The frequency of harrasment by superiors and the lack of opportunities for social support have been shown to be the best predictors of elevated glucocorticoid levels among low ranking members of hierarchical groups
Biologist Robert Sapolsky drew on the collaborative efforts of a large number of colleagues who have studied rank/stress physiology issues in nonhuman primates. He formalized what features of a primate society predict whether it is the dominant or the subordinate animals who have the elevated stress-responses. To the experts on each primate species, we posed the same questions: in the species that you study, what are the rewards of being dominant? How much of a role does aggression play in maintaining dominance? How much grief does a subordinate individual have to take? What sources of coping and support (including the presence of relatives) do subordinates of that species have available to them? What covert alternatives to competition are available? If subordinates cheat at the rules, how likely are they to get caught and how bad is the punishment? How often does the hierarchy change? Amid seventeen questions asked concerning the dozen different species for which there are decent amounts of data available, the best predictors of elevated glucocorticoid levels among subordinate animals turn out to be if they are frequently harassed by dominant individuals and if they lack the opportunities for social support.
References
- Sapolsky, Robert. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers Chapter 17. The View from the Bottom (p. 503). New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience Status:☀️