I’ve been seeing the word “cortisol” thrown around online, as if every health influencer is suddenly an endocrinologist. So I asked Two Percent journalist Sam Nichols to investigate cortisol and separate the science from the nonsense. Here’s Sam:
The internet has decided cortisol is the villain.
Across TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn, you’ll hear that modern life is flooding your body with cortisol, a hormone released by the adrenal glands, located just above our kidneys.
The claim is that everyone has too much cortisol. This makes us overstressed and prone to disease. It’s why you’ve gained weight. Why your face looks puffy. Why (insert nearly any other malady).
The posts also sell fixes: Over-the-counter tests can reveal if we’re having a cortisol crisis. Supplements like ashwagandha can help. Cortisol detox diets and programs.
I’ve also read many news articles that vaguely describe this as a misunderstanding without ever explaining what the misunderstanding actually is. So I dug into the research and called a top endocrinologist and a top psychobiologist for answers.
Why “high cortisol” isn’t a real diagnosis for almost anyone—and what the influencers are getting wrong.
Why you actually want higher cortisol at some times of the day.
What can impact cortisol, including one factor more powerful than stress.
How cortisol impacts weight (it might), but the solution is much simpler than worrying about cortisol.
Tyler Cowen is a unicorn person who has a fascinating and surprising answer for anything you ask him. He also speaks efficiently—we ripped through the longest list of questions in Two Percent podcast history in just 50 minutes. Topics include:
Why initiative now beats intelligence
Why antidepressants are overprescribed
What challenge teaches us about happiness
The math of exercise and whether it’s worth the investment
Whether America has become complacent
How AI makes people smarter or stupider
When AI will improve human lifespan
And much more
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Now let’s get into the wacky world of cortisol—and discover the truth.
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