Relationship status and relationship instability, but not dominance, predict individual differences in baseline cortisol levels

Disruption in cortisol synchrony and pair-dissolution in the serially monogamous convict cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata)

Endocrine synchronization is a biological process often associated with social bonding. The mechanisms that mediate this process have been well studied in many vertebrate clades with evolved complex social behaviors. However, studies focusing on such processes in the less neurologically complex teleost clade are surprisingly lacking. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that mated pairs of convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) perform cortisol synchronization and that the disruption of this might accompany pair-bond instability. Mated pairs were subjected to both behavioral and non-invasive waterborne hormonal assays to better understand the biological complexity of endocrine synchrony and its role in pair-bonding. Baseline cortisol assays indicated a positive correlation between male and female cortisol levels. Individuals that were subjected to a prolonged separation from their mate exhibited a negative correlation in cortisol synchrony after being reunited with their mate. Cortisol synchrony was disrupted, but pairs did not show a significant variance of intrapair aggression after initial pair reunion. However, more than half of the pairs that received the stressor exhibited significantly higher levels of intrapair aggression than their time matched controls approximately 1-7 days following this reunion, indicating pair-dissolution. Concurrently, pairs who underwent the stressor but maintained their bonds did not display an increase in intrapair aggression and also re-synchronized their cortisol levels. Not only does this study provide crucial insights in regard to the role of cortisol synchrony in serially monogamous systems, but it also suggests that the mechanisms that mediate the synchronization of endocrine through the formation of social bonds are more evolutionarily conserved than originally thought.

Hormonal responses to brief social interactions: The role of psychosocial stress and relationship status

This study investigated the effects of psychosocial stress on hormonal responses to a social interaction with an opposite-sex individual to test the hypothesis that stress may interfere with or suppress adaptive neuroendocrine responses to courtship opportunities. Heterosexual men and women were randomly assigned prior to arrival to either a control or psychosocial stress condition (Trier Social Stress Test) and subsequently went through a social interaction test with an opposite-sex individual. Expected increases of testosterone for control participants who interacted with opposite-sex individuals were not observed, and changes in testosterone were not observed for those in the psychosocial stress condition either. However, exploratory analyses in control participants showed main and interaction effects of relationship status were significant for both cortisol and testosterone. Specifically, single individuals showed higher levels of cortisol compared to those in a relationship, and single individuals showed significantly higher concentrations of cortisol after a social interaction when compared to individuals who were in a relationship. For testosterone, only individuals in a relationship decreased in testosterone following the social interaction. This study suggests that relationship status and psychosocial stress may be important variables moderating the relationship between an ecological cue of a potential courtship opportunity and subsequent adaptive physiological responses.

Anesthesiology Residency and Relationship Health: A Psychological Approach

This article explores an often-untouched subject in anesthesiology residency: relationships. The authors examine the importance of fostering all types of relationships (eg, personal, professional, self) and the impact of the training process on relationships and total well-being. Common issues in relationships during anesthesiology residency are shared through real-life anecdotes from physicians who are currently in or have completed their residencies. Psychological principles including optimism bias, cognitive dissonance, social comparison, and self-efficacy are explored as contributing to dysfunction in relationships. Strategies are offered for each psychological domain as a resource for faculty and program leadership to improve the residency experience in anesthesiology.

Closeness-inducing discussions with a romantic partner increase cortisol and testosterone

Despite progress in understanding the social neuroendocrinology of close relationship processes, most work has focused on negative experiences, such as relationship conflict or stress. As a result, much less is known about the neuroendocrine implications of positive, emotionally intimate relationship experiences. In the current study, we randomly assigned 105 dating or married couples to a 30-minute semi-structured discussion task that was designed to elicit either high or low levels of closeness. Participants provided pre- and post-task saliva samples (to assess cortisol and testosterone) and post-task reports of self-disclosure, closeness, attraction, positive and negative affect, and stress. Participants found the discussion conditions comparably positive and enjoyable, but those in the high-closeness condition reported that they disclosed marginally more and felt marginally closer to their partners than those in the low-closeness condition. Participants also showed larger increases in cortisol and testosterone during the high (versus low) closeness discussion, and self-reported disclosure mediated these increases in cortisol and testosterone. Self-reported closeness and other theoretically plausible mediators, such as sexual attraction and excitement, did not mediate changes in either hormone. Taken together, the current findings contribute to our understanding of neuroendocrine changes associated with emotionally intimate relationship experiences. We consider possible explanations for the hormone changes we observed and offer directions for future research on the neuroendocrine implications of close relationship experiences.

CortiLove: A pilot study on hair steroids in the context of being in love and separation

While romantic infatuation and separation influence psychological and physiological functioning, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with its biomarkers cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and progesterone central for coping and distress has been scarcely researched in this context. In particular, endocrine hair analyses assumed to be more valid than saliva or blood assessments for studying long-term processes have not yet been conducted in the context of romantic love. Thus, 101 female subjects in phases of infatuation (n = 16), separation (n = 14), long-term relationships (n = 40), and singlehood (n = 31) reported psychological distress and provided 1 cm hair samples for the assessment of long-term integrated cortisol, DHEA, and progesterone over the last month. Separated, infatuated, and single women exhibited higher cortisol levels than those in a long-term relationship (all ps ≤ .031), while self-reported distress was only evident in separated individuals. Further, no group differences for progesterone (p = .602), but higher DHEA levels in the separation (p = .009) and single group (p = .016) compared to the long-term relationship group were detected. This is the first study showing that compared to women in long-term relationships, infatuation, separation, and single groups exhibit higher levels of physiological, but not necessarily self-reported indicators of distress. These findings, albeit on a very small and preliminary sample, are discussed in the context of the stress-buffering effect of relationships, and provide important starting points for bigger, more balanced studies combining multimodal self-report and biological markers in psychological research of romantic love.

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Higher hair cortisol in separation, infatuation, singlehood vs. stable relationship.

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Higher hair DHEA only in separation and singlehood vs. stable relationship.

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No group difference for progesterone.

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Divergence of physiological and self-reported indicators of distress.

Romantic Love and Reproductive Hormones in Women

Increased reproductive success is among the most commonly proposed adaptive functions of romantic love. Here, we tested if hormonal changes associated with falling in love may co-vary with hormonal profiles that predict increased fecundity in women. We compared blood serum levels of estradiol (E2, E2/T), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL), free testosterone (fT), and cortisol (CT), measured in the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle in single women (N = 69) and in women at the beginning of a romantic heterosexual relationship who reported being in love with their partner (N = 47). Participants were healthy, regularly cycling women aged 24 to 33 who did not use hormonal contraception. We found that women in love had higher levels of gonadotropins (FSH, LH) and lower testosterone levels compared to single women who were not in love. These groups of women did not, however, differ in terms of estradiol, prolactin, or cortisol levels.

Testosterone, cortisol, and status-striving personality features: A review and empirical evaluation of the Dual Hormone hypothesis

Decades of research in behavioral endocrinology has implicated the gonadal hormone testosterone in the regulation of mating effort, often expressed in primates in the form of aggressive and/or status-striving behavior. Based on the idea that neuroendocrine axes influence each other, recent work among humans has proposed that links between testosterone and indices of status-striving are rendered conditional by the effects of glucocorticoids. The Dual Hormone hypothesis is one particular instance of this argument, predicting that cortisol blocks the effects of testosterone on dominance, aggression, and risk-taking in humans. Support for the Dual Hormone hypothesis is wide-ranging, but considerations of theoretical ambiguity, null findings, and low statistical power pose problems for interpreting the published literature. Here, we contribute to the development of the Dual Hormone hypothesis by (1) critically reviewing the extant literature-including p-curve analyses of published findings; and, (2) "opening the file drawer" and examining relationships between testosterone, cortisol, and status-striving personality features in seven previously published studies from our laboratories (total N = 718; median N per feature = 318) that examined unrelated predictions. Results from p-curve suggest that published studies have only 16% power to detect effects, while our own data show no robust interactions between testosterone and cortisol in predicting status-striving personality features. We discuss the implications of these results for the Dual Hormone hypothesis, limitations of our analyses, and the development of future research.

Salivary Afternoon Cortisol and Relationship Status in Healthy Women with Regular Menstrual Cycles

Although ovarian hormones and social relationships are known to interact with HPA axis regulation, evidence for systematic covariation with basal salivary cortisol levels remains mixed. As part of a larger study, in this analysis we pursued two questions. First, do baseline cortisol concentrations consistently vary across the menstrual cycle? Second, do cortisol levels differ by relationship status? We collected afternoon saliva samples at four points across the menstrual cycle from 14 single and 18 monogamously partnered women, ages 18 to 48, who were not taking hormonal medications. Samples taken in the lab yielded significantly higher cortisol concentrations than samples provided at home; the two were thus considered separately. No significant differences were observed across lab-session (menses vs. ovulation) or at-home (follicular vs. luteal) levels. This finding converges with studies of awakening salivary, urinary, and plasma cortisol, which suggest that, in healthy women, menstrual schedules do not affect systematic shifts in basal cortisol. Contrary to expectations, single and partnered women did not differ in overall cortisol levels. Future research would benefit from examining potential links between cortisol, relationship status, and sexual activity.