Episode Details
Back to Episodes
How Career Burnout Rewrites Your Memory
Description
Episode 98 of The Burnout Podcast examines a lesser-known symptom of chronic workplace stress: how burnout alters your memory. Lucas and Luna unpack a 2024 study from the University of California, Berkeley, which found that elevated cortisol levels in burned-out professionals shrink the hippocampus by up to 3 percent a year — comparable to mild cognitive impairment. They discuss why you might forget meetings, struggle to recall what you read an hour ago, or feel like your brain is 'leaking.' The hosts also share practical, science-backed strategies for protecting your mental filing system, including sleep hygiene, aerobic exercise, and reducing multitasking. A grounded, eye-opening conversation for anyone who has ever walked into a room and forgotten why.