Effects of acute stress on social behavior in women
Acute stress is known to increase prosocial behavior in men via a "tend-and-befriend" pattern originally proposed as a specifically female stress response alongside the fight-or-flight response. However, the direct effects of acute stress on women’s social behavior have not been investigat...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
January 2019
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| In: |
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Year: 2019, Volume: 99, Pages: 137-144 |
| ISSN: | 1873-3360 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.08.031 |
| Online Access: | Resolving-System, Volltext: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.08.031 Verlag, Volltext: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453018301586 
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| Author Notes: | Bernadette von Dawans, Beate Ditzen, Amalie Trueg, Urs Fischbacher, Markus Heinrichs |
| Summary: | Acute stress is known to increase prosocial behavior in men via a "tend-and-befriend" pattern originally proposed as a specifically female stress response alongside the fight-or-flight response. However, the direct effects of acute stress on women’s social behavior have not been investigated. Applying the Trier Social Stress Test for groups (TSST-G), 94 women were confronted with either a stress or control condition. We repeatedly measured their subjective stress responses, salivary cortisol, and heart rate, and investigated their level of trust, trustworthiness, sharing, punishment and non-social risk using social decision paradigms. We detected significant increases in all stress parameters, as well as the wish for closeness during the stress condition. Acute stress exposure elevated prosocial trustworthiness and sharing without affecting non-social risk behavior. These results are in line with findings on the effects of stress in men, and further validate the tend-and-befriend pattern as one possible behavioral response during stress in humans. |
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| Item Description: | Available online 25 August 2018 Gesehen am 14.12.2018 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1873-3360 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.08.031 |