good to be the canary

I can definitely relate to this. Empathy I think of as a process of emulating another's mind within your own mind. It's as if your own mind is very malleable, and so can form itself into the mental "shapes" of other's minds. When you are with anyone, your mind naturally tends to form into the "shape" and characteristics of that other person's mind, whether you like it or not. That's the nature of empathy.

In this way you can get a very good insight into another's mind, because when you are with them it feels like their mind is within your own head, and so you can examine their mind very easily.

However, if that other person's mind is in some way unpleasant, negative or disharmonious, it can feel horrible, because their bad qualities will also get right inside your own mind. So that person's unpleasantness can really get under you skin, so to speak.

In this sense, having an empathetic disposition is the opposite of being "thick skinned", and empathy can put you at a great disadvantage in circumstances where having a thick skin would be preferable.

I think this SNP might be a big factor behind my social ineptitude, plus I never wanted to have children + I never felt energy enough to be able to raise children.

At the same time, whenever it was needed, my parents said that I am the choosen child to take care of them when they get sick

It is not that I don't care, but pretty muche more like I can't express my feelings publicly.

I don't think one's social skills, or one's ability to express or respond to feelings, is necessarily related to empathy.

Many of the people I know that have had kids seem to be the lower empathy types; the high empathy types may be a bit too sensitive to take on the daunting responsibilities of raising a family.

So empathy I don't think is the same as social skills or emotional intelligence. I know people with excellent social skills, but these people are often not that high in terms of their empathetic abilities. Often I think sympathy is more useful and appropriate in most social situations than empathy.

Sympathy is the ability to respond to another's needs, and to comfort others when they are in distress. Sympathy differs from empathy in that in with sympathy, you do not have to share or enter into the other's mind or emotional state. With sympathy, you just have to show concern for another's suffering, and provide a shoulder to lean on.

With sympathy, if another person is suffering severely, you do not feel that suffering directly yourself, but rather you just respond caringly to their plight. But with empathy, if another is suffering, you yourself will also directly feel the same suffering that this other person feels — and sometimes you can feel their suffering to an even worse degree than them!

It this respect, it is often a lot easier to be the sympathetic type, rather than the empathetic type. With sympathy, you can offer help and comfort to another without personally experiencing their suffering.

You might expect for hospital nurses it would be best to be a sympathetic type. Hospital nurses that are very empathetic may suffer too much themselves to function properly in their job, as they will internalize and feel all the suffering of their patients.



Strangely enough, although I used to be quite empathetic, paradoxically I am a bit low on sympathy. Offering sympathy has always been a weak point for me; I don't seem to do it in the natural way as others do. So for me, having sympathy is an amazing skill, which I wish I had more of.

The only time I can be helpful to others in distress is when their problems arise from some deep issues of mind; in these situations, I can be helpful to others, because I tend to be able to fathom the depths of their minds quite easily, and perhaps suggest solutions to their problems. Well, I used to be able to do this, because now, as mentioned, I have lost most of my empathic abilities, after my meningitis infection.