Why YSK: There is a lot of cortisol going on right now. A lot of people are stressed, angry, and afraid. Those emotions all deserve to be felt, but over time, cortisol becomes neurotoxic (inflicting permanent damage on the hippocampus).
Oxytocin (responsible for feelings of love, attraction, affection, etc) is a perfect foil to cortisol. If you notice yourself feeling angry or afraid for an amount of time that bothers you, adding some oxytocin to the situation might be helpful.
Luckily for us, our biology makes oxytocin pretty easy to come across. Different activities work better for different people, but cuddling with a pet or loved one, watching cute cat videos, or having sex work for a lot of people.
Here are a few interesting sources for further reading, if you are curious.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33632072/ https://www.nature.com/articles/srep30187 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5619133/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33632072/
cuddling with a loved one, having sex
Why do I feel attacked. I’m guessing you want me to start eating healthy too. Unrealistic.
Next OP want us to exercise.
Cortisol is actually a great joint lubricant iirc. Stretching, specifically before bed, helps you sleep better and can improve joint pain during sleep.
EDIT: I might be misremembering or misunderstanding the science here.
I just started cooking for myself. Began simply with pizza from scratch. Dough and sauce are both easy to make from raw ingredients, and the result is far better than frozen or delivery.
You haven’t experienced happiness until you’ve cuddled the homies.
But, just like as a joke, you know.
It’s okay if you keep your socks on.
Oh, maybe try some alternatives - swimming through a pile of cash and spaceflight have shown promising results.
Read the title as Oxycontin and was like “damn, slow down Lemmy”
Gonna be a really rough political cycle.
Funny enough OxyContin actually causes a temporary increase in cortisol. Opioids cause a stress response, body reacts by stimulating the HPA axis, and cortisol is released. Though long term use lead to dysregulation in cortisol levels and eventually blunted or irregular cortisol levels. withdrawal leads to spikes, and both withdrawal and chronic use lead to difficulty managing stress as a result
The more you know
You have no idea how careful I was every time I typed it out lol
Hah so did I. I got 1/3 of the way through the body of the post before I realized OP just ain’t cool
This post is basically “there’s a lot of stress and anxiety right now. try feeling good”
No shit
Awareness of the process can sometimes be helpful, especially if it catches people in the middle of a doomscroll.
I’ve only ever heard people saying these kinds of posts make them feel worse, rather than being helpful.
It makes it seem like “it’s so simple, just be happy and the stress will go away” while they, obviously, already want that but it feels unattainable to them. Thus making them feel even more like there’s something wrong with them because they can’t achieve something that is portrayed as a simple thing.
I get the intent of this post is in the right place, but in this case the execution is done poorly. It’s best to leave this sort of thing to people more skilled and knowledgeable in the very important nuances of this kind of communication.
This isn’t wrong, per say, but it’s an oversimplification of a complicated relationship
Cortisol can influence how sensitive the body is to oxytocin, for one. Similarly chronic stress can inhibit oxytocin release. Most people can recognize this effect: high stress scenarios lower the effect of all the stress remedies you’ve suggested. Doesn’t mean to not try them of course
The timing and context of cortisol release play an important role in whether it supports or hinders oxytocin’s effects. Short-term stress responses might be adaptive, while long-term chronic stress can be harmful to the body’s oxytocin system. As a result cortisol isn’t inherently “bad”. (This is aside from its role in metabolism, insulin response, circadian rhythms, etc)
having sex work for a lot of people
You only get to be happy if you’re a busy prostitute. Get hustlin.
What in the four humors?
This is not how human brains work. It’s a wild oversimplification of one of the most complex hunks of meat on the planet, to the point of silliness.
Meh. We know cortisol is bad, OP is suggesting ways to lower cortisol levels. I’m not sure why your immediate reaction is so inflammatory, pun intended, but maybe your complex hunk of meat should take OPs advice and chill out.
them:
this is wild oversimplification
you:
cortisol bad
checks out
It is an oversimplification for the study of neurochemistry, psychiatry, or neuro pathophysiology, yes. This is a casual YSK forum, where medical jargon is not useful, and plain language casual understanding is much more apropos. But thanks for the condescending comment!
So why not just say “stress is bad for you” instead of “cortisol is bad for you”, if plain language is better?
It would be more accurate, too.
You’d have to ask OP. I find that the average person has cursory knowledge of what cortisol is, and the 175 upvotes on the post seem to support that.
And as we all know, popularity is the ultimate measure of good taste and scientific accuracy. /s
Just keep moving those goal posts buddy
Cortisol is awesome for many things though!
What in the four humors?
It’s not an oversimplification to suggest countering negative and hostile thoughts/feelings by doing something that makes you happy. In fact, that’s one of the first things my therapist asked me about: what do you enjoy doing for fun?
It is a wild oversimplification to suggest that oxytocin is love/happiness and cortisol is stress/anger/fear.
I’m not saying picking yourself up emotionally when you’re down is bad, it’s like, the most obvious advice that almost anyone would give.
I’m saying the science here is shit. It’s woo-woo masquerading as brain chemistry knowledge by co-opting a few key words and phrases.
If you’re gonna give cliche advice, just own it instead of dressing it up as science when it isn’t. It’s insulting to the audience’s intelligence.
I’m gonna suggest, as someone who feels a bit ahead of the curve, very unhappy she was duly a “paranoiac” over the last 6 years … that simple things like meditation and congregating w. intentional community at regular intervals, have been studied and proven to elongate lifespan and reduce stress-related health risk factors. That plus 8-9h sleep are things too many of us sacrifice.
I totally follow that your criticism of what’s published is about it’s lack of adherance to scientific rigor…and what I’m suggesting is this Yes, AND: Sieze the opportunity to encourage those who arent welcome or inclined to be church going, to have secular, extracurricular gatherings with regularity. It is a rare opportunity to talk about sleep debt without being preachy because that is a more tangible offering tham the publication in question.
My brain keeps trying to read oxycontin, and I’m like, duh?
But really, good reminder! 👍
Let me just go to the loved one tree and grab a few to have sex with
Around these parts that is frowned upon
option 1: die of neurotoxicity.
option 2: amuse oneself to death.
option 3: destroy the fascists.
Ysk this is pop science
