To gauge the women’s “stress resilience,” researchers measured their levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) during a stressful event. ACTH can signal changes in stress levels more quickly than changes in the better-known stress hormone cortisol.
“Stress resilience is your natural inborn ability to bounce back from the anxiety response,” explains licensed marriage and family therapist Jeff Yoo, LMFT. “Stress resilience is as natural as the stress response,” he adds, noting that everyone will get out of fight-or-flight mode eventually, and the quicker this happens, the better.
For this study, researchers took blood from the women (which provided a stressful environment) and then measured their ACTH levels right after the prick. Then, participants took part in group activities like board games, singing together, group conversation, etc., for 15 minutes. This was meant to encourage a release of anxiety—as social interaction is one of the most effective ways to decrease stress levels2.
The results show that the 15 minutes of social activity lowered the stress hormone levels in women who were not on birth control pills. Women on birth control did not experience the same significant dip in their stress hormone levels. However, ACTH levels decreased in 70% of all participants throughout the group activities in some capacity, reiterating the positive impact of socialization after stress.
