Social identification and contagious stress reactions

Abstract

Contagious stress describes the transmission of stress from a stressed person to an observer, which we examined at the neuroendocrine and the affective level. We tested whether a shared social identity moderates contagious stress. Ninety-four participants participated in groups of four. After inducing either a shared social or a personal identity, participants observed a confederate undergoing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a standardized social-evaluative stressor. Salivary cortisol and affective stress were assessed multiple times before and after the observation of the TSST. We found a physiologically significant contagious stress reaction on a neuroendocrine level for 17% of all participants. Additionally, we found an increase in observers’ self-reported stress. Contrary to our expectations, the manipulation of social identity had no effect on contagious stress. Our variation of the TSST is a viable methodological strategy to increase standardization as well as experimental economy in studies examining contagious stress.