Sex differences in the effects of acute stress on behavior in the ultimatum game

Stress is a universal human phenomenon that has been studied for almost a century. First described as an unspecified response to harmful stimuli, the original conception of stress focused primarily on physical stressors such as heat, cold and threats within the physical environment (Seyle, 1956). However, since then a large body of literature has accumulated exploring psychosocial stress triggered by the cognitive appraisal of situations. Regardless of its trigger, stress is known to cause physiological, psychological and behavioral consequences that have been primarily defined as the ‘flight or fight response’: The stress response is driven by an initial activation of the sympathetic nervous system leading to a rapid increase in circulating catecholamines that prepares the organism for action.

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - June 14, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Farid F. Youssef, Raecho Bachew, Satyavi Bissessar, Molly J. Crockett, Nadira S. Faber Source Type: research