Abstract

Previous research has shown that stress can affect emotion processing in a variety of settings. However, little attention has been paid to the effects of stress on emotional decision-making. The present study addressed this question by exposing healthy young participants either to a stressor (n = 30)–socially evaluated cold pressor task– or a non-stressful control task (n = 30). Subsequently, participants completed a computerized decision-making task in which they could compare the obtained factual outcome with a non-obtained counterfactual outcome. Saliva samples were taken at four time points over the course of the experiment and used to analyze cortisol levels. Results revealed that acute stress induced reliable salivary cortisol increase over the experimental task. At the outcome delivery stage, acute stress amplified negative emotions induced by the counterfactual comparison. At the choice stage, under stress, participants were more likely to make regret-averse decisions. The findings that acute stress amplifies both experienced and anticipated regret is consistent with dual process frameworks such that stress tilts decision-making toward more emotional and intuitive processing.

• Lay summary

• Stress is thought to affect emotional processing. The present study investigated the effects of acute stress on emotional decision making using a typical counterfactual decision making task. Acute stress amplified both experience and anticipation of regret, consistent with the dual process frame that stress tilts decision-making toward more emotional and intuitive processing.

摘要

先前的研究表明，压力会影响各种环境中的情绪处理。然而，很少有人关注压力对情绪决策的影响。本研究通过将健康的年轻参与者暴露于压力源（n  = 30）——社会评估的冷加压任务——或非压力控制任务（n = 30）。随后，参与者完成了一项计算机化的决策任务，他们可以将获得的事实结果与未获得的反事实结果进行比较。在实验过程中的四个时间点采集唾液样本并用于分析皮质醇水平。结果表明，在实验任务中，急性应激引起可靠的唾液皮质醇增加。在结果交付阶段，急性压力放大了反事实比较引起的负面情绪。在选择阶段，在压力下，参与者更有可能做出后悔厌恶的决定。急性压力会放大经历的和预期的后悔的发现与双重过程框架一致，因此压力使决策倾向于更情绪化和直觉化的处理。

• 奠定总结

• 压力被认为会影响情绪处理。本研究使用典型的反事实决策任务调查了急性压力对情绪决策的影响。急性压力放大了后悔的经历和预期，这与压力使决策倾向于更情绪化和直觉处理的双重过程框架一致。