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  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Leadership Is Associated with Lower Levels of Stress

By: Gary D. Sherman, J. J. Lee, A.J.C. Cuddy, Jonathan Renshon, Christopher Oveis, James J. Gross and Jennifer S. Lerner
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Abstract

As leaders ascend to more powerful positions in their groups, they face ever-increasing demands. This has given rise to the common perception that leaders have higher stress levels than non-leaders. But if leaders also experience a heightened sense of control—a psychological factor known to have powerful stress-buffering effects—leadership should be associated with reduced stress levels. Using unique samples of real leaders, including military officers and government officials, we found that, compared to non-leaders, leaders had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower reports of anxiety (Study 1). In a second study, leaders holding more powerful positions exhibited lower cortisol levels and less anxiety than leaders holding less powerful positions, a relationship explained significantly by their greater sense of control. Altogether, these findings reveal a clear relationship between leadership and stress, with leadership level being inversely related to stress.

Keywords

Stress; Cortisol; Control; Leadership; Emotions; Power and Influence

Citation

Sherman, Gary D., J. J. Lee, A.J.C. Cuddy, Jonathan Renshon, Christopher Oveis, James J. Gross, and Jennifer S. Lerner. "Leadership Is Associated with Lower Levels of Stress." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, no. 44 (October 30, 2012): 17903–17907.
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  • Malleability Interventions in Intergroup Relations By: Smadar Cohen-Chen, Amit Goldenberg, James J. Gross and Eran Halperin
  • Loneliness Versus Distress: A Comparison of Emotion Regulation Profiles By: Alyssa J. Tan, Vincent Mancini, James J. Gross, Amit Goldenberg, Johanna C. Badcock, Michelle H. Lim, Rodrigo Becerra, Ben Jackson and David A. Preece
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