Oxytocin release is associated with intense circumstances like post-orgasm, childbirth, and couples post-sex, not general social interactions.

“Actually, did you know that connection between individuals rarely causes the release of oxytocin? Oxytocin is released in very particular circumstances like post-orgasm, baby and mother milk let down. It's associated with kind of really intense kinds of pair bonding things of mother and child. Also father and child, but especially mother and child, because its relationship to the lactation system. Couples post-sex. These kinds of things that reflect deep kind of layers of our biology. And oxytocin is not just released when we walk in and pat the dog on the head or we see somebody and we give them a hug and, "Hi, great to see you," fist bump. That's not a situation for oxytocin.”