A new study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology has uncovered that young men’s reactions to stress may be shaped not just by levels of single hormones, but by the balance between testosterone and cortisol. This research marks a significant shift in our understanding of how the body and mind interact during stressful social situations—insights that may hold promise for future approaches to mental health, stress management, and even educational settings in Thailand and beyond. Read the source article on PsyPost.
For many in Thailand grappling with increasingly demanding workplaces and academic pressures, this research offers an updated lens through which to understand stress—a daily reality for millions. While much advice focuses on coping mechanisms and behavioral responses, the new findings highlight how physiological factors, especially the interplay of hormones, can quietly shape how stress is felt and managed in the mind. As psychosocial stress steadily rises worldwide, including in Thailand’s rapidly urbanising cities, knowing what happens inside our bodies is more urgent than ever.
Current wisdom has long associated cortisol—often dubbed the “stress hormone”—with our responses to pressure or threat. Cortisol regulates blood sugar, metabolism, immune function, and importantly, surges in its levels signal the body to get ready for a “fight-or-flight” response. Testosterone, traditionally linked with male reproductive health, also plays a key role in mood, emotion regulation, and social behaviours like competitiveness and dominance. While both hormones operate in men and women, their intricate interaction has been less clear until now.
The study, conducted by researchers at Vilnius University in Lithuania, involved 37 healthy men aged 20-28. Participants underwent the “short Sing-a-Song Stress Test”—where they had to sing their national anthem on camera under the scrutiny of “expert judges,” a scenario designed to provoke mild social stress. To assess the hormonal response, scientists collected saliva samples to measure testosterone and cortisol before the task and asked participants to rate how stressful they found the experience afterwards.
Results revealed a crucial interaction: higher testosterone was linked to reduced stress perception, but only when cortisol levels were low. Conversely, in those with lower testosterone, higher cortisol predicted lower stress. When both hormones were high, their stress-reducing effects seemed to cancel each other out. These patterns were present whether the researchers used classical statistics or advanced Bayesian models, reinforcing the robustness of the results.
“The main takeaway is that our individual levels of cortisol and testosterone can affect how we perceive stressful social situations,” explained the study’s lead scientist. “Specifically, in men, if cortisol levels were relatively low, higher testosterone was linked to feeling less stressed, and vice versa. It suggests that it’s not just about the level of one hormone, but how they interact with each other.” This nuanced understanding advances the “dual-hormone hypothesis”—which theorises that testosterone heightens status-seeking behaviour, but only when cortisol is low. When cortisol is high, motivation may shift from pursuing gains to avoiding losses, or the drive may be blunted entirely. These findings suggest such mechanisms also extend to subjective experiences of stress—not just behaviours.
Past research had left a gap in how these hormonal dynamics affected people’s actual emotional experience under stress, rather than outward behaviour alone. By documenting how participants felt about the stressful task, the study bridges physiology with lived experience. Importantly, the mild “public singing” challenge reflected common, everyday sources of stress—such as public speaking, job interviews, or social evaluation—rather than extreme, life-threatening events. “We were surprised to see significant interactions…even though our study had a relatively small number of participants and the stress we used was fairly mild,” said the Vilnius research team. “It suggests these hormonal interactions could be quite important, even in everyday situations.”
These findings resonate with many in Thailand, where education and work cultures often involve high-stakes exams, public presentations, and competitive assessments from an early age. For students and professionals, the new data suggests that managing stress may require recognising not only environmental and psychological factors, but also internal biological ones. People with a certain hormonal balance might naturally perceive these challenges as more of a threat—or, conversely, as a manageable challenge.
From a public health perspective, understanding the hormone-stress link could have wider implications for mental health support in Thailand. While cultural and religious norms in Thailand sometimes discourage open discussion of stress and mental health, biomedical research such as this study could help reduce stigma by expressing stress as a natural, partly biological phenomenon rather than a personal failing. Mental health advocates and health officials in Thailand might see opportunities to develop new outreach or education programs that incorporate the role of hormonal balance in resilience and stress management.
Additionally, the culture-specific phenomenon of “kreng jai”—the tendency to avoid causing discomfort to others or drawing attention—can contribute to social stress for Thais, especially in hierarchical settings like classrooms or the workplace. Exploring whether hormonal interactions mediate “kreng jai”-related stress may be an intriguing area for future research and could inform culturally sensitive interventions.
The research does come with limitations. Only young men from Lithuania were included, largely because prior studies found the testosterone-cortisol interaction to be most reliable in men. The authors underscore the importance of studying women and wider age groups, as well as other hormones like estrogen and progesterone. Mood disorders, for instance, vary significantly by gender—raising questions about how different hormonal balances may produce different stress perceptions. The team aims to expand future research to include diverse populations and more complex social stressors.
Furthermore, for practical application in Thailand, environmental and lifestyle factors such as sleep, nutrition, and cultural background must be considered. The research acknowledges this, noting that sleep habits, mood, and general stress levels—each influenced by family, work, and urban life—affect how physiological responses play out. This is particularly salient as an increasing number of Thais face “hidden” stressors from urban congestion, economic worries, and social expectations.
Moving forward, new avenues are opening for health practitioners, school administrators, and even policymakers. Incorporating knowledge of hormonal dynamics into existing stress-reduction programs—such as school wellness initiatives, corporate wellness schemes, or national mental health campaigns—could enhance their effectiveness. For instance, educational institutions might explore how to combine mindfulness or emotional regulation training with evidence-based understanding of hormonal rhythms throughout adolescence and young adulthood.
For Thai readers, the key takeaway is to recognise that stress reactions are not solely the result of personality, circumstances, or upbringing. Rather, they result from a dynamic interplay between mind, environment, and body’s internal chemistry, of which testosterone and cortisol are crucial components. Beyond meditation or breathing exercises, discussions with healthcare professionals about persistent stress could help identify underlying hormonal imbalances.
Practical recommendations for Thais include: practicing routine self-awareness and emotional monitoring, seeking medical advice for chronic stress, staying informed about sleep and diet’s impact on hormonal health, advocating for more mental health education in workplaces and schools, and encouraging further research that focuses on Southeast Asian populations and cultural contexts. As Thailand faces mounting social and economic transitions, bridging biomedical research with cultural understanding will be vital for building a more resilient society—one that acknowledges, but is not defined by, stress.
For those wanting to learn more about the hormonal basis of stress, or who are experiencing chronic anxiety in social settings, consulting a healthcare professional, especially an endocrinologist or mental health specialist, in reputable Thai hospitals or clinics is a prudent step. Government agencies such as the Mental Health Department, or leading universities in Thailand with psychology or neuroscience departments, may also be valuable sources of evidence-based information and intervention.
For the full research article, see Psychoneuroendocrinology (2025), as reported by PsyPost: How stress affects us may depend on the balance between testosterone and cortisol.