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Empathy Modulates the Effect of Stress Reactivity on Generous Giving
How does acute stress influence the degree to which we cooperate with others? Research on the effects of stress on social decision-making is guided by two seemingly contrasting theories. Acute stress may trigger a Fight-or-Flight response, manifested by increased anxiety, and more egocentric or self...
Autores principales: | , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9081844/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35546889 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.814789 |
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author | Azulay, Hagar Guy, Nitzan Pertzov, Yoni Israel, Salomon |
author_facet | Azulay, Hagar Guy, Nitzan Pertzov, Yoni Israel, Salomon |
author_sort | Azulay, Hagar |
collection | PubMed |
description | How does acute stress influence the degree to which we cooperate with others? Research on the effects of stress on social decision-making is guided by two seemingly contrasting theories. Acute stress may trigger a Fight-or-Flight response, manifested by increased anxiety, and more egocentric or selfish behavior. Alternatively, according to the Tend-and-Befriend model, acute stress may induce affiliative behaviors, marked by increased prosociality in an effort to seek and receive social support and protection. Extant studies on the topic do not provide consistent support for either pattern of behavior, with studies showing evidence for both Fight-or-Flight or Tend-and-Befriend like responses. One possibility, may be the nature of social responses to stressful situations differ as a function of the individual. In the current study, we demonstrate an example of such a person-by-situation interaction, showing that acute stress can cause either pro-social or selfish responses, contingent on individual differences in trait empathy. One hundred and twenty three participants (60 F) were assessed for trait empathy using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index; consequently, they underwent either the Trier Social Stress Test—a well-validated paradigm for eliciting acute psychosocial stress—or a non-stress inducing control condition. Following exposure to either the stress or control condition, participants played a one-shot Dictator Game to evaluate their generosity levels. Statistical analyses revealed that acute stress by itself did not affect the amount transferred in the Dictator Game. Rather, individual differences in trait empathy moderated the effects of stress on giving. Elevations in stress-induced cortisol resulted in more generous behavior, but only in individuals high in empathy. In contrast, in individuals low in empathy, a greater rise in stress-induced cortisol resulted in more selfish behavior. Effects were more pronounced in females than males. Our findings highlight the necessity of integrating personality traits as important moderators of the link between stress and sociality. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-9081844 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2022 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-90818442022-05-10 Empathy Modulates the Effect of Stress Reactivity on Generous Giving Azulay, Hagar Guy, Nitzan Pertzov, Yoni Israel, Salomon Front Neurosci Neuroscience How does acute stress influence the degree to which we cooperate with others? Research on the effects of stress on social decision-making is guided by two seemingly contrasting theories. Acute stress may trigger a Fight-or-Flight response, manifested by increased anxiety, and more egocentric or selfish behavior. Alternatively, according to the Tend-and-Befriend model, acute stress may induce affiliative behaviors, marked by increased prosociality in an effort to seek and receive social support and protection. Extant studies on the topic do not provide consistent support for either pattern of behavior, with studies showing evidence for both Fight-or-Flight or Tend-and-Befriend like responses. One possibility, may be the nature of social responses to stressful situations differ as a function of the individual. In the current study, we demonstrate an example of such a person-by-situation interaction, showing that acute stress can cause either pro-social or selfish responses, contingent on individual differences in trait empathy. One hundred and twenty three participants (60 F) were assessed for trait empathy using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index; consequently, they underwent either the Trier Social Stress Test—a well-validated paradigm for eliciting acute psychosocial stress—or a non-stress inducing control condition. Following exposure to either the stress or control condition, participants played a one-shot Dictator Game to evaluate their generosity levels. Statistical analyses revealed that acute stress by itself did not affect the amount transferred in the Dictator Game. Rather, individual differences in trait empathy moderated the effects of stress on giving. Elevations in stress-induced cortisol resulted in more generous behavior, but only in individuals high in empathy. In contrast, in individuals low in empathy, a greater rise in stress-induced cortisol resulted in more selfish behavior. Effects were more pronounced in females than males. Our findings highlight the necessity of integrating personality traits as important moderators of the link between stress and sociality. Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-04-25 /pmc/articles/PMC9081844/ /pubmed/35546889 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.814789 Text en Copyright © 2022 Azulay, Guy, Pertzov and Israel. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
spellingShingle | Neuroscience Azulay, Hagar Guy, Nitzan Pertzov, Yoni Israel, Salomon Empathy Modulates the Effect of Stress Reactivity on Generous Giving |
title | Empathy Modulates the Effect of Stress Reactivity on Generous Giving |
title_full | Empathy Modulates the Effect of Stress Reactivity on Generous Giving |
title_fullStr | Empathy Modulates the Effect of Stress Reactivity on Generous Giving |
title_full_unstemmed | Empathy Modulates the Effect of Stress Reactivity on Generous Giving |
title_short | Empathy Modulates the Effect of Stress Reactivity on Generous Giving |
title_sort | empathy modulates the effect of stress reactivity on generous giving |
topic | Neuroscience |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9081844/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35546889 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.814789 |
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