Blunted physiological reactions to acute psychological stress: A novel marker of risky behaviour, addiction, and poor health?

People who are biologically unaffected by stress seem to be at lower risk of cardiovascular disease. However, research has shown that such a low reaction is related to dependencies and maladaptive health behaviors (e.g. depression, bulimia). Dr. Annie Ginty is focusing on students in a stressful period of their life, to find out if low reactivity could be a biological marker of future dependencies and poor health. Her results could help develop cognitive, behavioral and pharmacological treatments.
Dr Ginty investigates the biological responses (cardiovascular and cortisol systems) to psychological stress in a sample of students in their final year of high school and following them through their first year of university to see if extreme responses are a biological marker of risky behavior, dependencies, and poor health and in which way. Indeed, previous research has shown that low reactions to acute psychological stress were related to dependencies (e.g. alcohol addiction, smoking) and maladaptive health behaviours (e.g. depression, bulimia).