Hacking the stress system: the stress response as an adaptive trait that can work for or against
you
IX - Lifestyle and stress II: Sport & Social connections

How exercise affects the stress response
´Exercise enhances
´Mood
´Energy
´Memory
´Attention
´
´A single workout can raise dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin for at about 2 hours
´Repeated exercise
´neuroplasticity
´Hippocampus (memory)
´Frontal cortex (attention)
´Brain health
Suzuki, W. (2017). The brain-changing benefits of exercise.
Basso, J. C., Shang, A., Elman, M., Karmouta, R., & Suzuki, W. A. (2015). Acute Exercise Improves
Prefrontal Cortex but not Hippocampal Function in Healthy Adults. 791–801.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S135561771500106X
Basso, J. C., & Suzuki, W. A. (2017). The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood , Cognition ,
Neurophysiology , and Neurochemical Pathways : A Review. 2, 127–152.
https://doi.org/10.3233/BPL-160040

Hippocampal neurogenesis
´Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF)
´
´2 pathways through which exercise stimulates BDNF
´Myokine (muscle released protein); exercise increases levels and permutation of the blood brain
barrier
´Beta-hydroxybutyrate (a ketone released by the liver during exercise
´
Suzuki, W. (2017). The brain-changing benefits of exercise.
Basso, J. C., Shang, A., Elman, M., Karmouta, R., & Suzuki, W. A. (2015). Acute Exercise Improves
Prefrontal Cortex but not Hippocampal Function in Healthy Adults. 791–801.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S135561771500106X
Basso, J. C., & Suzuki, W. A. (2017). The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood , Cognition ,
Neurophysiology , and Neurochemical Pathways : A Review. 2, 127–152.
https://doi.org/10.3233/BPL-160040

Completion between individuals vs completion between groups



Competition between individuals
´Internal struggle between individuals within the group
´
´Struggle over excess to mates, recourses and position in the social hierarchy
´
´In its core, egocentristic
´
´Testosterone (its not aggression!!)
´

Intra-group conflict as a backdrop for inter-group competition
´Inter-group competition can, and often does, involve efforts to outdo one another in the extend to
which victories are gained against otherwise anonymous members of targeted outgroups.
´
´

Intra-group competition
´In-group coordination
´Teamwork
´Cooperation
´Leadership
´Group-identity

Costly signalling and the free rider problem
´Humans are extremely vulnerable alone but united, we dominate almost any environment we enter.
´Teamwork serves the group
´But abstaining from cooperation, while reaping the benefits of the team effort serves the
individual most
´Groups need to control for free riding
´Costly signalling
´Hard to fake
´
Sosis, R., & Bressler, E. R. (2003). Signaling Theory of Religion. CrossCultural Research, 37(2),
211–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397103251426
Dunbar, R., Barrett, L., & Lycett, J. (2007). Evolutionary Psychology.
Sun, S., Johanis, M., & Rychtář, J. (2020). Costly signalling theory and dishonest signalling.
Theoretical Ecology, 13(1), 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12080-019-0429-0

Leadership, the great undefinable !
´A minimum of 66 different theories on leadership in the expert literature
´Massive methodological issues in the field
´
´The main problem
´Philosophical reflection upon phenomenological observations of behaviour in search of universal
tendencies
´Ethics?
´Transformation?
´Service?
´
Alvesson, M., & Kärreman, D. (2016). Intellectual Failure and Ideological Success in Organization
Studies: The Case of Transformational Leadership. Journal of Management Inquiry, 25(2), 139–152.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492615589974
Atwater, L. E., Mumford, M. D., Schriesheim, C. A., & Yammarino, F. J. (2014). Retraction of
leadership articles: Causes and prevention. Leadership Quarterly, 25(6), 1174–1180.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.10.006

Leadership: an evolved behavioural solution to a specific problem
´Coordinated action
´Leadership can only exist, where there is a problem to be solved, i.e. a stressor.
´Leadership effectively modulates stress reactions
´
´The range of human crises, which require communal action, is so large, that it is not feasible
that one behavioural action can produce effective leadership in all cases.
´Observable behavioural and physiological changes in followers
´Context related behavioural and physiological changes in leaders