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Cited by 28Stress Responses and CortisolMindfulness and Compassion InterventionsMental Health via Writing

Optimizing expectations and distraction leads to lower cortisol levels after acute stress

Salzmann, Stefan, Euteneuer, Frank, Strahler, Jana, Laferton, Johannes A.C., Nater, Urs M., Rief, Winfried·2018·Psychoneuroendocrinology
DOI 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.12.011
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Abstract

Background A new approach of psychological interventions prior to stress aiming to optimize expectations may have beneficial effects on a person's health status by reducing physiological stress. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether a brief psychological intervention designed to optimize personal control expectations prior to acute stress would affect perceived and biological stress responsiveness in comparison to two more established interventions (fostering gratitude or distraction) in a healthy sample.Methods 74 healthy participants were randomized to one of three psychological interventions prior to stress: (i) writing about ways to influence stress to optimize personal control expectations (EXPECTATION), (ii) writing a gratitude-letter (GRATITUDE) (iii) or a distraction writing task (DISTRACTION). After completing the intervention, the Maastricht acute stress test was administered to induce (psychosocial and physiological) stress. Assessments took place at baseline, post-intervention (15 min writing task) and after stress induction (additional salivary assessments: 15 and 30 min after stress). Main outcomes were expectations, emotions, perceived stress, salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase. Personality traits (eg, optimism) were assessed at baseline.Results EXPECTATION specifically increased personal control expectations (p = .016, d = .72) and GRATITUDE specifically increased gratitude (p = .026, d = .68). EXPECTATION and DISTRACTION led to lower cortisol concentrations after stress induction than GRATITUDE (time x group interaction: p < .001, d = .88). We detected no intervention effects on alpha-amylase or perceived stress. Optimism moderated intervention effects on cortisol (p = .023, d = .74).Conclusions Brief psychological interventions aiming to optimize expectations or distraction prior to stress reduce the cortisol response in healthy participants after an acute stressor.

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  • Optimizing expectations and distraction before stress reduced the cortisol response to stress compared with an intervention fostering gratitude.

    “They observed that optimizing expectations and distraction before stress reduced the cortisol response to stress when compared with the intervention fostering gratitude.”

    From Cortisol Response to Stress: The Role of Expectancy and Anticipatory Stress Regulation (2020) · cites this paper as Salzmann et al. (2018)

  • Increasing expectations and anticipatory cognitive appraisal leads to better regulation of the stress-induced cortisol response.

    “This result is in line with previous studies showing that increasing expectations and anticipatory cognitive appraisal leads to better regulation of the stress-induced cortisol response (Gaab et al., 2003;Salzmann et al., 2018).”

    From Cortisol Response to Stress: The Role of Expectancy and Anticipatory Stress Regulation (2020) · cites this paper as Salzmann et al., 2018

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Authors
Salzmann, S., Euteneuer, F., Strahler, J., Laferton, J. A. C., Nater, U. M., & Rief, W.
Affiliations
  • Philipps University of Marburg (DE)
  • University of Vienna (AT)
Corresponding author
Salzmann, Stefan
ORCID
Venue
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-02
Volume
88
Pages
144-152
ISSN
0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.12.011
OpenAlex
W2780352177
Cited by
28
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 2
FWCI
2.12
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • FreiDok plus (Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
Keywords
acute stress, cortisol, psychological intervention, gratitude, distraction, salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, perceived stress, optimism, Maastricht Acute Stress Test
MeSH terms
Adult, Anxiety, Emotions, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Motivation, Psychological Techniques, Psychotherapy, Brief, Random Allocation, Stress, Psychological

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