The initial impact of this singular word is attributed to a Twitter user, a skincare entrepreneur and self-proclaimed ‘collagen scientist’ who accused somebody criticizing her of “trying to spike my cortisol and make me less beautiful.” However, the concept didn't really spread further as a meme until it became associated with TikTok edits of YouTube nutrition influencer Goatis getting upset when reacting to various topics.
Those who take the cortisol meme most seriously are those interested in everything from holistic health to looksmaxxing, and are usually interested in avoiding the negative effects of the hormone due to its link to accelerated aging. Pre-meme, ‘cortisol face’ was a popular TikTok term to describe the tired and puffy appearance it supposedly caused.
This is not the first time that a substance the body produces has become memeable. Serotonin also had its moment in the sun thanks to its association with happiness, allowing it to become a reference point with memers who wanted to joke about their poor mental state, and their often misguided quest to up their levels of the chemical. Given that it is something we are guided to avoid, cortisol kind of acts as the inverse of this. Unlike the ‘treat yourself’ mentality of the serotonin seekers, it is all about self-improvement and abstaining from anything seem as bad in order to remain unbothered and attractive.
Now that social media has been around long enough for most of us to understand the culture that powers it, it makes sense that a growing contingent of users is tired of the rage-baiting and ridiculousness that it is often made up of (unless they have a chance to utilize it for engagement). These are stressful times, so in a way, both the cortisol minimizers and maximizers are saying it as they see it. Real status comes from being above it all, not drawn into these petty games designed to irritate us into an early grave.
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