Leiden University Student Repository

Koning, Zarah de (2024)

What is the effect of acute stress on affective empathy in female students?

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

Throughout our lives, we go through stressful situations on a daily basis. It effects multiple facets of our lives, including social interaction and empathy. This study explores the impact of acute stress on affective empathy in female students (N = 115, M = 21.23 years, SD = 1.64 years). After being exposed to the (placebo) Trier Social Stress Test, participants completed an affective empathy task. They assigned compassion and positive affect scores to negative, neutral and positive pictures. Smiling and frowning responses were measured simultaneously. Surprisingly, no significant differences were revealed between the stress and control group for compassion and positive affect. However, results indicated more relaxation in smiling muscles and more tension in frowning muscles in response to positive stimuli in the stress condition. The results challenge the tend-and-befriend framework.

Empathy

Affective Empathy

Stress

Acute stress

Tend-and-befriend

Author

Koning, Zarah de

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Forensische Gezinspedagogiek

Supervisors

Spencer, H

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en