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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents

Published on: July 10, 2017

Stress alters personal moral decision making.

Farid F Youssef¹, Karine Dookeeram, Vasant Basdeo

¹Department of Preclinical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. fmyoussef@tstt.net.tt

Psychoneuroendocrinology

|September 9, 2011

Summary

Stress significantly reduces utilitarian moral decision-making in personal dilemmas. This study found that stress and being female predisposed individuals to less utilitarian responses, supporting dual-process theories of moral judgment.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology
Moral Philosophy

Background:

Moral decision-making research initially focused on rational processes but now acknowledges the role of emotions.
Stress impacts brain regions involved in emotional processing, suggesting a potential link to moral reasoning.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the influence of acute stress on moral decision-making.
To examine how stress affects responses to different types of moral dilemmas.

Main Methods:

Sixty-five undergraduates were assigned to a stress (Trier Social Stress Test) or control group.
Participants responded to non-moral, impersonal moral, and personal moral dilemmas, with decisions and reaction times recorded.
Stress induction was verified via salivary cortisol levels.

Main Results:

The stressed group exhibited significantly fewer utilitarian responses to personal moral dilemmas compared to the control group.
Stress levels were negatively correlated with utilitarian responses.
Females made fewer utilitarian decisions in personal moral dilemmas than males.

Conclusions:

Acute stress exposure biases individuals towards less utilitarian moral judgments in high-conflict personal dilemmas.
Findings support dual-process theories of moral judgment, highlighting the interplay of emotion and cognition.
Gender differences in moral reasoning were observed, with females showing less utilitarian responses.