Cortisol has become the internet’s favourite villain — but the science tells a more useful story. Cortisol is essential, acute stress is adaptive, and it’s chronic stress that carries the real brain cost. Here’s what prolonged stress does, how worried to actually be, why “cortisol detox” is a trap, and what genuinely helps.
Working memory is the cognitive function most directly responsible for how intelligent you seem — and how intelligent you feel. Understanding its biological capacity limit (4 ± 1 chunks), why the prefrontal cortex is uniquely vulnerable to stress and sleep deprivation, and the specific interventions with RCT evidence for improvement is the difference between vague advice and a precision protocol. This guide covers the neuroscience, the clinical evidence, and the four-layer optimisation protocol that Peter has refined across 40+ Creyos testing sessions.
