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. 2017 Oct 4;3(10):e1700495.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1700495. eCollection 2017 Oct.

Specific reduction in cortisol stress reactivity after social but not attention-based mental training

Veronika Engert  1 , Bethany E Kok  1 , Ioannis Papassotiriou  2 , George P Chrousos  3 , Tania Singer  1
Affiliations

Specific reduction in cortisol stress reactivity after social but not attention-based mental training

Veronika Engert et al. Sci Adv. .

Abstract

Psychosocial stress is a public health burden in modern societies. Chronic stress-induced disease processes are, in large part, mediated via the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system. We asked whether the contemplative mental training of different practice types targeting attentional, socio-affective (for example, compassion), or socio-cognitive abilities (for example, perspective-taking) in the context of a 9-month longitudinal training study offers an effective means for psychosocial stress reduction. Using a multimethod approach including subjective, endocrine, autonomic, and immune markers and testing 313 participants in a standardized psychosocial laboratory stressor, we show that all three practice types markedly reduced self-reported stress reactivity in healthy participants. However, only the training of intersubjective skills via socio-affective and socio-cognitive routes attenuated the physiological stress response, specifically the secretion of the HPA axis end-product cortisol, by up to 51%. The assessed autonomic and innate immune markers were not influenced by any practice type. Mental training focused on present-moment attention and interoceptive awareness as implemented in many mindfulness-based intervention programs was thus limited to stress reduction on the level of self-report. However, its effectiveness was equal to that of intersubjective practice types in boosting the association between subjective and endocrine stress markers. Our results reveal a broadly accessible low-cost approach to acquiring psychosocial stress resilience. Short daily intersubjective practice may be a promising method for minimizing the incidence of chronic social stress-related disease, thereby reducing individual suffering and relieving a substantial financial burden on society.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Methodological details of the ReSource Project and the stress testing session.
(A) Training modules and core exercises of the ReSource Project. (B) Time points of cross-sectional stress testing within the greater context of the ReSource training timeline and cohort membership of each participant. NT, no training; Prs, Presence; Aff, Affect; Prs/Aff, Presence/Affect; Prs/Per, Presence/Perspective. (C) Stress testing timeline and raw cortisol data (in nanomolar) (error bars represent SEM) over time (relative to stressor onset at 0 min), separated by group. Because covariates are not considered, results deviate from the model-derived depiction. ECG, electrocardiogram.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Parameter estimates from hierarchical linear models showing training effects on stress markers.
Values at the first measurement point are equalized, representing statistical control for baseline scores. (A) Training groups, which did not differ from one another (all P values >0.10), showed reduced self-reported stress reactivity [assessed with the STAI (25)] compared to the no training group (all P values between ≤0.01 and ≤0.001). (B) Three-month Presence relative to no training had no impact on the HPA axis stress response (P > 0.10). Three-month Affect (P ≤ 0.05), 6-month Presence/Affect (P ≤ 0.01), and 6-month Presence/Perspective training (P ≤ 0.001) reduced cortisol stress reactivity relative to no training. Affect and Perspective groups did not differ from one another (P > 0.10). Compared to 3-month Presence training, 3-month Affect training reduced cortisol stress reactivity (P ≤ 0.05). Mental training did not influence (C) AA, (D) HR, (E) HF-HRV, (F) hsCRP, and (G) IL-6 stress responses (all P values >0.10).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Psychoendocrine covariance after training relative to no training.
For illustrative purpose, we show bivariate correlations between STAI and cortisol baseline-to-peak change scores (Δ) in (A) the no training group and (B) all training groups. Linear regression showed that relative to the untrained group, mental training influenced the association between subjective and cortisol stress markers (P ≤ 0.001). Both the initial 3-month attention-based Presence (P = 0.015) and the sequential Presence/Perspective training (P = 0.049) significantly increased the association of ΔSTAI and Δcortisol. The sequential Presence/Affect training only induced a marginal change (P = 0.086). Three-month Affect training alone had no effect on psychoendocrine covariance (P > 0.20). Changes in psychoendocrine covariance did not differ between the training groups (all P values >0.10).
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