Is a submissive posture adaptive when being evaluated negatively? Effects on cortisol reactivity.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Endocrinology
• Social Sciences

Background:

• Subordinate status and submissiveness are linked to stress and ill-health.
• However, submissive behaviors can be adaptive for conflict avoidance or termination.
• Body posture is one way to signal submissiveness and may influence stress regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the physiological stress response to assuming a subordinate body posture.
• To determine if body posture influences cortisol levels during a social-evaluative stress task.

Main Methods:

• 85 male participants were randomly assigned to dominant or subordinate postures.
• Participants delivered a speech and performed arithmetic tasks under critical evaluation.
• Salivary cortisol levels were measured before and after the stressor.

Main Results:

• A dominant posture led to a greater cortisol response compared to a subordinate posture.
• Participants in a subordinate posture showed no significant increase in cortisol levels.
• This contrasts with normative cortisol responses in similar stress protocols.

Conclusions:

• A subordinate posture can decrease acute endocrine stress responses during negative social evaluation.
• Submissive strategies may be adaptive in uncontrollable social-evaluative situations.
• This posture may protect physical and mental health by reducing stress responses.