Individual differences in stress responses in birds: In mammals, 1) social relationships with other individuals of the same species weaken stress responses via oxytocin system, and 2) there are individual differences in the degree of stress responses and the reduction of oxytocin-mediated responses. Birds establish affiliative relationships with their breeding mate and social mates through vocal communication. We aim to clarify individual differences in stress responses and social buffering effects in birds from a behavioral endocrinological perspective.

Stress and bird song: Bird song is known to have a buffering effect on human stress. We will address the issue of the stress-reducing effect of twittering.