Social cognition and cortisol in the general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review examines the evidence on the association between social cognition and cortisol in the general population. Literature was searched in six databases. Of the 401 studies identified, meta-analyses were conducted on 46 effect sizes (Pearson's correlation coefficients) from 19 studies, supplemented by a narrative review. Pooled estimates suggest that better emotion control is associated with increased cortisol concentrations [r = 0.083, 95% CI (0.033, 0.132)]. Emotion recognition or empathy were not significantly associated with cortisol concentrations [r = 0.072, 95% CI (-0.020, 0.165) and r = 0.004, 95% CI (-0.061, 0.068) respectively]. Subgroup analyses showed that the association between emotion control and cortisol concentrations is significant in males, for morning cortisol, when the cortisol data are transformed to correct for skewed distributions, or when participants are instructed to avoid food and drink intake for at least one hour before sample collection. There was no evidence for an association between social cognition with diurnal cortisol slope or cortisol awakening response. More validation work with greater standardization of methodological procedures is required.