Figures & data
Figure 1. (a) sAA and (b) cortisol response to the TSST and the control condition (P-TSST). Data are presented as mean (±SEM). A significant interaction between stress and time occurred in the ANOVAs for both stress markers. sAA levels were significantly elevated compared to the control condition immediately after the TSST (* < 0.05 in post hoc t-tests). Cortisol concentrations were significantly elevated at all three time points after stress cessation (* < 0.05 in post hoc t-tests).
Figure 2. (a) Effect of stress on affective empathy (mean ± SEM). Stressed participants reported more affective empathy as indicated by a main effect of stress (** p < 0.01). This was independent of valence (no significant interaction between stress and valence). (b) Effect of stress on cognitive empathy (mean ± SEM). Stress had no influence on the capability of recognizing the displayed emotions.
