Definition
Cortisol is a major steroid hormone in humans that is secreted by the adrenal cortex during the experience of stress as part of an adaptive coping response. Cortisol has wide-ranging effects, largely functioning to alter an organism’s immediate response to the stressor, modulate their response to a subsequent stressor, and aid in their adaptation to a chronic stressor.
Introduction
Cortisol is synthesized and secreted by the adrenal cortex following stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis – the principal endocrine component of the stress response system. During the experience of stress, HPA axis activation causes a neuroendocrine cascade of events that result in the synthesis and secretion of glucocorticoids (GCs) – primarily cortisol in humans and corticosterone in other species. When environments or situations are judged to be harmful, threatening,...
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Auer, B.J. (2017). Increased Cortisol. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_760-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_760-1
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