THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS AND THE CAR (CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSES) IN JAPANESE MALES

Abstract

Cortisol awakening response (CAR) is considered as an index of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Some studies have indicated that CAR might be different depending on psychological traits of individuals. The present study investigated relations between CAR and psychological traits in Japanese males. The results showed that there was a negative correlation between CAR and openness trait of "Big five", suggesting that the individuals with high openness are associate with low CAR compared to those with low openness. This inconsistent result with previous studies suggests that cultural factor affects the relation between CAR and psychological traits.