John Hamilton

OK, so here's the reason. Humans and prairie voles are both sort of anomalies in terms of pair bonding and parenting. Of course, we know that lots of birds mate for life, but mammals tend to be, how shall I say this, pretty promiscuous. And that includes most rodents and including most voles. Prairie voles are the exception. And they actually choose the partner they're going to be with.

OK, so here's the reason. Humans and prairie voles are both sort of anomalies in terms of pair bonding and parenting. Of course, we know that lots of birds mate for life, but mammals tend to be, how shall I say this, pretty promiscuous. And that includes most rodents and including most voles. Prairie voles are the exception. And they actually choose the partner they're going to be with.

So it's not like, say, a duckling that just imprints on the first creature it sees after hatching. I actually called up one of the scientists who did a lot of the early work on prairie voles. Her name is Sue Carter, and she's on the faculty at both the University of Virginia and Indiana University.

So it's not like, say, a duckling that just imprints on the first creature it sees after hatching. I actually called up one of the scientists who did a lot of the early work on prairie voles. Her name is Sue Carter, and she's on the faculty at both the University of Virginia and Indiana University.

So it's not like, say, a duckling that just imprints on the first creature it sees after hatching. I actually called up one of the scientists who did a lot of the early work on prairie voles. Her name is Sue Carter, and she's on the faculty at both the University of Virginia and Indiana University.

Swipe left or swipe right, you know, man.

Swipe left or swipe right, you know, man.

Swipe left or swipe right, you know, man.

Well, so back in the 80s and 90s, Sue Carter helped show that oxytocin levels rise when a prairie vole meets that special someone. She and others did these lab experiments showing that if you give a prairie vole extra oxytocin, it increases their tendency to pair bond. But if you give a drug that blocks oxytocin, they won't pair bond at all.

Well, so back in the 80s and 90s, Sue Carter helped show that oxytocin levels rise when a prairie vole meets that special someone. She and others did these lab experiments showing that if you give a prairie vole extra oxytocin, it increases their tendency to pair bond. But if you give a drug that blocks oxytocin, they won't pair bond at all.

Well, so back in the 80s and 90s, Sue Carter helped show that oxytocin levels rise when a prairie vole meets that special someone. She and others did these lab experiments showing that if you give a prairie vole extra oxytocin, it increases their tendency to pair bond. But if you give a drug that blocks oxytocin, they won't pair bond at all.

And oxytocin levels, by the way, also seem to predict a lot of human pair bonding behavior.

And oxytocin levels, by the way, also seem to predict a lot of human pair bonding behavior.

And oxytocin levels, by the way, also seem to predict a lot of human pair bonding behavior.

That is the conventional wisdom in popular culture and everything. There's even a Billie Eilish song called Oxytocin. Key lyric, you know I need you for the oxytocin.

That is the conventional wisdom in popular culture and everything. There's even a Billie Eilish song called Oxytocin. Key lyric, you know I need you for the oxytocin.

That is the conventional wisdom in popular culture and everything. There's even a Billie Eilish song called Oxytocin. Key lyric, you know I need you for the oxytocin.

My kids told me about her.

My kids told me about her.

My kids told me about her.