When you’re bullied, your body goes into “fight-or-flight” mode over and over again, releasing cortisol (the stress hormone). A little bit of cortisol helps you react to danger, but when it’s constantly high, it can hurt your brain.
First, it affects your hippocampus, the part of your brain that helps you form new memories. Chronic cortisol can shrink this area, making it harder to remember positive things and harder to learn new ways to cope. At the same time, your amygdala (your brain’s fear center) becomes super-sensitive. It starts reacting to harmless things… like a neutral glance or comment… as if they’re threats. This makes you feel unsafe all the time.
Cortisol also damages the prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for thinking clearly, making decisions, and controlling emotions. This makes it harder to regulate your emotions and react rationally, especially in social situations.
Over time, bullying causes something called learned helplessness. This means you stop trying because every effort to defend yourself or improve your situation has been met with more pain. Your brain stops believing that things can get better, and you start thinking negative thoughts like, “I’m worthless” or “No one cares.”
Eventually, you withdraw from people. You crave kindness and support, but you’re too scared to ask for it, convinced that everyone will hurt you. This isolation only makes things worse.
First, it affects your hippocampus, the part of your brain that helps you form new memories. Chronic cortisol can shrink this area, making it harder to remember positive things and harder to learn new ways to cope. At the same time, your amygdala (your brain’s fear center) becomes super-sensitive. It starts reacting to harmless things… like a neutral glance or comment… as if they’re threats. This makes you feel unsafe all the time.
Cortisol also damages the prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for thinking clearly, making decisions, and controlling emotions. This makes it harder to regulate your emotions and react rationally, especially in social situations.
Over time, bullying causes something called learned helplessness. This means you stop trying because every effort to defend yourself or improve your situation has been met with more pain. Your brain stops believing that things can get better, and you start thinking negative thoughts like, “I’m worthless” or “No one cares.”
Eventually, you withdraw from people. You crave kindness and support, but you’re too scared to ask for it, convinced that everyone will hurt you. This isolation only makes things worse.
