Cutting stress off at the pass: reducing vigilance and responsiveness to social threat by manipulating attention.
Personality processes relating to social perception have been shown to play a significant role in the experience of stress. In 5 studies, the authors demonstrate that early stage attentional processes influence the perception of social threat and modify the human stress response. The authors first show that cortisol release in response to a stressful situation correlates with selective attention toward social threat. Second, the authors show in 2 laboratory studies that this attentional pattern, most evident among individuals with low self-esteem, can be modified with a repetitive training task. Next, in a field study, students trained to modify their attentional pattern to reduce vigilance for social threat showed lower self-reported stress related to their final exam. In a final field study with telemarketers, the attentional training task led to increased self-esteem, decreased cortisol and perceived stress responses, higher confidence, and greater work performance. Taken together, these results demonstrate the impact of antecedent-focused strategies on the late-stage consequences of social stress.
Dandeneau
Stéphane D
SD
Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Baldwin
Mark W
MW
Baccus
Jodene R
JR
Sakellaropoulo
Maya
M
Pruessner
Jens C
JC
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012718:Set, Psychology; D012938:Social Perception; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology*
D006854:Hydrocortisone