An efficient acute stress response in Chinese individuals with high interdependent self-construal

An efficient stress response comprises both quick reactivity and rapid recovery. Studies have found an enhanced stress response in Chinese people with high interdependent self-construal (ISC). ISC is a personality trait that is well-matched with Chinese collectivistic culture, and whether they exhibit an efficient stress response has not been exclusively examined.

We conducted a novel experiment to examine the stress response change rate in Chinese participants with varying levels of ISC，then performed a validation analysis against previous data to examine the reliability of current results.

In our experiment, 84 healthy (42 high-ISC and 42 low-ISC), young, native Chinese were randomly assigned to either the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), or the control condition. In the published study, 46 native Chinese participants (23 high-ISC and 23 low-ISC) had undergone the TSST. Data were collected throughout the two experiments.

Compared to low-ISC participants, cortisol and subjective stress levels in high-ISC participants peaked sooner and declined rapidly, suggesting quick stress reactivity and rapid recovery. This finding was supported by the previous study.

High-ISC individuals display an efficient stress response pattern, manifested by fast reactivity and rapid recovery, which may be adaptive in Chinese collectivistic culture.