The human stress response has been characterized, both physiologically and behaviorally, as "fight-or-flight." This fight-or-flight may characterize the primary physiological responses to stress for both males and females.
Social psychology is the study of people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are influenced by events around them either physically or mentally. Social psychologists explain human behavior as a result of mental state or immediate social situations. The psychologists determine the results and deal with the factors that lead to how the patient behaved. They look at everything that could cause the behavior to occur. For instance, social psychologist Amy Cuddy looks at two specific hormones that determine how the patient might react. The two hormones are called Cortisol and Testosterone. Cortisol, according to Encyclopedia.com, is “a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, that promotes the synthesis and storage of glucose and is therefore important in the normal response to stress...”(Encyclopedia.com) Testosterone is a steroid hormone that stimulates the body. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol plays an important role in blocking testosterone's influence on competition and success. When cortisol is released in response to threat, the body is mobilized to escape danger, rather than respond to any influence that testosterone is having on behavior. Studies provide new evidence that opposite hormones work against each other to regulate dominant and competitive behaviors. For social psychology, these two hormones are the most important when determining how people react in the work environment. To prove that the two hormones do react, Amy Cuddy put two groups of people in a nerving situation and told them ...
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...or presence. Studies show that people who have high cortisol tend to feel more insecure in that moment. Another experiment that Amy Cuddy has conducted was she again had two groups of people perform a certain task. She gave each group the opportunity to gamble. The alpha group seized the opportunity and started to gamble instantly, however, the submissive group hesitated and declined the offer. They declined the offer because people with higher cortisol always think that they will lose no matter what. This shows that those who have alpha personalities tend to risk more than submissive groups. In response to this discovery, Amy Cuddy exclaimed, “Our bodies change our minds, and our minds can change our behavior, and our behavior can change our outcomes.”(Ted Talk)
In conclusion, cortisol and testosterone do affect on how people behave. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy
The study of psychobiology attempts to explain behaviour in terms of physiological mechanisms. Previous research shows that female and male reactions differ with regards to emotional stimuli (Campbell et al., 2002 & Orozco & Ehlers, 1998, as cited in Hall, 2004). “Sex Differences in Functional Activation Patterns Revealed by Increased Emotion Processing Demands” (Hall, Witelson, Szechtman, & Nahmias, 2004) studied the effects that different emotional stimuli have on brain activation patterns (Hall et al.). The study was divided into two experiments, both of which compared and contrasted the results between two different groups of eight women and eight men (Hall et al.). In experiment one, patients performed three tasks: facial detection, identity matching and emotion matching (Hall et al.). In experiment two, a different group of eight women and eight men performed gender matching and emotion matching, with an additional auditory stimulus (Hall et al.). The results showed that sexual dimorphism was present in the reactions between women and men (Hall et al.). This essay proposes to examine the psychobiological aspect of the studies, to identify any interesting and relevant results, and to analyze its key elements and scientific rigor. Furthermore, it will explore possible future improvements to the study, as well as highlight possible applications of the results. This essay will prove that the research paper is both relevant and interesting to psychobiology.
Cortisol is in the class of hormones called glucocorticoids and affects almost every organ in the body. One of the most important functions of cortisol is to help regulate the body’s response to stress. Cortisol is also responsible for other necessary functions including: helping to maintain blood pressure and cardiovascular functions, helping to slow the immune system’s inflammatory response, helping to balance the effects of insulin in breaking down sugars for energy, helping to regulate the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and helping to maintain proper arousal of sense of well being. The amount of cortisol is precisely balanced and regulated by the brain’s hypothalamus.
In the brain, “females have a larger hippocampus and a deeper limbic system than males, which allows them to feel the full range and depth of the emotional spectrum,” which makes women more emotional than men (Lorenzo Jensen III). Most women do seem much more emotional and attached than most men. Women are also better at handling stress than men are. When oxytocin is released, “during stressful events. But female estrogen combines with oxytocin to produce a calming effect” (Lorenzo Jensen III). Men and women are in fact different on an anatomical level, leaving no room for bias, science not only shows, but, prove, that women are biologically different than men in some
- Biological differences in which men show more aggression and externalizing behavior patterns and women show more behavioral inhibition and internalizing.
Psychophysiological stimulation can affect the apocrine, eccrine, and sebaceous glands altering body odor and the ways others perceive us. The apocrine glands are the source of human pheromones activated by emotions. This explains why there is a higher correlation of correct assessments between adults of the opposite sex due to pheromones not being active before puberty. Association ability originates early in human development and plays a major role in social interactions such as: the i...
D., & Akert, R. M., 2013). In the presence of others, we tend to do better on tasks that are simple and well learned, and we tend to do worse on tasks that are complex and require us to learn something new. We tend to be in a greater state of arousal in the presence of others which can either be beneficial or damaging to our performance on certain tasks. This concept can be linked to my experience of spending much of my time with the group of girls at the gym. This concept can be used to interpret and make sense of my experience and feelings because my performance on simple fitness tasks enhanced in the presence of others. The presence of others gave me this instant state of arousal that pushed me to perform extremely well on fitness tasks I was really good
Maglione-Garves, Christine A, Len Kravitz and Suzzane Schneider. Cortisol Connection: Tips on Managing Stress and Weight. n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
Oestrogen receptors in the brain are believed to cause gender-appropriate behaviour. Oestrogen, a hormone found in the female genital tissue, acts as a ligand and, by activating the oestrogen receptors found on the surfaces of brain cells, causes notable changes in behaviour. Professors at Yale University have studied the effects of oestrogen and found the hormone increases neural connectivity in the brain resulting in a more accurate memory. Turnham et al (2002) supports this as upon investigation...
Neurophysiology is the study of the brains behavior. Personality affects how a person will behave in certain situations. Human’s attitudes are determined by their environments, personal preferences and dislikes all reflex their everyday actions. Personality is 50%-70% hereditary and that home environment has little impact on child development. Motivated behavior; extraverts demonstrate an increased sensitivity to reward signals. There are three criterions necessary to establish the neurobiological basis of such a personality: a) define the network of neural structures associated with the trait, b) explain how individual differences occur within the functioning of that network and c) identify the sources of individual differences. Neurobiology investigates these questions with a reductionism approach, examining chemical release at synapses and correlating such activity with behavior. Personality research has a long history in the field of psychology. Only in the last forty years, however, have scientists begun to look for biological explanations. Is it possible that eventually neurobiology will be able to explain personality on the same level as motor responses or our sense of hearing? Still, the chemical basis of personality gives us great insight into how and why we behave as we do. It can help explain why different people react differently to similar situations. Perhaps most importantly, it offers the potential to alter such behavior, from treating mild cases of anxiety to severe personality disorders.
Behavior is defined as the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others. Behavior is controlled by a system of the body called the endocrine system. The endocrine system is made of glands whose secretions pass directly into the bloodstream or lymph system. This system is responsible for growth, mood, tissue function, metabolism, sexual function and reproductive processes. The endocrine system affects almost every organ and cell in the body. Hormones and glands make up this system. As with any system, diseases can occur that are dangerous to the body.
The human body has different ways of responding to stress; one quick responding nerve-hormonal system involving adrenaline, another long-lasting system involving cortisol, and perhaps others. These systems not only determine the intensity of our anxiety reactions but also our attitudes, energy level, depression, and physical health after the stressful events are over. As individuals, our nervous systems differ; however, according to Richard Dienstbier at the University of Nebraska, we may be able to modify our unique physiological reactions by learning coping skills. The genetic, constitutional, and intrauterine factors influence stress. Some of us may have been born "nerv...
Stress can cause a wave of hormones into your body. If your body identifies stress, a mini location in the base of the brain called the hypothalamus operates by making the body to grow hormones that can include adrenaline and cortisol. Stress can have different effects on participants when playing sport. For example, if your stressed you can’t do the basic tasks well and effectively. Stress can form, if you don’t want to fail in a particular sport which could ultimately lead to you being dropped. However, if you have achieved much stress, or distress, this can cause you anxiety which will most definitely affect your
The same concept was expressed by Edward O. Wilson (1992), father of sociobiology at Harvard University. According to him, females tend to be better equipped in characteristics like verbal and social skills, security needs and empathy than their counterpart. In the other, Males tend to be better in spatial ...
Sexologist are indecisive between gender explanations based on nature and culture. John Money’s he claimed, to divide pre- ad postnatal influences and attribute them to biology and culture respectively, since social influence enter the brain and are therefore also physiology.
The body is regulated by a variety of chemical secretions and hormones, specifically neurotransmitters and hormones such as those secrete during puberty. In the body neurotransmitters are key chemicals in the brain that affect how brain cells communicate with one another. These hormones and neurotransmitters play important roles in regulating moods and behavior, which is why they could lead to depression in teenagers (Teen depression). Imbalances in these neurotransmitters cause improper communication between brain cells which results in altered behaviors and moods. Usually this disproportion leads to an unhappy mood, also known as depression. Another component of biological factors includes hormones. Hormones in the body significantly fluctuate throughout the duration of puberty, resulting in modifying moods of young adults. In an article issue by the Canary Club, it