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Updated: Mar 7, 2026
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The Trier Social Stress Test Protocol for Inducing Psychological Stress
Published on: October 19, 2011
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The Trier Social Stress Test: Principles and practice
Andrew P Allen1, Paul J Kennedy1, Samantha Dockray2
1APC Microbiome Institute, Biosciences Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioural Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Neurobiology of Stress
|February 24, 2017
Summary
The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a validated method for studying the human acute stress response. It helps reveal neurobiological differences in stress reactivity across demographics and genetic factors.
Area of Science:
- Neurobiology
- Psychophysiology
- Human Stress Response
Background:
- Investigating the human acute stress response requires reliable experimental methods.
- The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used paradigm for inducing acute stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the methodology and key findings of the TSST in human research.
- To highlight the TSST's utility in understanding the neurobiology of acute stress.
Main Methods:
- The TSST involves a public speaking task and a mental arithmetic test before an evaluative audience.
- This review synthesizes findings from studies utilizing the TSST in healthy and clinical populations.
Main Results:
- The TSST has identified sex, age, and genotypic differences in neurobiological stress responses.
- It has also illuminated epigenetic influences on the acute stress response.
Conclusions:
- The TSST is a gold standard for studying the cognitive neurobiology of acute stress.
- Adaptations and future applications, including gut microbiome research, expand its utility.
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