A nasal spray to shed your shyness

University of Zurich researchers have created a spray that can relieve people of shyness, and help them socialize with others.

The spray is very easy to use, and an individual can boost self-confidence just by squirting it up the nose.

The researchers say that the spray harnesses the powers of a feel-good hormone called oxytocin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is involved in social recognition and bonding.

The mammalian hormone is produced naturally by the body when a person is in love, and it also induces labour in pregnant women. The spray contains a synthetic version of it, created in the laboratory.

University researcher Dr Markus Heinrichs says that the spray was found to “dramatically” change the behaviour of 70 adults during a study. He says that all study participants had stopped feeling anxious, and started to engage better with others in the group.

While presenting the findings of the study at the World Congress of Neuroscience in Melbourne, Dr. Heinrichs said that the hormone had an effect on the part of the brain that controls fear response.

He also said spraying into the nasal passages was the most effective method of its administration, as it was absorbed into the body more rapidly.