Self-Compassion as a Predictor of Cortisol Responses to Repeated Acute Psychosocial Stress Juliana G. Breines, Myriam V. Thoma, Tove Freeman, Zhan Wu & Nicolas Rohleder Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
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Acute psychosocial stress, especially when characterized by social evaluative threat and uncontrollability, has been shown to reliably activate the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenocortical (HPA) axis, resulting in the release of cortisol (Dickerson & Kemeny, 2004).
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Along with other glucocorticoids, the release of cortisol initiates biological processes that serve to mobilize energy toward coping with environmental threats (i.e., fight-or-flight response).
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While adaptive in acute, short-term contexts, excessive cortisol secretion and lack of habituation across repeated stressors can be damaging to health (McEwen, 1998; Sapolsky, 2004).
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The present research examines the hypothesis that selfcompassion, a self-attitude that involves treating oneself with kindness and nonjudgmental understanding (Neff, 2003), may be associated with lower cortisol responses to acute psychosocial stress, as well as lower habituation across repeated stressors.
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Self-compassion has been shown to reduce shame (Gilbert & Procter, 2006), an emotion that is associated with maladaptive stress response patterns (e.g., Dickerson, Gruenewald, & Kemeny, 2004), and selfcompassionate individuals show less defensiveness and emotional reactivity in stressful contexts (Leary, Tate, Adams, Allen, & Hancock, 2007).
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In addition, prior research shows that psychological states related to self-compassion, such as mindfulness and compassion for others, can reduce cortisol levels (e.g., Matousek, Dobkin, & Pruessner, 2010; Rockliff et al., 2008), but less is known about the specific role of self-compassion. Self-compassion is unique in that it directly targets negative self-relevant emotions and may reduce the extent to which a stressor is experienced as a threat to the self, thereby attenuating cortisol reactivity.
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Q1: Is self-compassion associated with lower cortisol reactivity following a novel acute psychosocial stressor?
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Q2: Is self-compassion associated with lower cortisol reactivity following repeated exposure to an acute psychosocial stressor?
Dr. Juliana Breines
[email protected] Health Psychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA, 02454
Results Figure 1. Acute stress-induced cortisol levels increased significantly from baseline at initial (day 1 F = 11.46, p < 0.001) and repeated exposure (day 2 F = 4.88, p < 0.001). On average, participants showed lower cortisol increases on day 2 compared to day 1 (F = 4.88, p = 0.032).
Methods Sample Participants were 65 adults recruited from Brandeis University, and the Waltham, Massachusetts area, who were screened to be in good health. Participants whose baseline cortisol levels exceeded 15 nmol/L were excluded from analyses. Gender: 54% Female Ethnicity: 7% Black or African American, 28% Asian or Asian American, 58% White or Caucasian American, 7% other. Age Range: 18-65 years; Mean: 34.23 ± 17.72 years BMI Range: 18-31 (kg/m 2), Mean: 24.12 ± 3.15 (kg/m 2) Compensation: Participants received $100 as compensation for their time.
Procedure Eligible participants were scheduled for two successive laboratory sessions in which they were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993). All laboratory sessions were in the afternoon to control for circadian variation of stress hormones. Salivary cortisol was measured at baseline and 1, 10, 30, 60, and 120 minutes post-TSST. Cortisol increase was operationalized as peak minus baseline level. Self-reports of self-compassion (SCS; Neff, 2003) were obtained before the first TSST.
Figure 2. Self-compassion significantly negatively predicted day 1 cortisol response, β = -0.35, p = 0.021 (Q1). This relationship remained significant or marginally significant when controlling for gender, age, and Body Mass Index (BMI).
Summary and Conclusions Consistent with hypotheses, participants who were higher in self-compassion showed lower cortisol reactivity to both a novel and repeated stressor. These findings suggest that individuals who are higher in self-compassion may possess healthier stress response profiles, whereas those lower in self-compassion may be more vulnerable to the adverse effects of repeated stress. Self-compassion may help to reduce the perception that a stressor is a threat to the self, which could in turn dampen HPA axis activation. In addition, self-compassion may facilitate habituation by reducing counterproductive psychological reactions such as shame and rumination that are more likely to sensitize individuals to repeated stressors. Future research is needed to test these potential mechanisms and to examine whether stress response patterns can be modified using experimental methods. Longitudinal research is also needed to shed light on the downstream health consequences of self-compassion and corresponding stress response patterns.
Figure 3. Self-compassion significantly negatively predicted day 2 cortisol response, β = -0.31, p = 0.045 (Q2). This relationship remained significant or marginally significant when controlling for gender, age, and BMI.
References Dickerson, S. S., & Kemeny, M. E. (2004). Acute stressors and cortisol responses: A theoretical integration and synthesis of laboratory research. Psychological Bulletin 130(3), 355-391. Gilbert, P. & Procter, S. (2006). Compassionate mind training for people with high shame and self-criticism: Overview and pilot study of a group therapy approach. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 13, 353-379. Kemeny, M. E., Gruenewald, T. L., & Dickerson, S. S., (2004). Shame as a basic emotional response to threats to the social self: Behavioral, physiological, and health effects. Psychological Inquiry, 15(2), 153-160. Kirschbaum, C., Pirke, K.-M., Hellhammer, D. H. (1993). The “Trier Social Stress Test” - a tool for investigating psychobiological stress responses in a laboratory setting. Neuropsychobiology, 28, 76-81. Leary, M. R., Tate, E. B., Adams, C. E., Allen, A. B., & Hancock, J. (2007). Selfcompassion and reactions to unpleasant self-relevant events: The implications of treating oneself kindly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 887-904. Matousek, R., Dobkin, P.L., & Pruessner, J. (2010). Cortisol as a marker for improvement in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 16(1), 13-19. McEwen, B. S. (1998). Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine, 338, 171-179. Neff, K. D. (2003). Development and validation of a scale to measure selfcompassion. Self and Identity, 2, 223-250. Rockcliff et al. (2008). A pilot exploration of heart rate variability and salivary cortisol responses to compassion-focused imagery. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 5, 132-139. Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why zebras don't get ulcers. New York: Times Books.
