The Effects of Perceived Stress, Traits, Mood States, and Stressful Daily Events on Salivary Cortisol

Eck, Marleen van; Berkhof, H; Nicolson, Nancy A.; Sulon, J.

doi:10.1097/00006842-199609000-00007

Cited by 521 publications

(333 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…This gives us reasonable cause to reject elevated stress levels as an effect mechanism. Perceived stress and actual stress are not perfectly correlated (21), however, and our study data do not give any insight into how physiological reactions to stress, such as cortisol or dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) hormone changes, might mediate changes in BGLs. This is a relevant hypothesis that merits further investigation.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

Blood sugar level follows perceived time rather than actual time in people with type 2 diabetes

Chanmo

Pagnini

Reece

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The current study investigates whether perceived time has an effect on blood glucose level in people with type 2 diabetes. The hypothesis is that perceived time will have a greater influence over blood glucose level than actual time. Changes in blood glucose levels were measured in 46 participants with diabetes while they completed simple tasks during a 90-min period. Participants' perception of time was manipulated by having them refer to clocks that were either accurate or altered to run fast or slow. Blood glucose levels changed in accordance with how much time they believed had passed instead of how much time had actually passed. These results are an example of the influence psychological processes can directly exert on the body. T he relationship between expectations and physiological responses has received much attention in the study of the placebo effect (1, 2), a phenomenon producing physiological changes in the body without specific biological stimulation (3). For example, the expectation that an activity leads to a decrease in weight may result in an actual reduction of weight (4), and perceptions also change physiological responses to food consumption (5). Similarly, study participants role-playing air force pilots, a group expected to have excellent vision, had better vision than control participants (6). Despite a broad range of data describing the influence of mental states over the body, the role of psychological processes, especially when dealing with chronic health conditions, has been frequently underestimated. The connection between mind and body has received particularly limited attention in the study of metabolic disorders, such as diabetes.Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, is a chronic disease that affects millions (7). Its symptoms include periodic rises in blood glucose levels (BGLs) because the body produces insufficient insulin and/or resists the effects of insulin, leading to short-term severe shock and multiple long-term complications including strokes, neuropathies, kidney disease, and vision problems (8). Genetic factors appear to be a strong biological trigger (9), and obesity seems to be a powerful environmental trigger (10).Although recognized as relevant psychosocial elements in diabetes management, few psychological factors have been studied for the effect they can exert on diabetic physiology. The majority of studies concerning psychological issues and diabetes have focused on depression, a serious comorbid condition (11), or on the negative effect of distress on disease management (12). Apart from studies on depression and distress, limited efforts have been made to investigate the effect of psychological variables on blood sugar regulation. No studies to our knowledge have investigated the potential for psychological mechanisms to directly influence BGLs.Glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes follow a particular time course, but how is the course determined? Current models suggest it is determined solely by physiological factors (13). There is, howeve...

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

Blood sugar level follows perceived time rather than actual time in people with type 2 diabetes

Chanmo

Pagnini

Reece

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…To identify subjects reporting high vs. low perceived stress and maximize the number of subjects included in the analyses, a median-split approach on PSS scores was used. This approach is in line with prior studies that have used the PSS scale categorically to identify low vs. high PSS scorers (e.g., Kuiper, Olinger, & Lyons, 1986;Maes, Van Bockstaele, & Van Gastel, 1999;van Eck, Berkhof, Nicolson, & Sulon, 1996).…”

Section: Study 1 Methodssupporting

confidence: 72%

Increased perceived stress is associated with blunted hedonic capacity: Potential implications for depression research

Pizzagalli

Bogdan

Ratner

et al. 2007

Behaviour Research and Therapy

129

113

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Preclinical studies suggest that stress exerts depressogenic effects by impairing hedonic capacity; in humans, however, the precise mechanisms linking stress and depression are largely unknown. As an initial step towards better understanding the association between stress and anhedonia, the present study tested, in two independent samples, whether individuals reporting elevated stress exhibit decreased hedonic capacity. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) measured the degree to which participants appraised their daily life as unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overwhelming. Hedonic capacity was objectively assessed using a signal-detection task based on a differential reinforcement schedule. Decreased reward responsiveness (i.e., the participants' propensity to modulate behavior as a function of reward) was used as an operational measure of hedonic capacity. In both Study 1 (n = 88) and Study 2 (n = 80), participants with high PSS scores displayed blunted reward responsiveness and reported elevated anhedonic symptoms. Additionally, PSS scores predicted reduced reward responsiveness even after controlling for general distress and anxiety symptoms. These findings are consistent with preclinical data highlighting links between stress and anhedonia, and offer promising insights into potential mechanisms linking stress to depression.

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“…However, three studies found no associations between state PA and cortisol response (Ryff, Singer, . & Dienberg Love, 2004;Szczepanski et al, 1997;van Eck, Berkhof, Nicolson, & Sulon, 1996). Of the studies looking at endocrine parameters other than cortisol, several naturalistic studies examined epi and norepi, other "stress" hormones that act to increase blood flow and cardiovascular activity.…”

Section: Physiological Systems Associated With Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does positive affect influence health?

Pressman

Cohen

2005

Psychological Bulletin

1,747

1,566

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This review highlights consistent patterns in the literature associating positive affect (PA) and physical health. However, it also raises serious conceptual and methodological reservations. Evidence suggests an association of trait PA and lower morbidity and of state and trait PA and decreased symptoms and pain. Trait PA is also associated with increased longevity among older community-dwelling individuals. The literature on PA and surviving serious illness is inconsistent. Experimentally inducing intense bouts of activated state PA triggers short-term rises in physiological arousal and associated (potentially harmful) effects on immune, cardiovascular, and pulmonary function. However, arousing effects of state PA are not generally found in naturalistic ambulatory studies in which bouts of PA are typically less intense and often associated with health protective responses. A theoretical framework to guide further study is proposed.Keywords: positive affect, mortality, morbidity, health, emotions A cheerful heart is good medicine.-Proverbs 17:22Self-help books, popular magazines, and Sunday newspaper supplements have suggested for years that positive affect (PA) can improve people's health. However, this hypothesis has been relatively ignored in research on psychological predictors of health. For example, a search of PsycINFO revealed that there are over 20 times more studies on depression and health than there are on happiness and health. Although the recent interest in "positive psychology" has focused attention on the potential benefits of positive feelings (e.g., Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), there has been little critical discussion of the evidence linking PA to physical health. In this article, we review the literature examining the association between measures of PA and markers of physical health status, examine the conceptual and methodological weaknesses in the existing literature, and discuss how PA could get "under the skin" to influence health. PAWe define PA as the feelings that reflect a level of pleasurable engagement with the environment (Clark, Watson, & Leeka, 1989) such as happiness, joy, excitement, enthusiasm, and contentment. These can be brief, longer lasting, or more stable traitlike feelings. Although some use the terms affect, mood, and emotion to distinguish duration, these uses are not applied consistently in the literature, and thus we use these terms interchangeably. We, however, distinguish between studies using measures that assess more stable disposition-like PA, which we refer to as trait PA, and those measuring or manipulating relatively short-term bouts of positive emotions, which we refer to as state PA.To date, reviews examining associations between positive psychological constructs and health outcomes have been broad in scope, including traits such as self-esteem, extraversion, purpose, mastery, and optimism along with PA (Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005;Ryff, 2003;Salovey, Rothman, Detweiler, & Steward, 2000;Zautra, 2003). Hence, it has been difficult to separate t...

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The Effects of Perceived Stress, Traits, Mood States, and Stressful Daily Events on Salivary Cortisol

Cited by 521 publications

References 59 publications

Blood sugar level follows perceived time rather than actual time in people with type 2 diabetes

Blood sugar level follows perceived time rather than actual time in people with type 2 diabetes

Increased perceived stress is associated with blunted hedonic capacity: Potential implications for depression research

Does positive affect influence health?

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