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Interpersonal trust and social stress-induced cortisol elevation.
Taiki Takahashi1, Koki Ikeda, Miho Ishikawa
1Department of Behavioral Science, Faculty of Letters, Hokkaido University N.10, W.7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan. ttakahashi@lynx.let.hokudai.ac.jp
Neuroreport
|January 27, 2005
Summary
Higher interpersonal trust correlates with a lower neuroendocrine stress response. Individuals with greater trust showed reduced cortisol elevation following social stress, suggesting a link between personality and physiological reactions.
Area of Science:
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Social Psychology
- Human Physiology
Background:
- The neuroendocrine underpinnings of interpersonal trust remain largely unexplored.
- Understanding the physiological correlates of trust is crucial for social and clinical sciences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between interpersonal trust and the neuroendocrine stress response.
- To examine how personality traits related to trust influence cortisol levels under social stress.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 20 male participants.
- Assessed interpersonal trust using the General Trust Scale.
- Measured cortisol elevation in response to a social stressor.
- Employed Spearman's rank order correlation analysis.
Main Results:
- A significant negative correlation was observed between cortisol elevation and General Trust Scale scores.
- Higher scores on the General Trust Scale were associated with lower cortisol responses to social stress.
Conclusions:
- Interpersonal trust is associated with a blunted neuroendocrine response to social stress.
- Individuals with higher levels of trust exhibit reduced physiological reactivity in social stress situations.