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submitted 11 months ago by half@lemy.lol to c/youshouldknow@lemmy.world

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/

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[-] Grimy@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

cuddling with a loved one, having sex

Why do I feel attacked. I'm guessing you want me to start eating healthy too. Unrealistic.

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 5 points 11 months ago

I consider jerking off sex with a loved one.

[-] Tangent5280@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

Will this work if I despise myself?

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 1 points 11 months ago

Might count as hatefucking but endorphins are endorphins!

[-] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 2 points 11 months ago

On one hand I see what you're saying, on the other hand...

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 2 points 11 months ago

Try switching hands

[-] ogmios@sh.itjust.works 1 points 11 months ago

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.

[-] gofsckyourself@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

This post is basically "there's a lot of stress and anxiety right now. try feeling good"

No shit

[-] Electric_Druid@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

Awareness of the process can sometimes be helpful, especially if it catches people in the middle of a doomscroll.

[-] gofsckyourself@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

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.

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 1 points 11 months ago

It's not easy, and it's not simple. It takes real effort and time, but it is also important.

[-] gofsckyourself@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Exactly. This post makes it seem easy. Which can be infuriating when you're struggling with it already.

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 0 points 11 months ago

Harness that fury into something good for yourself: Go for a run, train at the gym, do something physical until your anger subsides. Doesn't even have to be crazy, could just be going for a walk or jumping rope. Some days, it may eventually become easier for you, but when (at least some) people you see say stuff like that, all you can see is them in the present, and not all of their struggles, efforts, and even courage to get there and stay there.

Everyone is fighting their own internal battles, invisible to others, but real enough to them. Try to be more forgiving and understanding both to yourself and to them. It's not always easy, but it's worth it.

[-] gofsckyourself@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

I'm not sure how this comment is relevant to this conversation. My point is that this post is seeming minimizing the effort required to fight against the different causes of cortisol and may even make the situation worse.

[-] RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works 3 points 11 months ago

Read the title as Oxycontin and was like "damn, slow down Lemmy"

[-] Telorand@reddthat.com 2 points 11 months ago

Gonna be a really rough political cycle.

[-] ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 11 months ago

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)

[-] Chronographs@lemmy.zip 1 points 11 months ago

Let me just go to the loved one tree and grab a few to have sex with

[-] Tangent5280@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

Around these parts that is frowned upon

[-] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

option 1: die of neurotoxicity.

option 2: amuse oneself to death.

option 3: destroy the fascists.

[-] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 1 points 11 months ago

Ysk this is pop science

[-] entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 11 months ago

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.

[-] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

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?

[-] entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

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.

[-] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

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.

[-] dizzy@lemmy.ml 1 points 11 months ago

Cortisol is awesome for many things though!

[-] lemonskate@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago

them:

this is wild oversimplification

you:

cortisol bad

checks out

[-] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago

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!

[-] entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 11 months ago

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.

[-] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world -1 points 11 months ago

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.

[-] entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

And as we all know, popularity is the ultimate measure of good taste and scientific accuracy. /s

[-] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world -1 points 11 months ago

Just keep moving those goal posts buddy

this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2025
9 points (100.0% liked)

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