The Trier Social Stress Test as a paradigm to study how people respond to threat in social interactions

Abstract

In our lives, we face countless situations in which we are observed and evaluated by our social interaction partners. Social-evaluative threat is frequently associated with strong neurophysiological stress reactions, in particular, an increase in cortisol levels. Yet, social variables do not only cause stress, but they can also buffer the neurophysiological stress response. Furthermore, social variables can themselves be affected by the threat or the threat-induced neurophysiological stress response. In order to study this complex interplay of social-evaluative threat, social processes and neurophysiological stress responses, a paradigm is needed that (a) reliably induces high levels of social-evaluative threat and (b) is extremely adaptable to the needs of the researcher. The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a well-established paradigm in biopsychology that induces social-evaluative threat in the laboratory by subjecting participants to a mock job-interview. In this review, we aim at demonstrating the potential of the TSST for studying the complex interplay of social-evaluative threat, social processes and neurophysiological stress responses.

Anxiety, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Perceived Stress as Predictors of Recent Drinking, Alcohol Craving, and Social Stress Response in Heavy Drinkers

“…Third, we used a laboratory‐based stress induction procedure, the TSST, rather than a personalized, naturalistic procedure. The extensive literature on the TSST and its demonstrated ability to elevate cortisol levels in most subjects validates its use (Frisch et al., ). Finally, a larger sample size would have enabled a more comprehensive look at sex differences, although sex is included as a covariate in our analyses.…”

Cortisol reactivity and depressive symptoms in pregnancy: The moderating role of perceived social support and neuroticism

“…In fact, little work exists on the link between social support and cortisol reactivity in general. Frisch, Häusser, and Mojzisch (2015) reviewed the available work on social support and cortisol responses to a psychosocial laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test) and concluded that attenuation of cortisol reactivity by social support involves important moderators like sex, attachment style, cultural background, and personality of the person receiving support. Thus, while this small literature does not directly address how these moderating effects influence perinatal depression risk, it suggests the possibility that social support might be protective, given its mitigating role in cortisol reactivity.…”

MicroRNAs in Psychological Stress Reactions and Their Use as Stress-Associated Biomarkers, Especially in Human Saliva

“…This reaction is also called the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis [35] and aims at the capacity to “fight-fright-or-flight.” It concentrates the resources of the organism on the necessary organs to fight or flight, increasing the blood flow to the heart and skeletal muscle, the metabolic rate, the blood pressure, and the respiration [1]. …”