Pavlíčková Kristína, Gärtner Judith, Voulgaropoulou Stella D, Fraemke Deniz, Adams Eli, Quaedflieg Conny W E M, Viechtbauer Wolfgang, Hernaus Dennis
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs) Research Institute, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6, 6211 LK, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Max Planck Research Group Biosocial-Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
Commun Psychol. 2024 Jun 1;2(1):50. doi: 10.1038/s44271-024-00103-7.
Although the acute stress response is a highly adaptive survival mechanism, much remains unknown about how its activation impacts our decisions and actions. Based on its resource-mobilizing function, here we hypothesize that this intricate psychophysiological process may increase the willingness (motivation) to engage in effortful, energy-consuming, actions. Across two experiments (n = 80, n = 84), participants exposed to a validated stress-induction protocol, compared to a no-stress control condition, exhibited an increased willingness to exert physical effort (grip force) in the service of avoiding the possibility of experiencing aversive electrical stimulation (threat-of-shock), but not for the acquisition of rewards (money). Use of computational cognitive models linked this observation to subjective value computations that prioritize safety over the minimization of effort expenditure; especially when facing unlikely threats that can only be neutralized via high levels of grip force. Taken together, these results suggest that activation of the acute stress response can selectively alter the willingness to exert effort for safety-related goals. These findings are relevant for understanding how, under stress, we become motivated to engage in effortful actions aimed at avoiding aversive outcomes.
尽管急性应激反应是一种高度适应性的生存机制，但关于其激活如何影响我们的决策和行动，仍有许多未知之处。基于其资源调动功能，我们在此假设，这个复杂的心理生理过程可能会增加人们参与费力、耗能行动的意愿（动机）。在两项实验（n = 80，n = 84）中，与无压力对照条件相比，暴露于经过验证的压力诱导方案的参与者，为避免遭受厌恶的电刺激（电击威胁）而表现出更大的施加体力（握力）的意愿，但为获取奖励（金钱）则不然。使用计算认知模型将这一观察结果与主观价值计算联系起来，这些计算将安全性置于努力支出最小化之上；特别是当面对只能通过高水平握力消除的不太可能的威胁时。综上所述，这些结果表明，急性应激反应的激活可以选择性地改变为与安全相关目标而努力的意愿。这些发现对于理解在压力下我们如何被激励去采取旨在避免厌恶结果的费力行动具有重要意义。
