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Related Experiment Videos

Cortisol fluctuates with increases and decreases in negative affect.

T W Buchanan1, M al'Absi, W R Lovallo

  • 1Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA. tony@oubsci6.ouhsc.edu

Psychoneuroendocrinology
|April 2, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Cortisol secretion is mainly driven by negative emotions, not just general activation. This study shows cortisol levels increase with negative affect and decrease with positive affect, regardless of arousal.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychoneuroendocrinology
  • Affective Neuroscience
  • Stress Physiology

Background:

  • Previous research links cortisol secretion primarily to negative affect.
  • Limited understanding exists regarding cortisol's role during states of high activation with positive affect and low negative affect.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate cortisol activity during different affective states, specifically focusing on positive and negative affect.
  • To examine the influence of mood induction on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity.

Main Methods:

  • Thirty healthy young men participated in a within-subjects design.
  • Participants underwent three conditions on separate days: an activating/humorous video, a speech stressor, and a resting control period.
  • Salivary cortisol was measured pre- and post-each 30-minute mood induction.

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Main Results:

  • Both video and speech increased positive affect (activation) compared to rest.
  • Negative affect increased during the speech stressor and decreased during the humorous video.
  • Cortisol levels significantly increased only during the speech stressor, while they decreased significantly after the video.
  • No significant cortisol changes were observed during the resting control period.

Conclusions:

  • The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis is a dynamic system.
  • Cortisol secretion is influenced by changes in negative affect, independent of generalized activation.
  • Positive affect induction, even when activating, may lead to cortisol decrease.