Changes in salivary physiological stress markers associated with winning and losing

Using a representative table game popular in Japan known as shogi, or Japanese chess, we investigated the effects of winning and losing on saliva composition. The subjects were 90 healthy male university students who were members of a shogi club. Saliva samples were collected immediately before and after playing shogi, and again 30 min later. Salivary cortisol and testosterone levels in the samples were determined by ELISA and EIA, respectively. After finishing each game, the competitiveness of the game was evaluated using questionnaires. In the samples taken after playing shogi, there was an increase in the levels of salivary testosterone and cortisol, regardless of whether the subject won or lost, and the tendency was more pronounced in competitive games. There were no such changes in the control group, who did not play a game prior to providing the samples. Our results suggest that stress response is intimately linked with competition and could be used to determine which players are more capable of handing stress in a competitive environment.