Psychology
The Effects of Video Games on Stress Through Testosterone and Cortisol Activation
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Psychology
Start Date
11-4-2014 2:30 PM
End Date
11-4-2014 4:30 PM
Sponsor
Teresa Aubele-Futch (Wabash College)
Description
Video games are becoming a common part of today's society and as such their effects on physiology, behavior and mental processes are becoming of interest to psychologists. Previous research ranging from the impacts of video games on aging (Allaire & Gandy, 2013) to the benefits of video games on cognitive thinking and flexibility (Glass & Love, 2013) have shown how beneficial video games can be. Geary and colleagues discovered that performance scores in a video game competition between groups impacted testosterone levels (2010). Participants with better scores showed an increase in testosterone in comparison to their partners. Lurzel and colleagues discovered that stress response to novel stimuli is impacted by testosterone and cortisol levels (2011). In particular, high testosterone levels reduced stress responses of male rats to novel stimuli. This research experiment investigated the beneficial effects of video games on testosterone activation and expected resulting cortisol inhibition when participants are introduced to a stressful video game. Using a two part experimental design, we observed how participants reacted to a stressful videogame after engaging with a competitive video game, wherein their testosterone levels should have been increased or not based upon performance. Data collection is currently ongoing.
The Effects of Video Games on Stress Through Testosterone and Cortisol Activation
Indianapolis, IN
Video games are becoming a common part of today's society and as such their effects on physiology, behavior and mental processes are becoming of interest to psychologists. Previous research ranging from the impacts of video games on aging (Allaire & Gandy, 2013) to the benefits of video games on cognitive thinking and flexibility (Glass & Love, 2013) have shown how beneficial video games can be. Geary and colleagues discovered that performance scores in a video game competition between groups impacted testosterone levels (2010). Participants with better scores showed an increase in testosterone in comparison to their partners. Lurzel and colleagues discovered that stress response to novel stimuli is impacted by testosterone and cortisol levels (2011). In particular, high testosterone levels reduced stress responses of male rats to novel stimuli. This research experiment investigated the beneficial effects of video games on testosterone activation and expected resulting cortisol inhibition when participants are introduced to a stressful video game. Using a two part experimental design, we observed how participants reacted to a stressful videogame after engaging with a competitive video game, wherein their testosterone levels should have been increased or not based upon performance. Data collection is currently ongoing.