A billionaire known for supporting the Pentagon has proposed an unconventional way to tackle American divorce: the bonding hormone oxytocin.
Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus and the defense company Anduril, shared this idea during a discussion on the podcast Moonshots, hosted by Peter Diamandis.
“I would try to end the tragedy of divorce with oxytocin doping for marriage counseling,” Luckey expressed on the show.
He contended that couples on the verge of splitting up should reconsider their decision, particularly those with children. “Most people who don’t want to stay together should stay together, especially for their kids,” Luckey pointed out. He connected this perspective to his interest in increasing birth rates in the U.S.
Palmer Luckey reveals the startup he’d build today: oxytocin doping to end divorce “I would try to end the tragedy of divorce with oxytocin doping for marriage counseling.” “We understand mammal pair bonding pretty well. There’s a lot of people who want to stay together. Most of the people who don’t want to stay together should stay together, especially for their kids.” “And we can, if people think SSRIs are fine, which they’re not, but if they were, then oxytocin doping to stay together is definitely fine.” “It’s the mammal pair bonding chemical. There’s things you can do to increase the uptake, and it’s very well understood. Also, totally unregulated, which is great. Unregulated spaces are a lot easier to do. You can go buy a kilogram of oxytocin on Sigma Aldrich Chemical Supply right now, and if you do that, maybe you won’t die alone.” “It’s pure biology. It’s used for women who don’t bond with their kids, and now for women who don’t bond with their husbands. It’s also used for kids with various neurological issues, some kids with autism who struggle with pair bonding.” “The cool thing is it’s a self-reinforcing loop. We understand that very well. Unlike most drugs, it doesn’t form a chemical dependency. It actually unburdens you from a chemical dependency.”
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Luckey characterized oxytocin as the essential chemical for mammal pair bonding, noting, “There are ways to increase its uptake, and it’s well understood. Plus, it’s totally unregulated, which is a positive aspect.”
He mentioned that people can acquire bulk amounts of the substance from chemical suppliers. “You can go buy a kilogram of oxytocin on Sigma Aldrich Chemical Supply right now, and if you do that, maybe you won’t die alone,” he remarked.
Luckey emphasized that this approach creates a self-sustaining cycle that doesn’t lead to addiction. “Unlike most drugs, it doesn’t create a chemical dependency. It actually frees you from it,” he explained. He cited its application for mothers struggling to bond with their babies and for some children with autism.
While the FDA has approved oxytocin for specific medical purposes, like inducing labor and managing postpartum bleeding, its intranasal form is not currently approved for use in the U.S.
Luckey, who sold Oculus to Facebook, later developed Anduril into a significant military supplier.
