Essentials: How to Increase Motivation & Drive

This episode my guest is Dr. Jack Feldman, Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles and a pioneering world expert in the science of respiration (breathing). We discuss how and why humans breathe the way we do, the function of the diaphragm and how it serves to increase oxygenation of the brain and body. We discuss how breathing influences mental state, fear, memory, reaction time, and more. And we discuss specific breathing protocols such as box-breathing, cyclic hyperventilation (similar to Wim Hof breathing), nasal versus mouth breathing, unilateral breathing, and how these each affect the brain and body. We discuss physiological sighs, peptides expressed by specific neurons controlling breathing, and magnesium compounds that can improve cognitive ability and how they work. This conversation serves as a sort of "Master Class" on the science of breathing and breathing-related tools for health and performance.  For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introducing Dr. Jack Feldman (00:03:20) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up (00:10:35) Why We Breathe  (00:14:35) Neural Control of Breathing: “Pre-Botzinger Complex” (00:16:20) Nose vs Mouth Breathing (00:18:18) Skeletal vs. Smooth Muscles: Diaphragm, Intracostals & Airway Muscles (00:20:11) Two Breathing Oscillators: Pre-Botzinger Complex & Parafacial Nucleus (00:26:20) How We Breathe Is Special (Compared to Non-Mammals) (00:33:40) Stomach & Chest Movements During Breathing (00:36:23) Physiological Sighs, Alveoli Re-Filling, Bombesin (00:49:39) If We Don’t Sigh, Our Lung (& General) Health Suffers (01:00:42) Breathing, Brain States & Emotions  (01:05:34) Meditating Mice, Eliminating Fear  (01:11:00) Brain States, Amygdala, Locked-In Syndrome, Laughing (01:16:25) Facial Expressions (01:19:00) Locus Coeruleus & Alertness (01:29:40) Breath Holds, Apnea, Episodic Hypoxia, Hypercapnia (01:35:22) Stroke, Muscle Strength, TBI (01:38:08) Cyclic Hyperventilation (01:39:50) Hyperbaric Chambers (01:40:41) Nasal Breathing, Memory, Right vs. Left Nostril (01:44:50) Breathing Coordinates Everything: Reaction Time, Fear, etc. (01:57:13) Dr. Feldman’s Breathwork Protocols, Post-Lunch  (02:02:05) Deliberately Variable Breathwork: The Feldman Protocol (02:06:29) Magnesium Threonate & Cognition & Memory  (02:18:27) Gratitude for Dr. Feldman’s Highly Impactful Work (02:20:53) Zero-Cost Support, Sponsors, Instagram, Twitter, Supplements Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Jan 20222h 18min

In this episode, I review the science of habit formation and habit elimination and how the process of neuroplasticity (brain rewiring) underlies these processes. I describe two new systems for habit formation. The first system is grounded in the neuroscience of brain states and our ability to perform (and to avoid) certain tasks at different phases of the 24-hour day. The second system focuses on 21-day habit formation and consolidation. I also discuss "task bracketing" as an approach to enhancing habit formation and eliminating unwanted habits and the neural circuits that underlie task bracketing in the basal ganglia (a brain region for generating and stopping behaviors). I also review the science of dopamine rewards and how to apply that knowledge to shaping habits. The science and tools in this episode ought to be helpful for anyone looking to build better habits and eliminate unwanted habits for school, work, fitness, relationships, creative endeavors, and more—indeed for any person or situation where behavioral changes are needed. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introducing Habits; New Programs (00:02:46) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up (00:06:52) Habits versus Reflexes, Learning, Neuroplasticity (00:08:51) Goal-Based Habits vs. Identity-Based Habits (00:11:40) How Long It (Really) Takes to Form a Habit; Limbic-Friction (00:16:07) Linchpin Habits  (00:18:55) Mapping Your Habits; Habit Strength, Context-Dependence (00:22:55) Automaticity (00:24:03) Tool 1: Applying Procedural Memory Visualizations (00:27:48) Hebbian Learning, NMDA receptors (00:31:00) Tool 2: Task Bracketing; Dorsolateral Striatum (00:37:08) States of Mind, Not Scheduling Time Predicts Habit Strength (00:38:16) Tool 3: Phase-Based Habit Plan: Phase 1 (00:46:29) Tool 3: Phase-Based Habit Plan: Phase 2 (00:55:24) Tool 3: Phase-Based Habit Plan: Phase 3 (01:01:34) Habit Flexibility (01:04:57) Should We Reward Ourselves? How? When? When NOT to. (01:10:30) Tool 4: “Dopamine Spotlighting” & Task Bracketing (01:18:22) Tool 5: The 21-Day Habit Installation & Testing System (01:28:26) Breaking Habits: Long-Term (Synaptic) Depression (01:35:49) Notifications Don’t Work (01:37:50) Tool 6: Break Bad Habits with Post-Bad-Habit “Positive Cargo” (01:44:26) Addictions as Habits: https://hubermanlab.com/dr-anna-lembke-understanding-and-treating-addiction (01:45:28) Conclusion & Synthesis  (01:48:27) Zero-Cost Support, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram, Twitter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Jan 20221h 47min

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. David Sinclair, tenured Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and an expert researcher in the field of longevity. Dr. Sinclair is also the author of the book Lifespan: Why We Age & Why We Don't Have To, and the host of the Lifespan Podcast, which launches January 5, 2022.  In this interview, we discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms of aging and what we all can do to slow or reverse the aging process. We discuss fasting and supplementation with resveratrol, NAD, metformin, and NMN. We also discuss the use of caffeine, exercise, cold exposure, and why excessive iron load is bad for us. We discuss food choices for offsetting aging and promoting autophagy (clearance of dead cells). And we discuss the key blood markers everyone should monitor to determine your biological versus chronological age. We also discuss the future of longevity research and technology. This episode includes lots of basic science and specific, actionable protocols, right down to the details of what to do and when. By the end, you will have in-depth knowledge of the biology of aging and how to offset it. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. David Sinclair, Harvard Medical School   00:03:45 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:07:45 “Aging as a Disease” vs. Longevity & Anti-Aging   00:10:23 What Causes Aging? The Epigenome   00:15:53 Cosmetic Aging   00:17:15 Development Never Stops, Horvath Clock   00:20:12 Puberty Rate as a Determinant of Aging Rate   00:23:00 Fasting, Hunger & Food Choices   00:32:44 Fasting Schedules, Long Fasts, (Macro)Autophagy   00:34:50 Caffeine, Electrolytes   00:35:56 Blood Glucose & the Sirtuins; mTOR   00:37:55 Amino Acids: Leucine, “Pulsing”   00:44:35 Metformin, Berberine   00:50:29 Resveratrol, Wine   00:53:20 What Breaks a Fast?   00:56:45 Resveratrol, NAD, NMN, NR; Dosage, Timing   01:09:10 Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad for Us?   01:12:04 Iron Load & Aging   01:15:05 Blood Work Analysis   01:19:37 C-Reactive Protein, Cholesterol: Serum & Dietary   01:26:02 Amino Acids, Plants, Antioxidants   01:33:45 Behaviors That Extend Lifespan, Testosterone, Estrogen   01:40:35 Neuroplasticity & Neural Repair   01:46:19 Ice Baths, Cold Showers, “Metabolic Winter”   01:48:07 Obesity & How It Accelerates Aging, GnRH   01:52:10 Methylation, Methylene Blue, Cigarettes   01:56:17 X-Rays   01:59:00 Public Science Education, Personal Health   02:05:40 The Sinclair Test You Can Take: www.doctorsinclair.com   02:08:13 Zero-Cost Support & Resources, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27 Dec 20212h 7min

This episode I discuss the science of social bonding- the process by which we form attachments. I explain the neural and hormonal basis for "social homeostasis" (our drive for a given amount of socializing) which reveals why we get lonely, why we seek out connection with others and how power dynamics (hierarchies) shape those connections. I also discuss the neurochemical basis of introversion and extroversion, of trust and how shared experiences that promote similar physiological states in two or more individuals, leads to more rapid bonding. I also discuss how food and oxytocin play key roles in social bonding. This episode covers quality peer-reviewed science and practical tools for anyone seeking to find, build or end relationships. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Social Bonding: Child-Parent, Romantic, Friendship, Breakups   00:03:10 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:07:08 Social Bonding as a Biological Process   00:10:03 Social Isolation   00:13:32 Social Homeostasis & Neural Circuits for Social Drive   00:18:55 Brain Areas & (Neuro)Chemistry of Social Drive   00:22:48 What Is Social Homeostasis & Dopamine   00:27:00 When We Lack Social Interactions: Short- Versus Long-Term   00:28:10 Introverts & Extroverts   00:31:00 “Good” Versus “Bad” Social Interactions & Hierarchies   00:33:54 Loneliness & Dorsal Raphe Nucleus & Social Hunger   00:37:33 Tools   00:38:05 Socializing & Food Appetite: Crossover Craving   00:42:45 Falling in Love   00:45:05 Tools for Social Bonds: Merging Physiologies; Story   00:53:54 Childhood Attachment Patterns in Adulthood   01:03:45 Attachment Styles: Autonomic Versus Intellectual Attachment   01:06:10 Emotional Empathy & Cognitive Empathy, Arguing   01:09:45 Allan N. Schore & “Right Brain Psychotherapy”   01:10:40 Oxytocin & Trust, In Males Versus Females, Hormonal Glue   01:16:10 Repairing Broken Bonds to Self & Others   01:18:56 Social (Media) Butterflies: Biological Basis   01:24:08 Key Points for Bonding & Understanding Social Bonds   01:27:07 Breaking Up   01:28:36 Synthesis   01:31:17 Zero-Cost Support, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram, Twitter   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Dec 20211h 30min

In this episode, my guest is Dr. David Berson, Ph.D., Professor & Chairman of Neuroscience at Brown University. Dr. Berson discovered the neurons in your eye that set your biological rhythms for sleep, wakefulness, mood and appetite. He is also a world-renowned teacher of basic and advanced neuroscience, having taught thousands of university lectures on this topic. Many of his students have become world-leading neuroscientists and teachers themselves.  Here Dr. Berson takes us on a structured journey into and around the nervous system, explaining: how we perceive the world and our internal landscape, how we balance, see, and remember. Also, how we learn and perform reflexive and deliberate actions, how we visualize and imagine in our mind, and how the various circuits of the brain coordinate all these incredible feats.  We discuss practical and real-life examples of neural circuit function across the lifespan. Dr. Berson gives us a masterclass in the nervous system—one that, in just less than two hours, will teach you an entire course's worth about the brain and how yours works. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. David Berson   00:03:11 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:08:02 How We See   00:10:02 Color Vision   00:13:47 “Strange” Vision   00:16:56 How You Orient In Time   00:25:45 Body Rhythms, Pineal Function, Light & Melatonin, Blueblockers   00:34:45 Spending Time Outdoors Improves Eyesight   00:36:20 Sensation, Mood, & Self-Image   00:41:03 Sense of Balance   00:50:43 Why Pigeons Bob Their Heads, Motion Sickness   01:00:03 Popping Ears   01:02:35 Midbrain & Blindsight   01:10:44 Why Tilted Motion Feels Good   01:13:24 Reflexes vs. Deliberate Actions   01:16:35 Basal Ganglia & the “2 Marshmallow Test”   01:24:40 Suppressing Reflexes: Cortex   01:33:33 Neuroplasticity   01:36:27 What is a Connectome?   01:45:20 How to Learn (More About the Brain)   01:49:04 Book Suggestion, My Berson Appreciation   01:50:20 Zero-Cost Ways to Support the HLP, Guest Suggestions, Sponsors, Supplements   Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 Dec 20211h 49min

In this episode, I discuss fear and trauma, including the neural circuits involved in the "threat reflex" and how specific experiences and memories come to activate that system. I also discuss how our body is involved in trauma and fear. First, I describe the logic of fear mechanisms and how "top-down" processing-- meaning connections from the parts of the brain that assign meaning to our feelings, are involved in fear and erasing fears and traumas. Then I discuss what successful fear and trauma treatment must include and consider various treatments for whether they meet that standard, such as EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Ketamine, other drug-assisted therapies, and more. I also review new data on how 5 minutes per day of deliberate, self-imposed stress can erase fear and depression. And I review the role that social connection plays in erasing or maintaining fears by activating specific molecular pathways in the brain and body. Finally, I review supplementation with over-the-counter compounds for their effects on anxiety and fear and when to take them, if at all.  Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Fear, Trauma & Trauma   00:02:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:49 What is Fear?   00:11:45 Autonomic Arousal: “Alertness” vs. “Calmness”   00:13:44 Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA axis)   00:17:36 “The Threat Reflex”: Neural Circuits for Fear   00:28:24 Controlling Fear: Top-Down Processing   00:32:27 Narratives: “Protective or Dangerous”   00:35:58 Attaching Fear to Events: Classical Conditioning & Memory   00:41:45 How Fear Learning Occurs: Long Term Potentiation, NMDA   00:46:10 Extinguishing (Reducing) Fears   00:50:25 Cognitive (Narrative) Therapies for Fear   00:57:56 Repetition of Narrative, Overwriting Bad Experiences with Good   01:05:28 EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing   01:14:00 Social Connection & Isolation Are Chemically Powerful   01:18:23 Trans-Generational Trauma   01:25:00 PTSD Treatments: Ketamine, MDMA, Oxytocin   01:39:25 How Do You Know If You Are Traumatized?   01:46:16 Deliberate Brief Stress Can Erase Fears & Trauma   01:49:50 Erasing Fears & Traumas in 5 Minutes Per Day   01:59:42 Nutrition, Sleep, & Other General Support Erasing Fear & Trauma   02:02:30 Supplements for Anxiety, Fear: Saffron, Inositol, Kava   02:10:00 Synthesis   02:11:46 Zero-Cost Support, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram, Twitter   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Dec 20212h 10min

In this episode, my guest is Dr. David Buss, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, and one of the founding members of the field of evolutionary psychology. Dr. Buss describes his work on how people select mates for short and long-term relationships, the dynamics of human courtship, and mate value assessment — meaning how people measure up as potential partners. We also discuss the causes of infidelity and differences for infidelity in men and women. He explains how people evaluate and try to alter other people’s mate value as a means to secure and even poach mates. We discuss monogamous and non-monogamous relationships in humans. And we discuss what Dr. Buss calls “the dark triad” — features common in stalkers and narcissists that relate to sexual and psychological violence in relationships. This episode is sure to be of interest to anyone single or in a relationship who seeks to know how people select mates and anyone who is interested in forming and maintaining healthy romantic partnerships.  Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Dr. David Buss   00:04:27 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:08:33 Choosing a Mate   00:13:40 Long Term Mates: Universal Desires   00:18:31 What Women & Men Seek in Long-Term Mates   00:25:10 Age Differences & Mating History   00:32:20 Deception in Courtship   00:37:30 Emotional Stability   00:38:40 Lying About Long-Term Interest   00:41:56 Short-Term Mating Criteria, Sliding Standards & Context Effects   00:46:25 Sexual Infidelity: Variety Seeking & (Un)happiness & Mate Switching   00:54:25 Genetic Cuckolds, How Ovulation Impacts Mate Preference   00:57:00 Long-Term vs. Short-Term Cheating, Concealment   00:59:15 Emotional & Financial Infidelity   01:04:35 Contraception   01:06:22 Status & Mating Success   01:10:10 Jealousy, Mate Value Discrepancies, Vigilance, Violence   01:24:13 Specificity of Intimate Partner Violence   01:25:12 Mate Retention Tactics: Denigration, Guilt, Etc.   01:27:33 Narcissism, Machiavellianism, Psychopathy   01:33:25 Stalking   01:39:15 Influence of Children on Mate Value Assessments   01:43:24 Attachment Styles, Mate Choice & Infidelity   01:46:40 Non-Monogamy, Unconventional Relationships   01:54:00 Mate Value Self Evaluation, Anxiety About the Truth   02:02:12 Self Deception   02:05:35 The Future of Evolutionary Psychology & Neuroscience   02:06:56 Books: When Men Behave Badly, The Evolution of Desire, Textbooks   02:10:42 Concluding Statements, Zero-Cost Support: Subscribe, Sponsors, Supplements   Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Nov 20212h 10min

In this episode, I discuss the science of gratitude, which has been shown in peer-reviewed studies to have tremendous positive effects on mental and physical health. I explain, however, that most commonly used gratitude practices are ineffective (such as gratitude lists). The key elements of highly effective gratitude practices are described, including the essential need for story (narrative), receiving or perceiving gratitude rather than giving it, and the role that theory of mind plays in this context. I also discuss why we can't simply make up feelings of gratitude and how reluctance undermines the process. I also explain the neural circuit mechanisms that underlie the reductions in fear and increases in motivation and lowering of inflammatory chemicals that effective narrative-based gratitude can trigger. Throughout the episode, I use the science of gratitude to design a brief but highly effective protocol.  Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction: Gratitude Science & Surprises   00:01:50 Controlling Heart Rate with Story   00:04:48 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:09:11 Major, Long-Lasting Benefits of Gratitude Practice   00:12:20 Prosocial vs. Defensive Thinking, Behaviors, & Neural Circuits   00:17:50 Why We All Need an Effective Gratitude Practice   00:21:22 Neurochemistry & Neural Circuits of Gratitude   00:25:10 Prefrontal Cortex Set Context   00:30:10 Ineffective Gratitude Practices; Autonomic Variables   00:34:55 Key Features of Effective Gratitude Practices: Receiving Thanks & Story   00:42:30 Theory of Mind Is Key   00:45:50 Building Effective Gratitude Practices: Adopting Narratives, Duration   00:52:28 Narratives That Shift Brain-Body Circuits   00:56:15 You Can’t Lie About Liking Something; Reluctance in Giving   00:59:55 How Gratitude Changes Your Brain: Reduces Anxiety, Increases Motivation   01:03:00 5 Minutes (Is More Than Enough), 3X Weekly, Timing Each Day   01:05:44 Empathy & Anterior Cingulate Cortex   01:07:35 Reducing Inflammation & Fear with Gratitude   01:10:56 Serotonin, Kanna/Zembrin   01:16:00 Neuroplasticity, Pharmacology, Brain Machine Interfaces   01:18:50 The Best Gratitude Practices: & How To, My Protocol   01:24:25 Subscribe & Feedback, Supporting Sponsors, Supplements   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Nov 20211h 22min