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Fedurek P, Aktipis A, Cronk L, Danel D, Lacroix L, Lehmann J, Mabulla I, Makambi JE, Berbesque JC. Prosocial reputation and stress among contemporary hunter-gatherers: the Hadza case. Sci Rep 2024; 14:21403. [PMID: 39271949 PMCID: PMC11399269 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-72238-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 09/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that having a reputation for being prosocial is a critical part of social status across all human societies. It has also been argued that prosocial behavior confers benefits, whether physiological, such as stress reduction, or social, such as building allies or becoming more popular. Here, we investigate the relationship between helping reputation (being named as someone others would go to for help), and hair-derived chronic stress (hair cortisol concentration). In a sample of 77 women and 62 men, we found that perceived helping reputation was not related to chronic stress. Overall, the results of our study suggest that, in an egalitarian society with fluid camp membership and widely practiced generosity such as the Hadza, helping reputation does not necessarily boost stress-related health benefits through prestige-signaling mechanisms observed in hierarchical, large-scale societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Fedurek
- School of Human and Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK.
- Department of Anthropology, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, IITD PAN, Podwale 75, 50-449, Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Athena Aktipis
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Lee Cronk
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Dariusz Danel
- Department of Anthropology, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, IITD PAN, Podwale 75, 50-449, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Laurent Lacroix
- Health Sciences Research Centre, Roehampton University, London, UK
| | - Julia Lehmann
- School of Human and Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | | | - Jerryson E Makambi
- Mount Meru Tour Guide and International Language School, Arusha, Tanzania
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Howick J, de Zulueta P, Gray M. Beyond empathy training for practitioners: Cultivating empathic healthcare systems and leadership. J Eval Clin Pract 2024; 30:548-558. [PMID: 38436621 DOI: 10.1111/jep.13970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Empathic care benefits patients and practitioners, and empathy training for practitioners can enhance empathy. However, practitioners do not operate in a vacuum. For empathy to thrive, healthcare consultations must be situated in a nurturing milieu, guided by empathic, compassionate leaders. Empathy will be suppressed, or even reversed if practitioners are burned out and working in an unpleasant, under-resourced environment with increasingly poorly served and dissatisfied patients. Efforts to enhance empathy must therefore go beyond training practitioners to address system-level factors that foster empathy. These include patient education, cultivating empathic leadership, customer service training for reception staff, valuing cleaning and all ancillary staff, creating healing spaces, and using appropriate, efficiency saving technology to reduce the administrative burden on healthcare practitioners. We divide these elements into environmental factors, organisational factors, job factors, and individual characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Howick
- Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, Leicester Medical School, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Paquita de Zulueta
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Muir Gray
- Director of the Oxford Value and Stewardship Programme, Oxford, UK
- Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Forbes PAG, Aydogan G, Braunstein J, Todorova B, Wagner IC, Lockwood PL, Apps MAJ, Ruff CC, Lamm C. Acute stress reduces effortful prosocial behaviour. eLife 2024; 12:RP87271. [PMID: 38180785 PMCID: PMC10942768 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute stress can change our cognition and emotions, but what specific consequences this has for human prosocial behaviour is unclear. Previous studies have mainly investigated prosociality with financial transfers in economic games and produced conflicting results. Yet a core feature of many types of prosocial behaviour is that they are effortful. We therefore examined how acute stress changes our willingness to exert effort that benefits others. Healthy male participants - half of whom were put under acute stress - made decisions whether to exert physical effort to gain money for themselves or another person. With this design, we could independently assess the effects of acute stress on prosocial, compared to self-benefitting, effortful behaviour. Compared to controls (n = 45), participants in the stress group (n = 46) chose to exert effort more often for self- than for other-benefitting rewards at a low level of effort. Additionally, the adverse effects of stress on prosocial effort were particularly pronounced in more selfish participants. Neuroimaging combined with computational modelling revealed a putative neural mechanism underlying these effects: more stressed participants showed increased activation to subjective value in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula when they themselves could benefit from their exerted effort relative to when someone else could. By using an effort-based task that better approximates real-life prosocial behaviour and incorporating trait differences in prosocial tendencies, our study provides important insights into how acute stress affects prosociality and its associated neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul AG Forbes
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Gökhan Aydogan
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Julia Braunstein
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Boryana Todorova
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Isabella C Wagner
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Patricia L Lockwood
- Centre for Human Brain Health, Institute of Mental Health and School of Psychology, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Matthew AJ Apps
- Centre for Human Brain Health, Institute of Mental Health and School of Psychology, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Claus Lamm
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of ViennaViennaAustria
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Guy N, Azulay H, Pertzov Y, Israel S. Attenuation of visual exploration following stress. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14330. [PMID: 37171035 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
When we explore our surroundings, we frequently move our gaze to collect visual information. Studies have extensively examined gaze behavior in response to different visual scenes. Here, we examined how differences in an individual's state may affect visual exploration, for example, following acute stress. In this study, participants were exposed to either a psychosocial stressor-performing a public speaking task in front of a two-person committee-or a control condition absent stress induction. Elicitation of stress responses was validated using cortisol levels and subjective reports. Stress also led to an extended increase in pupil diameter (a proxy of arousal responses), suggesting it may also affect eye movements. Gaze behavior measures were taken prior and following the stress or control tasks. Acute stress attenuated visual exploration, reflected by fewer saccades and a smaller scanned area. Stress did not have a significant effect on either the tendency to look at social features or at salient regions of the images. These findings diverge from theoretical predictions suggesting that acute stress may facilitate social affiliative behaviors (e.g., Tend-and-Befriend theory). Reduced saccades and a smaller scanned area may be a possible mechanism explaining previous reports showing stress-related effects on various cognitive processes (e.g., visual working memory) that rely on visual exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitzan Guy
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hagar Azulay
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yoni Pertzov
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Salomon Israel
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Scheinfeld Center of Human Genetics for the Social Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
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Zeevi-Cousin A, Lavenda O. The Mediating Role of Parenting Style in the Relationship between Parents' Openness to Different Ways of Thinking and Child Anxiety. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:1564. [PMID: 37761525 PMCID: PMC10528896 DOI: 10.3390/children10091564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The quality of parent-child relationships plays a significant role in the development of child anxiety, especially regarding aspects of parental control, intrusive behavior, and a lack of warmth. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms of these parenting behaviors that are associated with the risk of child anxiety have yet to be revealed. The present study aims to examine the contribution of a cognitive aspect of parenting, i.e., openness to different ways of thinking, to the development of child anxiety through its impact on parenting style. A sample of 300 Israeli parents (72% women) over the age of 18 (M = 38.8, SD = 6.2), with at least one child over the age of 6 (M = 13.3, SD = 5.5 of oldest child), was recruited through social media platforms. Participants provided demographic information and filled out self-reported questionnaires dealing with child anxiety (using the Child Behavior Checklist), openness to different ways of thinking (using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index), and parenting style (using the Parental Behavior Inventory). The analysis confirmed the mediation role of hostile/coercive parenting style in the association between parental openness to different ways of thinking and child anxiety. However, the association between supportive/engaged parenting and child anxiety was non-significant. Apparently, openness to different ways of thinking allows for parents to consolidate parenting that does not resort to coercive and hostile behaviors, control, obedience, and severe strictness. As a result, the child develops self-regulation and coping mechanisms that reduce the risk for developing anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Osnat Lavenda
- School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
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Speer SPH, Martinovici A, Smidts A, Boksem MAS. The acute effects of stress on dishonesty are moderated by individual differences in moral default. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3984. [PMID: 36894617 PMCID: PMC9998439 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31056-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In daily life we regularly must decide whether to act dishonestly for personal gain or to be honest and maintain a positive image of ourselves. While evidence suggests that acute stress influences moral decisions, it is unclear whether stress increases or decreases immoral behavior. Here, we hypothesize that stress, through its effects on cognitive control, has different effects on moral decision making for different individuals, depending on their moral default. We test this hypothesis by combining a task which allows for inconspicuously measuring spontaneous cheating with a well-established stress induction task. Our findings confirm our hypothesis, revealing that effects of stress on dishonesty are not uniform, but instead depend on the individual: for those who are relatively dishonest, stress increases dishonesty, whereas for participants who are relatively honest stress makes them more honest. These findings go a long way in resolving the conflicting findings in the literature on the effects of stress on moral decisions, suggesting that stress affects dishonesty differently for different individuals, depending on their moral default.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian P H Speer
- Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Ana Martinovici
- Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ale Smidts
- Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten A S Boksem
- Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Nitschke JP, Forbes PA, Lamm C. Does stress make us more—or less—prosocial? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of acute stress on prosocial behaviours using economic games. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104905. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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