PhD Scientific Days 2026

Poster Session 2.K - Mental Health Sciences

Gaming and Cortisol: Stressor or Stress-Reliever?

Előadó neve

Radics, Zsuzsanna

Neptune code

TNVL4K

Előadó munkahelye

Semmelweis University, Department of Pharmacodynamics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

Előadó telefonszáma

0036208280165

Előadó e-mail címe

radics.zsuzsanna@phd.semmelweis.hu

Az előadás címe

Gaming and Cortisol: Stressor or Stress-Reliever?

Szerző(k) neve és munkahelye

Zsuzsanna Radics¹, Angéla Hammer², Gyöngyi Kökönyei², Gabriella Juhász¹

1: Semmelweis University, Department of Pharmacodynamics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
2: Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Psychology, Budapest, Hungary

Bemutatás módja

Poszter

Szekció

Poster Session 2.K - Mental Health Sciences

Language of the presentation

English

Preferred session

Mental Health Sciences

Összefoglaló szövege

Introduction
Video games are now played by billions of individuals worldwide. As gaming became part of everyday life, researchers have started to focus on the behavioral and physiological effects of the digital world, including games. An important question can be how video gaming may engage the body’s stress systems: either by triggering arousal or by supporting recovery and relaxation. Cortisol is a key biomarker of physiological stress, reflecting Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis (HPA-axis) activation and the mobilization of energy, vigilance, and adaptive responses to challenges (Chrousos, 2009). Elevated cortisol concentration is associated with acute stress exposure, while attenuated or stable cortisol levels often mark recovery or low-arousal states. Because cortisol can be measured reliably through saliva or blood, it provides a robust physiological index of how gaming influences bodily stress regulation.

Aims
Our aim was to estimate the overall effect of commercial video game play on cortisol levels and search for possible patterns and moderators.

Methods
A systematic search of the literature was performed on June 21, 2024 and August 16, 2025 following the PRISMA guidelines (PRISMA 2020, 2020). The study was preregistered (December 18, 2025) on OSF, registration’s doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/M8CQJ. Following systematic searches across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost, we identified peer-reviewed studies reporting salivary or blood cortisol before and after gameplay.

Result
After screening 184 records we identified 21 studies that were acceptable according to the exclusion and inclusion criterias. In 6 they found increased while in 13 decreased cortisol response, also in 6 they hadn’t found any significant change.

Conclusion
Our findings show that cortisol response to video gameplay is context-dependent and entails variability. Our findings challenge the simplistic view of gaming as a universal stressor. Instead, the HPA axis activation appears to be moderated by a complex interplay between game mechanics and individual player characteristics. These results suggest that video games can function as either a physiological stimulant or a tool for stress recovery. Further research, particularly a meta-analysis is necessary to provide a deeper understanding of how gameplay regulates the HPA axis.

University

Semmelweis University

Supervisor

Gabriella Juhász

Publication of my abstract

I do not give consent to the publication of my abstract on the website of the congress.

phd.section.field

in doctoral studies after complex exam (PhD)

Kind

Szabad

Status

elfogadva

Accepted presentation method

poszter

Előadás fájl jóváhagyás

nem rendelkezett róla

Előadó

9749

Start

18:36

End

18:39