How Architects Produce Hormones

Architectural work is not only mental or visual. It is deeply physical and emotional. Deadlines, precision, responsibility, and long hours trigger real hormonal responses in the body. Below is a non-scientific but very real breakdown of how architects “produce” hormones during the design process.

1. Dopamine
   Fixing a 3 mm misalignment in a column grid
   
2. Cortisol
   The plotter starts recalibrating 43 minutes before final submission
   
3. Adrenaline
   Explaining a radical design decision you came up with at 4:12 am
   
4. Insulin
   Compulsive pizza loading before the deadline
   
5. Serotonin
   The façade works in plan, section, and elevation
   
6. Testosterone
   Rejecting decorative nonsense with confidence
   
7. Estrogen
   Designing for people, not for juries
   
8. Oxytocin
   A colleague defends your plan publicly
   
9. Endorphins
   Leaving the studio at sunrise when the project is done and it is good
   
10. Noradrenaline
    Spotting a dimension error from across the room
    
11. Glucagon
    Skipping meals during a flow state
    
12. Prolactin
    Emotional crash after submission, including crying
    
13. Adenosine
    Staring at the screen without blinking
    
14. Melatonin
    The body shuts down automatically after 48 hours without sleep, once the deadline noise stops

These reactions are not metaphors. They are part of how architectural work affects the body and mind. Architecture is not only about buildings. It is about endurance, perception, responsibility, and care.