Inverse association between stress induced cortisol elevations and negative emotional reactivity to stress in humans
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Greater cortisol reactivity to stress is often assumed to lead to heightened negative affective reactivity to stress. Conversely, a growing body of evidence demonstrates mood-protective effects of cortisol elevations in the context of acute stress. We administered a laboratory-based stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and measured cortisol and emotional reactivity in 68 adults (48 women) between the ages of 25 and 65. In accordance with our pre-registered hypothesis (https://osf.io/t8r3w) and prior research, negative affective reactivity was inversely related to cortisol reactivity assessed immediately after the stressor. We found that greater cortisol response to acute stress is associated with smaller increases in negative affect, consistent with mood-protective effects of cortisol elevations in response to acute stress.
Source: Stress
Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Language: English
Subfield: Behavioral Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,175
Awards: Affective neuroscience of loneliness: Impacts on health and wellbeing, Neurobiological mechanisms of perceived stress and their modification through behavioral intervention, G689289793, Neural Substrates of Affective Style and Emotion Regulation, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center Support
OpenAlex ID: W4320032975