Table_2_Oxytocin predicts positive affect gains in a role-play interaction.docx

IntroductionRole-play, a key creative process in theatre, is used in therapeutic interventions to improve social skills, emotion regulation, and memory. Although role-play is widely used as a psychotherapeutic technique, its mechanisms of action are not fully understood.
MethodsOur study introduces a standardized controlled procedure for promoting role-play in the laboratory based on the portrayal of a fictional persona and examines its effects on anxiety, affect, prosocial attitudes, and salivary oxytocin dynamics in 38 participants.
ResultsIn our experiment, role-play significantly increased positive affect and prosocial attitudes and decreased anxiety compared to a control condition. Basal salivary oxytocin levels predicted higher gains in positive affect following role-play, suggesting a specific moderating effect of oxytocin. The fictional persona used in the procedure was rated as very happy by subjects, creating a positive social context for the role-play social interaction.
DiscussionsWe propose that the observed moderation effect of oxytocin in our study is specific to the role-play condition due to the capacity of role-play to generate an affective regulatory context based on congruency toward the emotional state of the fictional persona. Our findings indicate that basal oxytocin levels could predict specific outcomes of role-play in therapeutical setting. We discuss several psychological and biological mechanisms that could account for the observed effects of role-play and how oxytocin could act as a substrate for them.

引言
角色扮演（role-play）作为戏剧创作中的核心创意环节，现已被广泛应用于各类治疗干预场景，用于提升个体的社交技能、情绪调节能力与记忆力。尽管角色扮演作为一种心理治疗手段已得到普遍应用，但其具体作用机制尚未完全阐明。

研究方法
本研究构建了一套基于虚构角色演绎的实验室标准化对照范式，用于开展角色扮演实验，并针对38名被试，考察了该范式对个体焦虑水平、情绪状态、亲社会态度以及唾液催产素（oxytocin）动态变化的影响。

实验结果
与对照组相比，角色扮演可显著提升个体的积极情绪与亲社会态度，并降低其焦虑水平。基础唾液催产素水平能够正向预测角色扮演后个体积极情绪的提升幅度，这提示催产素具有特定的调节效应。实验中所用的虚构角色被被试评定为极度愉悦，为角色扮演的社交互动营造了积极的社会情境。

讨论
本研究推测，本次实验观测到的催产素调节效应仅特异性存在于角色扮演条件下，这是因为角色扮演能够基于个体与虚构角色情绪状态的一致性，构建出特定的情绪调节情境。本研究结果表明，基础催产素水平可用于预测治疗场景中角色扮演的特定干预效果。我们进一步探讨了可解释角色扮演观测效应的多种心理与生物学机制，以及催产素如何作为这些效应的作用基础。