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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory

Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory

Published on: June 18, 2014

Inverse relation between cortisol and anger and their relation to performance and explicit memory.

Miguel Kazén¹, Thomas Kuenne, Heiko Frankenberg

¹University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany. mikazen@uos.de

Biological Psychology

|May 26, 2012

Summary

This study found that induced anger decreased cortisol levels, which correlated with poorer cognitive performance and memory recall. This contrasts with cortisol

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Area of Science:

Psychoneuroendocrinology
Cognitive Psychology
Social Psychology

Background:

Cortisol levels typically rise during social evaluative threat.
The cortisol response to induced anger remains under-researched.
Understanding stress hormone regulation in different emotional states is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the cortisol response to anger induction.
To examine the effects of anger induction on cognitive performance.
To assess the impact of anger and cortisol changes on explicit memory.

Main Methods:

Utilized a modified Montreal Stress Imaging Task (MIST) to elicit anger.
Recruited 34 university students (17 male, 17 female).
Measured cortisol levels before and after anger induction.

Main Results:

A significant decrease in cortisol was observed post-manipulation.
Cortisol reduction was inversely related to self-reported anger.
Increased anger correlated with impaired performance, while cortisol reduction linked to poorer cognitive and explicit memory performance.

Conclusions:

Anger induction leads to decreased cortisol levels, unlike threat-induced cortisol increases.
Cortisol reduction during anger may impair cognitive functions, including memory.
The adaptive significance of differential cortisol responses to various stressors warrants further discussion.