Verbal suggestion and relaxation

Prior research demonstrated that relaxation exercises can alleviate stress responses after an acute stressor. The underlying effective mechanisms of relaxation exercises are, however, not yet clear. No studies up till now have examined whether acute stress could also be optimized when participants do not perform the relaxation exercises, but are solely instructed about the effectiveness and actions of the relaxation exercises. Therefore, in the present study it is investigated whether a verbal suggestion considering the effectiveness and working mechanisms of relaxation exercises can alleviate stress responses after an acute stressor.

The aim of the study is to investigate whether a verbal suggestion concerning the relaxation exercises alone or in combination with actually performing relaxation exercises can alter self-reported stress and psychophysiological measurements of stress after an social-evaluation task as an acute stressor.

First, participants are screened through an online questionnaire in order to check the eligibility criteria. When they are eligible to take part in the study, they are invited to one lab session. During the lab session, participants complete questionnaires, a resting measurement of their heart rate and skin conductance is performed, and cortisol and alpha amylase measures are taken. They are then randomized to one of the four conditions as described above.
Subsequently, participants perform the social-evaluation stress task, the Trier Social Stress Test. After 10 and 20 minutes upon completion of the Trier Social Stress Test, they again have to complete several questionnaires, resting measurement and saliva sample on three subsequent time points. At the end, they are debriefed about the actual purpose of the study.

This randomized controlled experiment involves four conditions, in which: (1) a verbal suggestion considering the effectiveness and working mechanisms of relaxation exercises is provided, without performing the relaxation exercises, (2) relaxation exercises are performed and a verbal suggestion considering the effectiveness and working mechanisms of relaxation exercises is provided, (3) relaxation exercises are performed without providing a verbal suggestion, and (4) puzzles were performed in a control condition.