Influence of stress on physiological synchrony in a stressful versus non-stressful group setting

Bernadette Denk,Eva Unternaehrer,Annika B E Benz,Jens C Pruessner,Ulrike U Bentele,Maria Meier,Nathalie F Popovic,Stephanie J Dimitroff,Wolfgang Gaissmaier

doi:10.1007/s00702-021-02384-2

Bernadette Denk, Eva Unternaehrer + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-021-02384-2

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Abstract

Physiological synchrony (PS) is defined as the co-occurrence and interdependence of physiological activity between interaction partners. Previous research has uncovered numerous influences on the extent of PS, such as relationship type or individual characteristics. Here, we investigate the influence of acute stress on PS. We do so in a setting in which PS was not promoted, but contact between group members was explicitly minimized. We reanalyzed cortisol, alpha-amylase, and subjective stress data from 138 participants (mean age = 23.48 pm 3.99, 47.1% female) who previously underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for groups (TSST-G) or a non-stressful control task together, collected as part of a larger project by Popovic et al. (Sci Rep 10: 7845, 2020). Using a stability and influence model, an established method to test for synchrony, we tested whether individuals’ cortisol and alpha-amylase concentrations could be predicted by group members’ levels. We found cortisol PS in participants who were in the same group, the extent of which was stronger in the non-stressful control condition. For alpha-amylase, participants were synchronized as well; furthermore, there was an interaction between previous stress levels and PS. This suggests that while synchrony of both stress markers can occur in group settings even with spurious interaction, stressor exposure might attenuate its extent. We argue that if PS occurs in a sample where interaction was minimal, the phenomenon might be more widespread than previously thought. Furthermore, stressor exposure might influence whether a situation allows for PS. We conclude that PS should be investigated within group settings with various degrees of social interaction to further expose mechanisms of and influence on PS.

Highlights

The co-occurrence and interdependence of changes in physiological reaction across interaction partners is called physiological synchronization [Ellamil et al (2016); Palumbo et al (2017), Physiological synchrony (PS);], referred to as empathic resonance or linkage
In a reanalysis of data from a previous study (Popovic et al 2020), our aim was to determine whether we could find signs of endocrine synchronization processes dependent on stressor exposure during a paradigm with minimal social
Stressor exposure decreased PS of the HPA axis compared to a non-stressful control condition, even though participants in the control condition were not exposed to verbal cues from their fellow group members

Summary

Introduction

The co-occurrence and interdependence of changes in physiological reaction across interaction partners is called physiological synchronization [Ellamil et al (2016); Palumbo et al (2017), PS;], referred to as empathic resonance or linkage. This cross-reactivity among group members or dyads has emerged as an important phenomenon to consider. University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany 3 Child‐ and Adolescent Research Department, Psychiatric. University Hospitals Basel (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland when investigating social processes. We want to expand on this research and investigate the influence of acute stress on PS. While there have been some findings highlighting the importance of emotional state (Coutinho et al 2019), e.g., whether

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