[[ ]] Heat.

Heat. This is what cities mean to me. You get off the train and walk out of the station and you are hit with the full blast. The heat of air, traffic and people. The heat of food and sex. The heat of tall buildings. The heat that flows out of the subways and tunnels. It's always fifteen degrees hotter in the cities. Heat rises from the sidewalks and falls from the poisoned sky. The buses breathe heat. Heat emanates from crowds of shoppers and office workers, the entire infrastructure is based on heat, desperately uses up heat, breeds more heat. The eventual heat death of the universe that scientists love to talk about is already well underway and you can feel it happening all around you in any large or medium-sized city. Heat and wetness.

Nick Land

Boosting oxytocin levels naturally involves engaging in activities that promote social bonding, emotional connection, and physical touch. Here are some suggestions:

1. Physical Touch: Hugging, cuddling, holding hands, and gentle physical contact with loved ones can trigger oxytocin release.

2. Positive Social Interactions: Spending time with friends and family, engaging in meaningful conversations, and participating in group activities can help stimulate oxytocin production.

3. Acts of Kindness: Performing acts of kindness and generosity can promote positive emotions and increase oxytocin levels.

4. Intimacy: Intimate moments with a partner, such as physical intimacy and emotional closeness, can lead to oxytocin release.

5. Massage: Receiving a massage, particularly from someone you trust, can stimulate oxytocin production.

6. Laughter: Sharing laughter and humor with others can trigger the release of oxytocin.

7. Pregnancy and Childbirth: Oxytocin is naturally released during pregnancy and childbirth. Skin-to-skin contact with the baby after birth also enhances oxytocin levels.

8. Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding promotes the release of oxytocin, which helps with milk ejection and bonding between mother and child.

Artificially boosting oxytocin levels is a more complex endeavor and might involve medical intervention. Oxytocin nasal sprays have been studied in clinical research for their potential to enhance social bonding and emotional connections. However, their effectiveness, safety, and ethical considerations need careful evaluation.

It's important to note that manipulating hormone levels should be done with caution and under the guidance of medical professionals. Natural methods of promoting oxytocin release through positive social interactions and emotional connections are generally safer and more sustainable for overall well-being.

When it comes to human beings, particular situations, such as seeing someone in moderate distress, trigger the release of oxytocin in the brain--together with the neurochemicals serotonin and dopamine- -which then prompts us to social engagement. He calls this the human oxytocin-mediated empathy (HOME) circuit. High stress can block oxytocin release, a response that makes complete sense, argues Zak, because "if we are in dire straits ourselves, we can't easily afford to invest time and resources in helping another."