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.
The study was printed in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
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