Cortisol and politics: variance in voting behavior is predicted by baseline cortisol levels.

ABSTRACT: Participation in electoral politics is affected by a host of social and demographics variables, but there is growing evidence that biological predispositions may also play a role in behavior related to political involvement. We examined the role of individual variation in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis parameters in explaining differences in self-reported and actual participation in political activities. Self-reported political activity, religious participation, and verified voting activity in U.S. national elections were collected from 105 participants, who were subsequently exposed to a standardized (nonpolitical) psychosocial stressor. We demonstrated that lower baseline salivary cortisol in the late afternoon was significantly associated with increased actual voting f

SUBMITTER: French JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4120245 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature