The Oxytocin-Dopamine Convergence Model: A Proposed Integrative Framework for Understanding Addiction Vulnerability

This working paper proposes the Oxytocin-Dopamine Convergence Model, a novel integrative framework explaining why diverse addiction risk factors converge on a common neurobiological pathway. The model posits that four major risk factors—alexithymia, childhood trauma, ADHD, and insecure attachment—despite their apparent heterogeneity, share a common underlying mechanism: dysregulation of the oxytocin-dopamine balance. When endogenous oxytocin production is compromised, the protective "social buffering" effect is weakened, making artificial rewards disproportionately attractive. Critically, this model focuses on endogenous oxytocin (produced through social bonding) rather than exogenous oxytocin (nasal spray), which has shown limited efficacy in human trials. This framework has direct implications for addiction prevention aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3.5 and 4, suggesting that interventions strengthening social bonding in early childhood (ages 8-10) may address the root cause of addiction vulnerability. VERSION 1.1 NOTE: This revision replaces neuroticism with alexithymia based on systematic evidence review. Meta-analyses (Bakermans-Kranenburg k=82, N=17,559) found null effects for OXTR-neuroticism associations, while alexithymia demonstrates substantially stronger evidence for both oxytocin (r=-0.34 to -0.96) and addiction pathways (d=0.62-0.83).