
How Hormones Shape Sexual Development
In this episode, I discuss how hormones such as testosterone and estrogen and their derivatives impact the early development of the brain and body and their maturation. I review published data on environmental factors shown to powerfully alter hormone pathways in animals and humans and the effects of cannabis, alcohol and cell phones on testes, sperm, ovaries and hormones. I describe the predictable relationship between genes, beard growth and balding patterns, and the importance of estrogen for brain development in people of all chromosomal sexes. Finally, I discuss how the hormones we are exposed to in the womb shape the relative length of our finger digits, the sounds our ears make (yes you read that correctly), and how those correlate with people's self-reports of their sexual preferences. As always, basic information and tools are discussed. 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://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:30 AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:47 Announcement: Mood Meter App Works Again 00:08:00 Maximizing Learning from the Podcast 00:10:00 New Non-Sleep Deep Rest Protocol, Spanish Subtitles 00:11:35 Sexual Differentiation: Hormones, Neurons & Behavior 00:14:15 Hormones Basics 00:15:26 Sperm Meets Egg, Chromosomal Sex, Gonadal Sex 00:17:50 Y Chromosome Inhibition of Feminization 00:19:00 Placenta Is An Endocrine (Hormone-Producing) Organ, Adrenal Testosterone 00:19:45 Hormonal Sex, Morphological Sex 00:21:04 Hormones Fast & Slow, Sex Steroids Can Turn On Genes 00:23:06 Masculinization, Feminization, Demasculinization, Defeminization 00:23:42 Primary Sexual Characteristics: DHT Drives Penis Development 00:27:03 Secondary Sexual Characteristics 00:27:43 Penis Sprouting: Guevedoces 00:31:25 Estrogen, NOT Testosterone, Masculinizes The Brain 00:33:15 Breast Development In Males: Aromatase; Puberty, & Steroids in Athletes 00:34:50 Estrogen Powerfully Controls Brain Development In All Individuals 00:35:19 Avoiding Hormonal Disruption In Children & Adults: Specific Oils, Creams, Etc. 00:39:00 Environmental Endocrine Disruptors, Sperm Count Decline, Vincloziline 00:44:20 Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome: Hormones Need Receptors, SARMS 00:48:41 Estrogen Establishes “Masculine” Brain Circuits, Testosterone 00:49:42 Cannabis, Alcohol: In Babies, Puberty & Adults 00:56:25 Cell Phone Technology: Effects On Hormones, Ovaries, & Testicles 01:02:33 Beards & Baldness Patterns Around the World, DHT, 5-alpha-reductase 01:06:39 Creatine & DHT/Hair Loss 01:08:20 Predicting Aging Rates By Pubertal Rates 01:10:04 Hyenas, Baseball, & Jumbo Clitorises: Androstenedione 01:14:26 Intersex Moles 01:15:40 Marijuana Plants, Pollens: Plant-To-Animal “Warfare” 01:20:08 Finger Length Ratios, Prenatal Hormone Exposure & Sexual Orientation 01:29:13 Brain Dimorphisms with Sexual Orientation 01:32:00 “Older Brother Effects”: Male Fetuses Might Change Mothers & Subsequent Brothers 01:35:06 The Path Forward & A Warning 01:35:55 Support & Your Questions Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 Apr 20211h 34min

The Science of Emotions & Relationships
In this episode, I discuss the biology of emotions and moods in the context of relationships. I focus on the science of how early infant-caregiver attachment, combined with adolescence and puberty shape our adult patterns of attachment. I explain the three universal aspects of emotions, the reality of right-brain versus left-brain personalities, and how the roots of adult attachment are also grounded in specific aspects of puberty. I review what factors determine when puberty starts and ends, and the role of oxytocin and other chemicals in controlling how we perceive and remember others. As always, I refer to various practical tools including new tools for understanding and predicting our emotions before they occur, and neurochemicals that shape human connection. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:32 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:05:10 Announcing New Cost-Free Resources: Captions, NSDR Link 00:07:40 Emotions: Subjective Yet Tractable 00:10:53 To Understand Your Emotions: Look At Infancy & Puberty 00:15:21 Your First Feeling Was Anxiety 00:17:36 What Are “Healthy Emotions”? 00:19:03 Digital Tool For Predicting Your Emotions: Mood Meter App 00:21:08 The Architecture Of A Feeling: (At Least) 3 Key Questions To Ask Yourself 00:24:00 You Are An Infant: Bonds & Predictions 00:27:57 Attachment Style Hinges On How You Handle Disappointment 00:32:40 “Glue Points” Of Emotional Bonds: Gaze, Voice, Affect, Touch, (& Written) 00:36:34 “Emotional Health”: Awareness of the Interoceptive-Exteroceptive Dynamic 00:37:50 An Exercise: Controlling Interoceptive-Exteroceptive Bias 00:42:19 Getting Out Of Your Head: The Attentional Aperture 00:46:59 Puberty: Biology & Emotions On Deliberate Overdrive 00:47:58 Bodyfat & Puberty: The Leptin Connection 00:50:34 Pheromones: Mates, Timing Puberty, Spontaneous Miscarriage 00:54:37 Kisspeptin: Robust Trigger Of Puberty & Performance Enhancing Agent 00:58:26 Neuroplasticity Of Emotions: Becoming Specialists & Testing Emotional Bonds 01:00:25 Testing Driving Brain Circuits For Emotion: Dispersal 01:07:48 Science-Based Recommendations for Adolescents and Teens: The Autonomy Buffet 01:11:05 “Right-Brain Versus Left-Brain People”: Facts Versus Lies 01:14:18 Left Brain = Language, Right Brain = Spatial Awareness 01:16:15 How To Recognize “Right Brain Activity” In Speech: Prosody 01:18:32 Oxytocin: The Molecule of Synchronizing States 01:20:09 Mirror Neurons: Are Not For “Empathy”, Maybe For Predicting Behavior 01:23:00 Promoting Trust & Monogamy 01:27:00 Ways To Increase Oxytocin 01:28:34 Vasopressin: Aphrodisiac, Non-Monogamy and Anti-Bed-Wetting Qualities 01:30:43 Bonding Bodies, Not Just Minds: Vagus Nerve, Depression Relief Via the Body 01:35:18 A Powerful Tool For Enhancing Range & Depth of Emotional Experience 01:36:43 MDMA and Other Psychedelic Compounds: Building A Framework 01:38:54 Roundup, Various Forms of Support Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 Mars 20211h 37min

How to Increase Motivation & Drive
This episode explains the science of motivation and drive. I describe how dopamine — a chemical we all make in our brain, underlies our desire for and pursuit of our goals, as well as our capacity to move and experience pleasure. I describe how we can leverage specific behaviors, reward schedules and dopamine-prolactin balance to help ensure we can maintain motivation and capacity for pleasure over the long term. I also discuss dopamine in the context of ADHD, craving and addiction, and some absolutely amazing results about specificity of drug effects based purely on belief. 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://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:30 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:04:22 Announcement: Spanish Subtitles 00:05:06 Emotions, Addiction & Mindset 00:06:22 Motivation & Movement: The Dopamine Connection 00:07:29 A Double-Edged Dopamine Blade 00:08:56 Dopamine Fundamentals: Precursor to Adrenalin 00:10:15 The Reward Pathway: An Accelerator & A Brake 00:12:10 Motivation = Pleasure Plus Pain 00:14:14 The Dopamine Staircase: Food, Sex, Nicotine, Cocaine, Amphetamine 00:16:15 Subjective Control of Dopamine Release 00:17:40 Social Media and Video Games 00:18:15 Addiction & Dopamine: Progressively Diminishing Returns 00:18:48 Novelty, Sensation-Seeking & Anticipation 00:20:15 Craving: Part Pain, Part Pleasure & Pain Always Prevails 00:23:11 Desire Scales With Pain: The Yearning Function 00:24:43 The Croissant Craving Circuit 00:25:45 “Here and Now” Molecules: Serotonin, Bliss & Raphe Nucleus 00:26:26 In Your Skin Or Out In the World 00:27:25 Cannabinoids Lethargy & Forgetfulness 00:28:15 The Almond Meditation 00:29:30 Drugs That Shift Exteroception Versus Interoception 00:30:36 Emotional Balance, Active & Passive Manipulation 00:32:36 Procrastination: Leveraging Stress, Breathing, Caffeine, L-Tyrosine, Prescription Drugs 00:37:04 When Enough Is Never Enough; How Dopamine Undermines Itself 00:38:58 Dopamine-Prolactin Dynamics: Sex, Reproduction & Refractory Periods 00:40:30 The Coolidge Effect: Novelty-Induced Suppression of Prolactin 00:42:22 Vitamin B6, Zinc As Mild Prolactin Inhibitors 00:43:25 Schizophrenia, Dopamine Hyperactivity and Side Effects of Anti-Dopaminergic Drugs 00:45:08 Prolactin, Post-Satisfaction “Lows” & Extending the Arc of Dopamine 00:48:00 The Chemistry of “I Won, But Now What?” 00:49:00 Healthy Emotional Development: Child and Parent 00:50:03 Never Say “Maybe” (Reward Prediction Error) 00:52:02 Surprise! 00:52:59 Are You Suppressing Your Drive and Motivation By Working Too Late? 00:54:50 Disambiguating Pleasure and Drive: Dopamine Makes Us Anti-Lazy 00:58:00 Beta-Phenylethylamine (PEA), & Acetyl L-Carnitine 01:00:00 Attention Deficit Disorders, Cal Newport Books, Impulsivity & Obesity 01:03:55 Leveraging Dopamine Schedules 01:05:22 Subjective Control of Dopamine and Drug Effects: The “Adderall” Experiment 01:09:03 Caffeine May Protect Dopamine Neurons, Methamphetamine Kills Them 01:10:57 Nicotine: Dopamine, Possible Neuroprotection, Prolactin Increase 01:11:53 Gambling, Intermittent Reinforcement, & Persistent Goal Seeking (Bad and Good) 01:14:14 Intermittent Halting of Celebration; Enjoy Your Wins, But Not All of Them 01:18:38 A Story Example of Intermittent Reward to Maintain Long-Term Drive and Motivation 01:21:25 Corrections & Notes About Spanish Captions & Other Languages Soon 01:24:00 Synthesis & Framework, Zero-Cost Support & A Note About Sponsors Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 Mars 20211h 25min

How Foods & Nutrients Control Our Moods
This episode explains the brain-body connections that allow the specific foods we eat to control our moods and motivation. I discuss the vagus nerve and its role in dopamine and serotonin release in the brain. I review Omega-3 fatty acids and the key role of the gut microbiome in supporting (or hindering) our mental and emotional states. Many actionable tools are reviewed and discussed related to fasting, ketogenic and plant-based diets, probiotics, fermented foods, fish oils, artificial sweeteners, specific supplements that promote dopamine and serotonin, and some remarkable behavioral (and belief) effects. 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://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:05:00 Emotions: Aligning Mind & Body 00:06:41 Nutrients, Neurochemicals and Mood 00:08:39 Primitive Expressions and Actions 00:12:30 The Vagus Nerve: Truth, Fiction, Function 00:15:45 “Vagus Stimulation”: A Terrible Concept 00:16:35 Polyvagal Theory 00:18:27 Vagus Senses Many Things, & Moves Our Organs 00:19:35 Sugar Sensing Without Perception of Sweetness 00:23:00 Eating-Induced Anxiety 00:27:30 We Eat Until Our Brain Perceives “Amino Acid Threshold” 00:29:45 Reward Prediction Error: Buildup, Letdown and Wanting More 00:32:01 L-Tyrosine, Dopamine, Motivation, Mood, & Movement 00:34:04 Supplementing L-Tyrosine, Drugs of Abuse, Wellbutrin 00:38:29 Serotonin: Gut, Brain, Satiety and Prozac 00:43:38 Eating to Promote Dopamine (Daytime) & Serotonin (Night Time) 00:44:30 Supplementing Serotonin: Sleep, & Caution About Sleep Disruptions 00:46:40 Examine.com An Amazing Cost-Free Resource with Links to Science Papers 00:48:05 Mucuna Pruriens: The Dopamine Bean with a Serotonin Outer Shell 00:51:00 Emotional Context and Book Recommendation: “How Emotions Are Made” 00:54:55 Exercise: Powerful Mood Enhancer, But Lacks Specificity 00:56:45 Omega-3: Omega-6 Ratios, Fish Oil and Alleviating Depression 01:01:00 Fish Oil as Antidepressant 01:02:40 EPAs May Improve Mood via Heart Rate Variability: Gut-Heart-Brain 01:07:24 Alternatives to Fish Oil to Obtain Sufficient Omega-3/EPAs 01:09:05 L-Carnitine for Mood, Sperm and Ovary Quality, Autism, Fibromyalgia, Migraine 01:16:29 Gut-Microbiome: Myths, Truths & the Tubes Within Us 01:21:55 Probiotics, Brain Fog, Autism, Fermentation 01:25:20 Artificial Sweeteners & the Gut Microbiome: NOT All Bad; It Depends! 01:28:00 Ketogenic, Vegan, & Processed Food Effects, Individual Differences 01:33:20 Fasting-Based Depletion of Our Microbiome 01:35:20 How Mindset Effects Our Responses to Foods: Amazing (Ghrelin) Effects! 01:38:30 How Mindset Controls Our Metabolism 01:41:03 Closing Comments, Thanks, Support & Resources Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 Mars 20211h 40min

Master Stress: Tools for Managing Stress & Anxiety
This episode explains what stress is, and how it recruits our brain and body to react in specific ways. I describe the three main types of stress, and how two of them actually enhance the function of our immune system making us less vulnerable to infections. I review tools that allow us to control our stress in real-time, as well as tools to prevent long-term stress, burnout and stress-induced illness and anxiety. As always, we cover behavioral tools and supplements that can assist or hinder stress control. 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://www.wakingup.com/huberman More Huberman Lab Huberman Lab Premium: https://go.hubermanlab.com/premium Huberman Lab Shop: https://go.hubermanlab.com/merch Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:04:41 Emotions: A Logical Framework of Brain-Body Loops 00:10:29 Stress: The (Falsely Narrow) Animal Attack Narrative 00:14:31 The Stress RESPONSE: Generic, Channels blood, Biases Action 00:21:08 Tools to Actually Control Stress: Reduce Alertness or Increase Calm 00:24:15 The Fastest Way to Reduce Stress In Real Time: “Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia” 00:29:45 The Fastlane to Calm 00:34:53 Important Notes About Heart Rate Deceleration: Vaso-vagal Lag 00:36:50 Cyclic Sighing For Calm and Sleep Induction 00:37:57 Nasal Breathing For Cosmetic, Immune and Performance Enhancement 00:38:46 Two Breathing Centers In The Brain 00:39:45 Breathing For Speaking Clearly 00:40:39 The 3 Types of Stress: Short, Medium and Long-Term 00:42:10 Positive Effects of Short-Term Stress: Immunity and Focus 00:45:32 Adrenalin (Epinephrine) Deploys Killer Immune Cells 00:46:40 Cyclic Deep Breathing IS Stress: Wim Hof, Tummo & Super-Oxygenation 00:50:58 Inflammation Is Useful and Good, In the Short Term 00:52:02 Procrastination and Self-Manufactured Nootropics 00:53:00 Relaxation Can Cause Illness 00:54:30 Immune Activation Protocol 00:55:20 Medium Term Stress: A Clear Definition 00:56:07 Stress Threshold 00:57:10 Stress Inoculation Tools: Separating Mind & Body, On Purpose 00:59:50 Use Vision to Calm the Mind When the Body Is Agitated 01:02:36 Beyond NSDR 01:04:36 Long Term Stress: Definition, Measurement, Cardiovascular Risks 01:06:30 Tools for Dealing With Long Term Stress 01:08:20 The Oxytocin Myth 01:09:15 Serotonin: Satiety, Safety 01:12:00 Delight and Flexibility 01:13:30 Chemical Irritants We Make But Can Control: Tackykinin 01:15:40 Impactful Gratitude 01:16:25 Non-Prescription Chemical Compounds For Additional Anti-Stress Support 01:18:04 Melatonin: Cautionary Note About Adrenal Suppression 01:19:15 Adrenal Burnout Is A Myth… But Why You Need to Know About It Anyway 01:21:10 L-Theanine For Stress Reduction and Task Completion Anxiety 01:23:00 Beware Taurine and Energy Drinks With Taurine 01:23:30 Ashwagandha: Can Powerfully Lower Anxiety And Cortisol 01:25:50 Examine.com Is An Amazing Free Resource 01:26:20 How This All Relates to Emotions: State Versus Demand = Valence 01:32:00 Modulating Reactivity, Mindfulness, & Functionality With Objective Tools 01:34:00 Next Steps 01:35:40 Topic Suggestions, Subscriptions and Reviews Please 01:37:40 Additional Resources, Synthesis Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 Mars 20211h 35min

Control Pain & Heal Faster With Your Brain
In this episode, I describe the science of how and why pain arises in the body and brain, and how we can actively control our experience of pain. I discuss inflammation, stress, acupuncture, limb damage and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). I review protocols that leverage the lymphatic and nervous system to accelerate pain relief and healing in a variety of situations. Other topics discussed include how heat versus cold impacts neurons and wounds, red-light, sunlight, stem cells and more. 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://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction/Avenues for Support 00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:04:58 Deliberate Unlearning 00:06:43 Pain, Injury and Regeneration 00:09:17 A System of Touch (Somatosensation) 00:11:42 Pain and Injury are Dissociable 00:15:19 Objective versus Subjective Control of Experience 00:16:15 Plasticity of Perception 00:16:41 Lack of Pain Is Self-Destructive; So Is Excessive Pain 00:18:42 Homoculous, Ratonculous, Dogunculus 00:19:05 “Sensitivity” explained 00:21:30 Inflammation 00:22:24 Phantom Limb Pain 00:24:00 Top-down Relief of Pain by Vision 00:26:41 From Deaf to Hearing Sounds 00:28:10 Pain Is In The Mind & Body 00:29:44 Recovering Movement Faster After Injury 00:35:00 Don’t Over Compensate 00:37:34 Concussion, TBI & Brain Ageing 00:40:49 The Brain’s Sewage Treatment System: Glymphatic Clearance 00:43:05 Body Position & Angle During Sleep 00:44:30 Types of Exercise For Restoring & Maintaining Brain Health 00:47:33 Ambulance Cells in The Brain 00:49:20 True Pain Control by Belief and Context 00:51:45 Romantic Love and Pain 00:55:05 Dopaminergic Control of Pain 00:57:15 Acupuncture: Rigorous Scientific Assessment 01:07:32 Vagus Activation and Autonomic Control of Pain 01:08:30 Inflammation, Turmeric, Lead and DHT 01:11:40 Adrenalin: Wim Hof, Tummo, “Super-Oxygenation” Breathing 01:14:53 Protocols For Accelerating Tissue Repair & Managing Pain 01:17:55 Ice Is Not Always Nice (For Pain and Injury): Sludging, Fascia, Etc. 01:22:02 Chronic and/or Whole Body Pain; Red-Light Therapy, Sunlight 01:26:10 Glymphatics and Sleep 01:26:29 Stem Cells, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP): Shams, Shoulds and Should Nots 01:31:38 Young Blood: Actual Science 01:35:44 Synthesis, Support & Resources Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 Mars 20211h 35min

Optimize Your Learning & Creativity With Science-Based Tools
In this episode, I describe how to access focused learning bouts, creative states, and the underlying neural circuitry involved. I frame this in the context of our daily 24-hour cycle in order to make it practical, clear and precise about timing. I review the role of fasting, meal timing and specific types of nutrients for promoting certain states of mind. I also review various other tools and biological factors that directly or indirectly gate brain function and that we can control. I answer commonly asked questions about the science of psychedelics, binaural beats, and visualization. Thank you for your interest in science! 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 Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:30 Sponsors: AG1 & LMNT 00:04:53 The Daily (Learning) Routine 00:07:13 Plasticity Is NOT the Goal 00:09:26 No Obligation To Change 00:09:59 Practical Plasticity Language 00:13:37 Pillars of Neuroplasticity 00:15:16 My Daily Routine: Chronotype Management 00:17:20 Plasticity of the Wake-Sleep Circuit: Morning Light 00:19:09 Delay Caffeine! 00:21:19 Light, Black Coffee, Hydrate 00:22:57 High Alertness, Linear Tasks/Learning 00:25:12 Background Music/Noise: Yay or Nay? 00:26:52 “GO” versus “NO-GO”: The Basal Ganglia & Dopamine 00:28:37 Leveraging GO, NO-GO 00:30:08 Non-Specific Action 00:32:06 Clear, Calm, Focused: The GO, NO-GO Sweet Spot 00:33:48 When Very Alert, Work In Silence; When Tired, Include Background Noise 00:35:28 Temperaments Vary: And So Should This 00:36:01 The 3 Hour-Long Post Waking Block 00:36:20 Early Morning Exercise and GO Networks 00:38:05 Fasting, Ketogenic Diets, & Food Volume 00:39:41 Sodium/Electrolytes 00:40:57 Avoiding Hot Lunch, Food Pre-Occupation 00:42:01 Post Lunch Low/No Cognitive Load 00:42:56 Hydration, NSDR, Nap 00:44:54 Creativity Work 00:46:26 Creativity Is A Two-Part Phenomenon 00:51:15 Psychedelics 00:58:20 Afternoon Light As Insurance 01:00:26 Evening Nutrition 01:01:21 Repacking Glycogen: Hormonal Factors 01:04:11 Pre-Sleep Anxiety: Normal and Easy To Solve 01:07:08 The Power of Objective Tools 01:08:14 Visualization 01:11:34 Mini-Synthesis 01:13:31 Resetting Your Clock 01:15:55 Don’t Trust the Mind Now 01:16:59 Two, (Maybe 3) Optimization Bouts Per Day 01:18:33 Organizational Logic 01:20:22 Wim Hof Breathing, Binaural Beats, Ice Baths, Etc. 01:24:42 Variation Among People, and Dogs 01:25:49 Accurate Versus Exhaustive 01:27:57 Familiar and New Ways To Support Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 Feb 20211h 27min

How to Learn Faster by Using Failures, Movement & Balance
In this episode, I discuss how we can use specific types of behavior to change our brain, both for sake of learning the movements themselves and for allowing us to learn non-movement-based information as well. I describe the key role that errors play in triggering our brains to change and how the vestibular (balance) system can activate and amplify neuroplasticity. As always, I cover science and science-based practical tools. Thank you in advance for your questions and for your interest in science! 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://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:29 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:20 Nerves and Muscles 00:12:00 Exercise alone won’t change your brain 00:12:58 Behavior will change your brain 00:13:30 Remembering the wrong things 00:15:00 Behavior as the gate to plasticity 00:15:45 Types of Plasticity 00:17:32 Errors Not Flow Trigger Plasticity 00:21:30 Mechanisms of Plasticity 00:22:30 What to learn when you are young 00:23:50 Alignment of your brain maps: neuron sandwiches 00:26:00 Wearing Prisms On Your Face 00:29:10 The KEY Trigger Plasticity 00:32:20 Frustration Is the Feeling to Follow (Further into Learning) 00:33:10 Incremental Learning 00:35:30 Huberman Free Throws 00:38:50 Failure Specificity Triggers Specific Plastic Changes 00:40:20 Triggering Rapid, Massive Plasticity Made Possible 00:43:25 Addiction 00:45:25 An Example of Ultradian-Incremental Learning 00:49:42 Bad Events 00:51:55 Surprise! 00:52:00 Making Dopamine Work For You (Not The Other Way Around) 00:53:20 HOW to release dopamine 00:55:00 (Mental) Performance Enhancing Drugs 00:56:00 Timing Your Learning 00:57:36 (Chem)Trails of Neuroplasticity 00:58:57 The Three Key Levers To Accelerate Plasticity 00:59:15 Limbic Friction: Finding Clear, Calm and Focused 01:04:25 The First Question To Ask Yourself Before Learning 01:05:00 Balance 01:07:45 Cerebellum 01:10:00 Flow States Are Not The Path To Learning 01:11:18 Novelty and Instability Are Key 01:14:55 How to Arrive At Learning 01:15:45 The Other Reason Kids Learn Faster Than Adults 01:19:25 Learning French and Other Things Faster 01:22:00 Yoga versus Science 01:32:00 Closing Remarks Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 Feb 20211h 25min