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Acute cortisol elevations cause heightened arousal ratings of objectively nonarousing stimuli
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
Format: Journal Article
Publication Year: n.d.
Pages: 354-359
Sources ID: 22793
Visibility: Private
Zotero Collections: Contexts of Contemplation Project
Abstract: (Show)
To test the effects of cortisol on affective experience, the authors orally administered a placebo, 20 mg cortisol, or 40 mg cortisol to 85 men. Participants' affective responses to negative and neutral stimuli were measured. Self-reported affective state was also assessed. Participants in the 40-mg group (showing extreme cortisol elevations within the physiological range) rated neutral stimuli as more highly arousing than did participants in the placebo and 20-mg groups. Furthermore, within the 20-mg group, individuals with higher cortisol elevations made higher arousal ratings of neutral stimuli. However, cortisol was unrelated to self-reported affective state. Thus, findings indicate that acute cortisol elevations cause heightened arousal in response to objectively nonarousing stimuli, in the absence of effects on mood.
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