this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2025
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You Should Know

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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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[–] [email protected] 32 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

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

No shit

[–] [email protected] 22 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 15 hours 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.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 day ago

having sex work for a lot of people

You only get to be happy if you're a busy prostitute. Get hustlin.

[–] [email protected] 137 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (7 children)

cuddling with a loved one, having sex

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

[–] [email protected] 56 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I consider jerking off sex with a loved one.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago

"I call it 'The Stranger'."

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago

(I know you're referencing "the hand" scene, but this meme is too good to let go to waste)

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

More like a hate-fuck lol.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Endorphins are endorphins!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago

Oh, maybe try some alternatives - swimming through a pile of cash and spaceflight have shown promising results.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Next OP want us to exercise.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Already subbed! Thank you (and also haha_ohh_wow) for always contributing to this community

[–] [email protected] 0 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

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.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You haven't experienced happiness until you've cuddled the homies.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

But, just like as a joke, you know.

It's okay if you keep your socks on.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day 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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If you can't make your own Oxytocin, store-bought is fine.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Same goes for OxyContin

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Actually... I've heard chocolate releases oxytocin so no, don't eat healthy!

[–] [email protected] 74 points 1 day ago (4 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 day ago

Gonna be a really rough political cycle.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago

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

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

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

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

You have no idea how careful I was every time I typed it out lol

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago

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

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day 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)

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago

My brain keeps trying to read oxycontin, and I'm like, duh?

But really, good reminder! 👍

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 day ago

having sex work for a lot of people

Having enough sex work for the people is important

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 day ago (3 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 17 hours ago

Cortisol is awesome for many things though!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

them:

this is wild oversimplification

you:

cortisol bad

checks out

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] -1 points 8 hours ago

Just keep moving those goal posts buddy

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago

What in the four humors?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Daddy owners set up a system that causes a lot of stress while limiting personal ability to obtain positive experiences.

Destressing and enjoying your life is a huge fuck you to these parasites. A happy person won't doom spend.

It is a sad world when only some people are able to enjoy this higher quality of life.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

Misreading the first word as "Diddy" was absolutely WILD for a moment, holy

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