These changes closely correspond with changes in the behavioral suites of some animals. The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, with some caveats. The main caveat being that the larger the neocortex volume to brain weight ratio, the more an animal will be able to overcome effects of the shifts in physiology. Stress in animals is another topic in which I am interested. Stress, as I choose to define it, can be broken into two categories, nutritional stress and social stress.
Social stress is another phenomenon altogether.
Social stress is typically a response to negative social interactions with conspecifics. These interactions can include, but are not limited to competition for territory or nutritional resources and competition for mates. Human social interaction are very complex and growing more so by the day. As animal researchers, we are limited in our scope of understanding other animals, and should remain cautious about anthropomophizing. As a final interest, I am interested in the development social dynamics and physiology in animals.