Zak found, the latter experienced a surge of oxytocin, prompting them to respond in kind.8 Dubbed the ‘moral molecule’ by Zak, oxytocin prompts us to obey the golden rule ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ It helps us to trust, in other words, that if we refrain from helping ourselves to a large slice of pie, others will do the same and we’ll all end up with seconds.
