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Abstract

sychosocial stress is a public health burden in modern societies. Chronic stress
–
induced disease processes are,
in large part, mediated via the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic-
adrenal-medullary system. We asked whether the contemplative mental training of differen
t practice types targeting
attentional, socio-affective (for example, compassion), or socio-cognitive abilities (for example, perspective-taking)
in the context of a 9-month longitudinal training study offers an effective means for psychosocial stress reduction.
Using a multimethod approach including subjective, endocrine, autonomic, and immune markers and testing 313
participants in a standardized psychosoc
ial laboratory stressor, we show that all three practice types markedly reduced
self-reported stress reactivity in healthy participants. However, only the training of intersubjective skills via socio-
affective and socio-cognitive routes attenuated the physiological stress response, specifically the secretion of the
HPA axis end-product cortisol, by up to 51%. The assessed
autonomic and innate immune markers were not influenced
by any practice type. Mental training focused on present-moment attention and interoceptive awareness as im-
plemented in many mindfulness-based intervention programs was thus limited to stress reduction on the level of
self-report. However, its effectivenes
s was equal to that of intersubjective practice types in boosting the association
between subjective and endocrine stress markers. Our results reveal a broadly accessible low-cost approach to
acquiring psychosocial stress resilience. Short daily intersubjective practice may be a promising method for mini-
mizing the incidence of chronic social stress
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related disease, thereby reducing individual suffering and relieving a
substantial financial burden on society.