Sex differences in the effects of acute stress on behavior in the ultimatum game

• Published in: Psychoneuroendocrinology Vol. 96; pp. 126 - 131
• Main Authors: Youssef, Farid F., Bachew, Raecho, Bissessar, Satyavi, Crockett, Molly J., Faber, Nadira S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2018
• Subjects: Adult; Choice Behavior - physiology; Costly punishment; Decision Making - physiology; Female; Games, Experimental; Gender differences; Humans; Hydrocortisone - analysis; Judgment and decision making; Male; Prosocial behaviour; Saliva - chemistry; Sex Factors; Social Behavior; Stress; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Ultimatum game; Young Adult; Ultimatum game; Gender differences; Costly punishment; Judgment and decision making; Stress; Prosocial behaviour
• ISSN: 0306-4530; 1873-3360
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.06.012

•We examine whether stress affects social behavior differently in men versus women.•Acute stress was induced using the TSST, social behavior was measured via the ultimatum game.•Female participants were less likely to reject offers under stress independent of offer fairness.•Female behavior suggests increased cooperation under stress.•Male participants did not show differences in rejections rates depending on stress. Acute stress affects human decision making. It has been argued that there are systematic sex differences in behavioral responses to acute stress, with males showing a ‘fight or flight’ and females showing a ‘tend and befriend’ response. A ‘tend and befriend’ response would suggest that women become more cooperative under acute stress, while men do not. We investigated the effects of acute stress on social behavior. We induced stress via the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and then immediately after measured how participants reacted to offers made in the ultimatum game by a male proposer. We found that female participants were less likely to reject offers under stress (n = 25) vs. no stress (n = 37), p = 0.009, independent of how fair these offers were, cooperative behavior consistent with the ‘tend and befriend’ hypothesis. Male participants when stressed (n = 30) did not show differences in rejections rates compared to the control condition (n = 26), p = 0.41. Our results provide support for a qualitatively different behavioral response to acute stress among men and women.