You weren’t feeling particularly stressed beforehand, which raises the question: Is stress actually…contagious? What is it about stress that spreads faster than the common cold? Here, neuroscientist Tara Swart, M.D., Ph.D., author of The Source, explains everything you need to know. And everyone has varying levels of cortisol, regardless of gender. “If somebody is stressed—particularly if they’re repressing it so their cortisol levels are high and it’s not being expressed by speaking or exercising—then that literally drifts into the atmosphere and goes through your skin into your blood and artificially raises your cortisol levels,” Swart says. In other words: Secondhand stress2 is very much real. It’s an unfortunate little factoid, but knowledge is power, is it not? You can also encourage folks you spend the most time with to open up about their stress if they feel comfortable doing so. That way, you’ll keep cortisol from leaking out of their skin and into yours and, more importantly, connect with a loved one in need. From there, find whatever stress-busting methods work best for you, whether it’s journaling, exercising, breathwork (Swart is a fan of an early morning breathing ritual), or even supplements. Yes, certain formulas can help bring your body’s cortisol back to baseline and relieve stress before it builds up into a problem. Find our favorite options here, all backed by science.
