The DOI matches its Crossref record; 45 of the 45 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Is stress affecting our ability to tune into others? Evidence for gender differences in the effects of stress on self-other distinction
Abstract
Stress is a ubiquitous challenge in society as we consistently interact with others under the influence of stress. Distinguishing self- from other-related mental representations plays an important role for social interactions, and is a prerequisite for crucial social skills such as action understanding, empathy, and mentalizing. Little is known, however, about the effects of stress on self-other distinction. We assessed how acute stress impacts self-other distinction in the perceptual-motor, the affective, and the cognitive domain, in a male and female sample. In all domains, the results show opposing effects of stress on the two genders: while women showed increases in self-other distinction, men showed decreases. Our findings suggest that women flexibly disambiguate self and other under stress, enabling accurate social responses, while men respond with increased egocentricity and less adaptive regulation. This has crucial implications for explaining gender differences in social skills such as empathy and prosociality.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“In addition, males and females are known to react differently to stressful life events, with males being more likely to withdraw, respond aggressively and/or experience depressive symptoms, particularly in the face of events like divorce/separation and work problems [5,6].”
From Masculinity and suicidal thinking (2017) · cites this paper as [6]
Citations
Cites
Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach.
Davis, M. H. (1983) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.44.1.113 · Cited by 10,272
Dickerson, S. S., & Kemeny, M. E. (2004) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.355 · Cited by 5,881
Baron‐Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Hill, J., Raste, Y., & Plumb, I. (2001) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00715 · Cited by 4,555 · cited 1×
“Socio-cognitive abilities were determined, using the perspective taking scale and the empathic concern scale from the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1983), the Emotion Contagion Scale (EC; Doherty, 1997), and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET; Baron-Cohen et al., 2001).”
MethodBaron‐Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S. J., Hill, J., Raste, Y., & Plumb, I. (2001) · PubMed · Cited by 4,313
Pruessner, J. C., Kirschbaum, C., Meinlschmid, G., & Hellhammer, D. H. (2003) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/s0306-4530(02)00108-7 · Cited by 3,638
Biobehavioral responses to stress in females: Tend-and-befriend, not fight-or-flight.
Taylor, S. E., Klein, L. C., Lewis, B. P., Gruenewald, T. L., Gurung, R. A. R., & Updegraff, J. A. (2000) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.107.3.411 · Cited by 3,308
Heinrichs, M., Baumgartner, T., Kirschbaum, C., & Ehlert, U. (2003) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00465-7 · Cited by 2,091
Self-citationSex Differences in Coping Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review and an Examination of Relative Coping
Tamres, L. K., Janicki, D., & Helgeson, V. S. (2002) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0601_1 · Cited by 2,044 · cited 1×
“Alternatively, it has been proposed that women are more prone to seek social support in general (Tamres et al., 2002).”
BackgroundThe social neuroscience of empathy
Singer, T., & Lamm, C. (2009) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04418.x · Cited by 1,981
Self-citationKirschbaum, C., Kudielka, B. M., Gaab, J., Schommer, N. C., & Hellhammer, D. H. (1999) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/00006842-199903000-00006 · Cited by 1,890 · cited 1×
“Female participants were not using hormonal contraceptives and participated in the experiment during their luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, as it has been shown that cortisol responses during this phase are most comparable to those of men (Kirschbaum et al., 1999).”
ResultOxytocin and vasopressin in the human brain: social neuropeptides for translational medicine
Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Domes, G., Kirsch, P., & Heinrichs, M. (2011) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3044 · Cited by 1,688
Self-citationPerspective Taking as Egocentric Anchoring and Adjustment.
Nicholas Epley, A., Keysar, B., Leaf Van Boven, A., & Gilovich, T. D. (2004) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.87.3.327 · Cited by 1,316
Oxytocin improves “mind-reading” in humans
Domes, G., Heinrichs, M., Michel, A., Berger, C., & Herpertz, S. C. (2007) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.07.015 · Cited by 1,298
Self-citationProsocial Motivation: Is it ever Truly Altruistic?
Batson, C. (1987) · Advances in experimental social psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60412-8 · Cited by 1,178
Decety, J., & Lamm, C. (2007) · The Neuroscientist · doi:10.1177/1073858407304654 · Cited by 1,044
Self-citationDecision making under stress: A selective review
Starcke, K., & Brand, M. (2012) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.02.003 · Cited by 992
Taking Perspective in Conversation: The Role of Mutual Knowledge in Comprehension
Keysar, B., Barr, D. J., Balin, J. A., & Brauner, J. S. (2000) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-9280.00211 · Cited by 917
Oxytocin, vasopressin, and human social behavior
Heinrichs, M., von Dawans, B., & Domes, G. (2009) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.05.005 · Cited by 799
Self-citationOxytocin enhances amygdala-dependent, socially reinforced learning and emotional empathy in humans
Hurlemann, R., Patin, A., Onur, O. A., Cohen, M. X., Baumgartner, T., Metzler, S., Dziobek, I., Gallinat, J., Wagner, M., Maier, W., et al. (2010) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.5538-09.2010 · Cited by 771
The Emotional Contagion Scale: A Measure of Individual Differences
Doherty, R. W. (1997) · Journal of Nonverbal Behavior · doi:10.1023/a:1024956003661 · Cited by 665
Relation of sympathy and personal distress to prosocial behavior: A multimethod study.
Eisenberg, N., Fabes, R. A., Miller, P. A., Fultz, J., Shell, R., Mathy, R. M., & Reno, R. R. (1989) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.57.1.55 · Cited by 637
Introduction to Research Topic – Binocular Rivalry: A Gateway to Studying Consciousness
Maier, A., Panagiotaropoulos, T. I., Tsuchiya, N., & Keliris, G. A. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00263 · Cited by 632
Right supramarginal gyrus is crucial to overcome emotional egocentricity bias in social judgments
Silani, G., Lamm, C., Ruff, C. C., & Singer, T. (2013) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1488-13.2013 · Cited by 511
Self-citationNeuropeptides and social behaviour: effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in humans
HEINRICHS, M., & DOMES, G. (2008) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/s0079-6123(08)00428-7 · Cited by 479
Self-citationFoley, P., & Kirschbaum, C. (2010) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.01.010 · Cited by 455
The Social Dimension of Stress Reactivity
von Dawans, B., Fischbacher, U., Kirschbaum, C., Fehr, E., & Heinrichs, M. (2012) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797611431576 · Cited by 443
Self-citationSex differences in oxytocin and vasopressin: Implications for autism spectrum disorders?
CARTER, C. (2007) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2006.08.025 · Cited by 432
Empathy-induced altruistic motivation.
Batson, C. D. (2010) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/12061-001 · Cited by 401
von Dawans, B., Kirschbaum, C., & Heinrichs, M. (2011) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.08.004 · Cited by 387
Self-citationSantiesteban (2012) · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.10.018 · Cited by 357
Inhibition of imitative behaviour and social cognition
Brass, M., Ruby, P., & Spengler, S. (2009) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2009.0066 · Cited by 347
Gender differences in facial reactions to facial expressions
Dimberg, U., & Lundquist, L.-O. (1990) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/0301-0511(90)90024-q · Cited by 342
Schulz, P. J., & Schlotz, W. (1999) · Diagnostica · doi:10.1026//0012-1924.45.1.8 · Cited by 323
The inhibition of imitative and overlearned responses: a functional double dissociation
Brass, M., Derrfuss, J., & von Cramon, D. Y. (2005) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.06.018 · Cited by 274
Social top-down response modulation (STORM): a model of the control of mimicry in social interaction
Wang, Y., & Hamilton, A. F. D. C. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00153 · Cited by 267
Testosterone administration reduces empathetic behavior: A facial mimicry study
Hermans, E. J., Putman, P., & van Honk, J. (2006) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.04.002 · Cited by 242
Ma, Y., & Han, S. (2010) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance · doi:10.1037/a0015797 · Cited by 197
The Social neuroscience of empathy
(2009) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.47-0576 · Cited by 182
Smeets, T., Dziobek, I., & Wolf, O. T. (2009) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.01.011 · Cited by 176
Gender Differences in the Mu Rhythm of the Human Mirror-Neuron System
Cheng, Y., Lee, P., Yang, C.-Y., Lin, C., Hung, D. L., & Decety, J. (2008) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002113 · Cited by 168
Neuroendocrine response during stress with relation to gender differences
Jezová, D., Juránková, E., Mosnárová, A., Kriška, M., & Škultétyová, I. (1996) · Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis · doi:10.55782/ane-1996-1183 · Cited by 159
Seidel, E., Silani, G., Metzler, H., Thaler, H., Lamm, C., Gur, R. C., Kryspin‐Exner, I., Habel, U., & Derntl, B. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.07.021 · Cited by 97
Self-citationSanders, G. (1990) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/0306-4530(90)90046-c · Cited by 86
Oxytocin sharpens self-other perceptual boundary
Colonnello, V., Chen, F. S., Panksepp, J., & Heinrichs, M. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.08.010 · Cited by 58
Self-citationThe role of anxiety and perspective-taking strategy on affective empathic responses
Negd, M., Mallan, K. M., & Lipp, O. V. (2011) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2011.09.008 · Cited by 31
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Empathy: Gender effects in brain and behavior
Christov-Moore, L., Simpson, E. A., Coudé, G., Grigaityte, K., Iacoboni, M., & Ferrari, P. F. (2014) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.09.001 · Cited by 1,137
The role of shared neural activations, mirror neurons, and morality in empathy – A critical comment
Lamm, C., & Majdandžić, J. (2015) · Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1016/j.neures.2014.10.008 · Cited by 252
Self-citationLamm, C., Bukowski, H., & Silani, G. (2016) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0083 · Cited by 240
Self-citationMasculinity and suicidal thinking
Pirkis, J., Spittal, M. J., Keogh, L., Mousaferiadis, T., & Currier, D. (2017) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-016-1324-2 · Cited by 205
Canetto, S. S., & Chen, J. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108561716.042 · Cited by 194
Metadata
- Authors
- Tomova, L., von Dawans, B., Heinrichs, M., Silani, G., & Lamm, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Vienna (AT)
- University of Freiburg (DE)
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (IT)
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-05
- Volume
- 43
- Pages
- 95-104
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2097708632
- Semantic Scholar
- 7845d37572a8de66824c11fa38096ad9d4b4521c
- Cited by
- 224
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 78 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 3
- FWCI
- 6.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Bank (Australian Catholic University) (submittedVersion)
- FreiDok plus (Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg) (submittedVersion)
- ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- FP7 2012 Aeronautics and Air Transport programme (ACP2-GA-2012-314765-Man4Gen)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Keywords
- acute stress, self-other distinction, gender differences, social cognition, empathy, mentalization, action understanding, self-centeredness, emotion regulation, social skills, prosocial behavior
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Ego, Empathy, Female, Heart Rate, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Imitative Behavior, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Sex Characteristics, Stress, Psychological, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
