How Nature & Other Physical Environments Impact Your Focus, Cognition & Health | Dr. Marc Berman

In this episode, I discuss how our brain and body track time and the role that neurochemicals, in particular dopamine and serotonin, but also hormones such as melatonin, allow us to orient ourselves in time. I review the three types of time perception: of the past, of the present, and the future, and how dopamine and serotonin adjust both our perception of the speed of the passage of time and our memory of how long previous experiences lasted. I also discuss circannual entrainment, which is the process by which our brain and body are matched to the seasons, and circadian (24 hours) entrainment, both of which subconsciously adjust our perceived measurement of time. I explain the mechanisms of that subconscious control. And I cover the ultradian (90 minutes) rhythms that govern our ability to focus, including how to track when these 90-minute rhythms begin and end for the sake of work and productivity. I include ten tools based on the science of time perception that you can apply to enhance productivity, creativity, and relationships in various contexts.  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 Time Perception, Note on Fasting & Supplements   00:05:28 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:09:25 Entrainment, Circannual Entrainment, Melatonin   00:13:20 Seasonal Oscillations in Testosterone & Estrogen, Tool 1   00:16:06 Circadian Timing, Tools 1, 2, 3 (for Circadian Entrainment)   00:21:13 Tool 4: Timing Physical Activity; Tool 5: Timing Eating Window   00:23:00 When Circadian Entrainment Is Disrupted, Time Perception Suffers   00:25:00 Tool 6: Ultradian (90min) Cycles & Focus   00:31:42 Our Sense of the Passage of Time: Present, Prospective, Retrospective   00:34:40 Dopamine (& Nor/epinephrine) Lead to Time Overestimation; Frame Rate   00:37:18 Serotonin & Time Underestimation; Decreased Frame Rate   00:39:10 Dopamine vs. Serotonin Across the Day; Tool 7: When to Do Rigid vs. Creative Work   00:42:38 Example of Tool 7   00:43:38 How Sleep Deprivation Degrades Performance   00:44:38 Trauma, “Over-clocking” & Memories; Adjusting Rates of Experience   00:50:04 Why Trauma Involves Dopamine & Epinephrine, Arousal   00:51:03 Dopamine, Spontaneous Blinking & Time Perception; Tool 8   00:53:38 Deliberate Cold Exposure, Dopamine, Tool 9: Adjusting Frame Rate in Discomfort   00:56:30 Fun “Feels Fast” BUT Is Remembered as Slow; Boring Stuff “Feels Slow,” Recall as Fast   01:00:54 Retrospective Time, Context Variation & Enhanced Bonding with Places & People   01:03:00 Dopamine Release Resets the Start of Each Time Bin on Our Experience   01:07:40 Habits & Time Perception; Tool 10 (Setting Functional Units of Each Day)   01:11:58 Synthesis & Book Suggestion (Your Brain Is a Time Machine by D. Buonomano)   01:12:27 Supporting the HLP: Subscribe, Instagram, Supplements   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Nov 20211h 11min

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Duncan French, Ph.D., the Vice President of Performance at the UFC Performance Institute and a world-class performance specialist. We discuss specific resistance (weight) training regimens for increasing testosterone in men and women and how to vary mechanical loads and rest between sets and workouts to optimize hormone output and training results. We also discuss how stress-induced "catecholamines" can increase testosterone or decrease it, depending on duration and mindset. And we discuss specific cold- and heat- therapies for increasing resilience, reducing inflammation, heat shock proteins and more. We discuss nutrition for training and how to match nutrition to training goals and metabolic flexibility. We discuss mental focus and how long to train for skill development. Finally, we discuss how mixed martial arts and the UFC Performance Institute are a template for exploring human performance more generally. This episode is intended for anyone interested in athletic and mental performance: athletes, students, and recreational exercisers and includes both science and many practical tools people can apply in their own training.  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. Duncan French   00:02:44 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:05:44 Duncan’s Background in Exercise Science   00:11:45 How Certain Exercises Increase Testosterone   00:16:22 What Kind of Training Increases Testosterone & Growth Hormone?   00:20:19 Intensity: Mechanical Load; Volume: Metabolic Load; Inter-set Rest Periods   00:25:25 Training Frequency & Combining Workout Goals   00:29:35 How Stress Can Increase or Decrease Testosterone   00:36:55 Using Cold Exposure for Mindset, Anti-Inflammation, Muscle-Growth   00:46:55 Skill Development   00:50:05 Why Hard Exercise Creates Brain Fog: Role of Nutrition   00:53:55 Low-Carbohydrate Versus All-Macronutrient Diets on Performance   00:56:15 Ketones & Brain Energy, Offsetting Brain Injury; Spiking Glucose During Ketosis   00:59:13 Metabolic Efficiency, Matching Nutrition to Training, “Needs Based Eating”   01:05:00 Duncan’s Work with Olympic Athletes, NCAA, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)   01:08:00 Why UFC & MMA (Mixed-Martial Arts) Are So Valuable for Advancing Performance   01:12:40 Voluntarily Switching Between Different States of Arousal   01:14:30 Heat, Getting Better at Sweating, Heat Shock Proteins, Sauna   01:20:12 Using Rotating 12-Week Training Programs; Logging Objective & Subjective Data   01:24:07 Surprising & Unknown Aspects of The UFC and UFC Performance Institute   01:27:45 Conclusions, Zero-Cost Support, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Nov 20211h 28min

This episode teaches you a lot about the immune system, immune-brain interactions and offers 12 potential tools for enhancing immune system function. I discuss how our immune system works and science-supported tools we can use to enhance our immune system. I discuss the innate and adaptive immune systems and our various microbiomes-- not just in our gut but also in our nose, eyes and mouth and how to keep them healthy. And I review how specific patterns of breathing and foods maintain a healthy mucosal barrier that is crucial for fighting infections. I discuss how certain neurochemicals called catecholamines enhance our immune system function and how to use specific breathing protocols, types and timing of heat and cold exposure, and, if appropriate, supplementation to activate catecholamines. I also discuss the role and use of serotonin for the sake of accessing the specific types of sleep for recovering from illness, and I discuss how to increase glymphatic "washout" of brain debris during sleep. I also review fever, the vagus nerve and the use of atypical yet highly effective compounds for rhinitis (nasal inflammation). 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 The Mind & Immune System, New Findings: Acupuncture & Fascia   00:03:16 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:07:41 Foundational Tools & Practices for a Healthy Immune System   00:11:20 Immune System Basics: Skin/Mucous, Innate & Adaptive Immune System   00:17:08 Killer Cells, Complement Proteins (“Eat Me!” Signals), Cytokines (“Help Me!” Signals)   00:21:06 The Adaptive Immune System: Antibodies   00:28:00 Tool 1: Nasal Microbiome and “Scrubbing” Bacteria & Viruses; Nasal Breathing   00:30:33 Tools 2 & 3: (Not) Touching Your Eyes; Gut Microbiome & Fermented Foods   00:34:20 Some Interleukins Are Anti-Inflammatory   00:34:56 Sickness Behavior   00:39:08 Some People Seek Care When Sick, Others Want to be Alone   00:42:00 Sickness Behavior & Depression: Cytokines   00:43:40 Reduced Appetites When Sick: Protein, Iron, Libido   00:46:45 Vagus-Nerve Stimulation: Fever, Photophobia, Sleepiness   00:53:03 Humoral (Blood-Borne) Factors, & Choroid Change Your Brain State   00:55:04 Tools 4, 5: Reducing Sickness: Glymphatic Clearance, Pre-Sleep Serotonin, 5HTP   01:07:03 Tool 6: Hot Showers, Saunas, Baths & Cortisol, Heat-Cold Contrast   01:10:53 Feed a Fever & Starve a Cold (?), Adrenaline   01:12:36 Tool 7: Activating Your Immune System w/Cyclic-Hyperventilation, Alkalinity   01:29:10 Brain Chemicals & Cyclic-Hyperventilation; Catecholamines, Dopamine   01:32:10 Mindsets & Immune Function; Yes, You Can Worry Yourself Sick   01:37:00 Tool 8: Healthy Mindsets, Hope, Dopamine; Tool 9: Tyrosine; Tool 10: Cold Exposure   01:42:05 Once You’re Already Sick: Accelerating Recovery; Tool 11: Spirulina, Rhinitis   01:46:09 Histamines, Mast Cells   01:49:22 Tool 12: Acupuncture: Mechanism for How It Reduces Inflammation; Fascia, Rolfing   01:53:40 Mechanistic Science & Ancient Practices   01:58:00 Synthesis, Ways to Support Us (Zero-Cost), Sponsors, Supplements, Social Media   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Nov 20211h 57min

In this episode, I host Dr. Samer Hattar, Ph.D., Chief of the Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Hattar is a world-renowned expert on how viewing light at particular times adjusts our mood, ability to learn, stress and hormone levels, appetite, and mental health. We discuss how to determine and use your individual light sensitivity to determine the optimal sleep-wake cycle for you. We also discuss how to combine your light viewing and waking time with the timing of your food intake and exercise in order to maximize mental and physical functioning. Dr. Hattar is credited with co-discovering the neurons in the eye that set our circadian clocks and regulate mood and appetite. He explains why even a small shift in daylight savings leads to outsized effects on our biking because of the way that our cells and circadian clocks integrate across many days. And he offers precise tools to rapidly adjust to jet lag, shift work, and reset your clock after a late night of work or socializing. This episode is filled with cutting-edge data on the biological mechanisms of human physiology and practical tools for people of all ages.  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. Samer Hattar, Ph.D.   00:02:33 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:15 Light, Circadian (24-hour) & Circannual (365-day) “Photoentrainment”   00:14:30 Neurons in Our Eyes That Set Our Body Clocks: Similar to Frog Skin   00:18:55 What Blind People See   00:20:15 When, How & How Long to View Light for Optimal Sleep & Wakefulness   00:30:20 Sunlight Simulators, Afternoon Light Viewing, Naps   00:33:48 Are You Jet Lagged at Home? Chronotypes & Why Early Risers Succeed   00:38:33 How to Decide Your Best Sleep-Wake Schedule; Minimal Light Test   00:42:16 Viewing Light in Middle of Day: Mood & “Light Hunger”   00:44:55 Evening Sunlight; Blueblocker Warning   00:48:57 Blue Light Is Not the Issue; Samer’s Cave; Complete Darkness   00:53:58 Screens at Night   00:56:03 Dangers of Bright Light Between 10 pm and 4 am: Mood & Learning   01:01:05 The Tripartite Model: Circadian, Sleep Drive, Feeding Schedules   01:05:05 Using Light to Enhance Your Mood; & The Hattar-Hernandez Nucleus   01:07:19 Why Do We Sleep?   01:08:17 Effects of Light on Appetite; Regular Light & Meal Times   01:18:08 Samer’s Experience with Adjusting Meal Timing   01:22:51 Using Light to Align Sleep, Mood, Feeding, Exercise & Cognition   01:30:15 Age-Related Changes in Timing of Mental & Physical Vigor   01:31:44 “Chrono-Attraction” in Relationships; Social-Rhythms   01:33:40 Re-setting Our Clock Schedule; Screen Devices Revisited   01:37:50 How Samer Got into the Study of Light   01:39:33 Clock Gene mRNAs & More Accurate Biomarkers   01:41:08 Light as Medicine   01:42:48 ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)   01:43:35 How to Beat Jet Lag: Light, Temperature, Eating   01:50:44 Vigor: The Consequence of Proper Timing   01:52:15 Waking in the Middle of the Night: When Your Nightly Sleep Becomes a Nap   01:54:10 Melatonin, Pineal Calcification   01:55:25 Our Seasonal Rhythms: Mood, Depression, Lethargy & Reproduction   01:59:08 Daylight Savings: Much Worse Than It Might Seem   02:05:27 Eye Color & Sensitivity to Light, Bipolar Disorder   02:09:28 Spicy Food, Genetic Variations in Sensory Sensitivity   02:10:52 Synthesizing This Information, Samer on Twitter, Instagram   02:13:00 Conclusions, Ways To Support the Huberman Lab Podcast & Research   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Okt 20212h 12min

This episode I describe science-supported nutrients for brain and performance (cognition) and for nervous system health generally. I describe 10 tools for this purpose, including specific amounts and sources for Omega-3 fatty acids which make up the "structural fat" of neurons (nerve cells) and allow them to function across our lifespan. I also review data on creatine, phosphatidylserine, anthocyanins, choline, glutamine and how they each impact brain function in healthy people seeking to reinforce and improve their cognition and in those combatting cognitive decline. I describe both food-based and supplement-based sources for these compounds, and their effective dose ranges based on peer-reviewed literature. Then I review the 3 factors: gut-brain signaling, perceived taste, and learned associations that combine with the metabolic and blood-sugar-elevating effects of food to determine what foods we seek and prefer. Amazingly, it's not just about what tastes good to us. Next, I explore how we can leverage the neural circuits of learned food preference toward seeking and enjoying the right foods for brain health and performance. I also review new data on non-caloric sweeteners and why consuming them with glucose-elevating foods can be detrimental, in some cases rapidly leading to insulin dysregulation. This episode covers more than 10 actionable tools for those seeking to improve and/or maintain brain function, and it explains modern neuroscience underlying of our sense of taste, our food seeking preferences and brain metabolism. 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 Food & Brain Function Introduction   00:02:08 Summary: Critical Aspects of Time Restricted Feeding/Fasting   00:04:36 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:08:24 Neuroplasticity Super Protocol (Zero-Cost Tools) Online   00:09:22 Eating to Enhance Brain Function & Foundational Aspects of Brain Health   00:13:00 Eating Fats for Brain Health, EFAs Phospholipids (Tool 1: 1-3g EPA Omega-3/day)   00:20:35 Phosphatidylserine (Tool 2: 300mg/day)   00:22:15 Choline, Egg Yolks (Tool 3: 1-2g/day Threshold)   00:28:26 Hydration & Electrolytes (Tool 4)   00:29:50 Liquid Fish Oil/Capsules (2-3g EPA per day; 300mg Alpha GPC 2-4X/week)   00:32:22 Creatine for Cognition (Tool 5: 5g/day)   00:36:28 Anthocyanins, Dark Skin Berries (Tool 6: 10mg/day (Extract), 1-2 cups Berries)   00:41:19 L-Glutamine (Tool: 1-10g/day) & Offsetting Apnea & Inflammation   00:49:23 Neural Basis of Food Preference, Yum, Yuck, Meh; Taste, Guts, & Beliefs   00:55:25 Taste is 100% In Your Head   00:59:50 Gut Neurons Controlling Food Preference: Neuropod Cells; (Tool 7: Fermented Foods)   01:06:14 Capsule Probiotics, Brain Fog   01:07:16 Learning to Like Specific Tastes: Sweetness & Brain Metabolism   01:12:11 Hard-Wiring & Soft-Wiring   01:13:25 Artificial & Non-Caloric Sweeteners: Safe or Harmful Depends on (Glucose) Context   01:18:15 Non-Caloric Sweetener & Insulin; (Tool 8: Don’t Have w/Glucose Elevating Foods)   01:22:17 Beliefs & Thoughts; The Insula; (Tool 9: Pairing-Based Reshaping Food Preferences)   01:30:42 Liking Neuro-Healthy Foods & Bettering Brain Metabolism (Tool 10); Food Wars   01:36:05 Food Reward & Diabetes, Obesity; Important Review Article (See Caption)   01:38:28 Synthesis, Zero-Cost Support, Future Topic Suggestions, Sponsors, Supplements   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 Okt 20211h 37min

This episode I discuss the science and practice of fasting also called time-restricted feeding. I review the data on how limiting food intake to specific portions of every 24-hour cycle (or fasting longer) impacts weight loss, fat loss specifically, liver health, mental focus, muscle, longevity and more. I explain how "fasted" is contextual, and relates to blood glucose levels and their downstream effects, and how the depth of fasting can be adjusted with behaviors such as different types of exercise, or with glucose disposal agents. I also discuss the optimal fasting protocol: and both the absolute (non-negotiable) and variable (contextual) features of a fasting/time-restricted-feeding protocol that will allow you to get the most benefits. I also discuss what does and does not break a fast, the effects of fasting on hormones like testosterone and cortisol and on fertility. I also review how different feeding windows of 8 or 10 or 4 hours differentially impact the effects of fasting, and why the classic 8 hour feeding window came to be but also might be ideal. I discuss mechanisms and offer tools to discern the optimal fasting duration and timing for you.  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, Blood Glucose & Mortality, Mice Vs. Humans   00:06:18 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:09:42 Neuroplasticity Protocols & Online Lecture   00:11:20 Feeding, Fasting, Performance   00:13:50 Calories-In, Calories-Out (CICO); Perfect Diets   00:19:48 Feeding-Induced Health Conditions   00:25:33 Time Restricted Eating: When We Eat Is Vital   00:29:45 The Eight Hour Feeding Window   00:31:26 Feeding Deep Into the Night Is Bad (In Humans)   00:36:33 Liver Health   00:39:45 Time Restricted Feeding Protocol: Rules   00:41:35 When to Start & Stop Eating   00:45:38 Gastric Clearance, Linking Fasting to Sleep   00:52:35 Effects of Specific Categories of Food   00:55:40 Precision In Fasting: Protocol Build   00:59:30 4-6 Hour Feeding Windows   01:03:08 Protein Consumption & Timing for Muscle   01:08:13 How to Shift Your Eating Window   01:13:20 Glucose Clearing, Exercise & Compounds   01:22:37 Blood Glucose: Monitoring, mTOR & Related Pathways   01:27:40 Gut Health: Fasting, Clock Genes and Microbiota   01:29:15 Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver   01:32:00 Effects of Fasting on Hormones: Testosterone, Cortisol   01:38:40 Fertility   01:41:50 8-Hour Feeding Window: Weight Loss Without Calorie Counting   01:43:20 Eating Every-Other-Day   01:45:29 Adherence   01:47:15 Mental Focus & Clarity   01:49:12 Enhancing Weight Loss from Body Fat: Hepatic Lipase   01:53:15 What Breaks a Fast? Rules & Context   01:58:50 Artificial Sweeteners, Plant-Based Sweeteners   02:01:42 Glucose Clearing II, Cinnamon, Acidity, Salt   02:06:42 My Circadian Clock, Zero-App   02:08:20 Odd (But Common) Questions   02:09:23 Effects of Sauna & Dehydration on Blood Glucose   02:11:12 The Ideal Fasting Protocol   02:24:00 More Resources, Ways to Support Us, Supplements   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Okt 20212h 22min

This episode I am joined by Dr. Craig Heller, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at Stanford University and world expert on the science of temperature regulation. We discuss how the body and brain maintain temperature under different conditions and how most everyone uses the wrong approach to cool off or heat up. Dr. Heller teaches us the best ways and in doing so, explains how to offset hyperthermia and hypothermia. He also explains how we can use the precise timing and location of cooling on our body to greatly enhance endurance and weight training performance. He describes how cooling technology discovered and engineered in his laboratory has led to a tripling of anaerobic (weight training) performance and allowed endurance athletes to run further and faster, as well as to eliminate delayed onset muscle soreness. Dr. Heller explains how heat impairs muscular and mental performance, and how to cool the brain to reduce inflammation and to enhance sleep and cognition. We discuss how anyone can apply these principles for themselves, even their dogs! Our conversation includes both many practical tools and mechanistic 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 Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Dr. Craig Heller, Physiology & Performance   00:02:20 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:45 Cold Showers, Ice Baths, Cryotherapy   00:10:45 Boundary Layers   00:11:55 Cooling Before Aerobic Activity to Enhance Performance   00:14:45 Anaerobic Activity Locally Increases Muscle Heat   00:16:45 Temperature Gates Our Energy Use   00:19:00 Local Versus Systemic Fatigue: Heat Is Why We Fail   00:22:10 Cooling Off: Most Methods are Counterproductive   00:26:43 Exercise-Induced Brain Fog   00:27:45 Hyperthermia   00:31:50 Best Body Sites for Cooling: Palms, Foot Pads, Upper Face   00:38:00 Cooling Your Brain via The Upper Face; Concussion   00:41:25 Extraordinary (Tripling!) Performance by Cooling the Palms   00:45:35 Enhancing Recovery, Eliminating Soreness w/Intra-workout Cooling   00:50:00 Multiple Sclerosis: Heat Sensitivity & Amelioration with Cooling   00:51:00 Enhancing Endurance with Proper Cooling   00:53:00 Cool Mitt, Ice-Cold Is Too Cold, 3 Minutes Cooling   00:58:20 How You Can Use Palmer Cooling to Enhance Performance   01:01:15 Radiation, Convection, Heat-Transfer, Role of Surface Area   01:04:40 Hypothermia Story, Ideal Re-Heating Strategy   01:11:40 Paw-lmer Cooling for Dog Health & Performance   01:12:45 Warming Up, & Varying Temperature Around the Body   01:17:35 Cooling-Enhanced Performance Is Permanent   01:19:55 Anabolic Steroids versus Palmer Cooling   01:24:00 Female Athletic Performance   01:25:18 Shivering & Cold, Metabolism   01:26:55 Studies of Bears & Hibernation, Brown Fat   01:31:10 Brown Fat Distribution & Activation In Humans   01:34:18 Brain Freeze, Ice Headache: Blood Pressure, Headache   01:37:50 Fidgeters, Non-Exercise Induced Thermogenesis   01:39:44 How Pre-Workout Drinks, & Caffeine May Inhibit Performance   01:43:42 Sleep, Cold, Warm Baths, Screens, & Socks   01:48:44 Synthesis   01:49:30 Supporting the Podcast & Scientific Research   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Okt 20211h 48min

This episode serves as a sort of “Dopamine Masterclass”. I discuss the immensely powerful chemical that we all make in our brain and body: dopamine. I describe what it does and the neural circuits involved. I explain dopamine peaks and baselines, and the cell biology of dopamine depletion. I include 14 tools for how to control your dopamine release for sake of motivation, focus, avoiding and combating addiction and depression, and I explain why dopamine stacking with chemicals and behaviors inevitably leads to states of underwhelm and poor performance. I explain how to achieve sustained increases in baseline dopamine, compounds that injure and protect dopamine neurons including caffeine from specific sources. I describe non-prescription supplements for increasing dopamine—both their benefits and risks—and synergy of pro-dopamine supplements with those that increase acetylcholine.  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 & Tool 1 to Induce Lasting Dopamine   00:05:04 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:09:10 Upcoming (Zero-Cost) Neuroplasticity Seminar for Educators   00:09:58 What Dopamine (Really) Does   00:15:30 Two Main Neural Circuits for Dopamine   00:18:14 How Dopamine Is Released: Locally and Broadly   00:22:03 Fast and Slow Effects of Dopamine   00:25:03 Dopamine Neurons Co-Release Glutamate   00:28:00 Your Dopamine History Really Matters   00:30:30 Parkinson’s & Drugs That Kill Dopamine Neurons. My Dopamine Experience   00:36:58 Tool 3 Controlling Dopamine Peaks & Baselines   00:40:06 Chocolate, Sex (Pursuit & Behavior), Nicotine, Cocaine, Amphetamine, Exercise   00:46:46 Tool 4 Caffeine Increases Dopamine Receptors   00:49:54 Pursuit, Excitement & Your “Dopamine Setpoint”   00:56:46 Your Pleasure-Pain Balance & Defining “Pain”   01:00:00 Addiction, Dopamine Depletion, & Replenishing Dopamine   01:07:50 Tool 5 Ensure Your Best (Healthy) Dopamine Release   01:15:28 Smart Phones: How They Alter Our Dopamine Circuits   01:19:45 Stimulants & Spiking Dopamine: Counterproductive for Work, Exercise & Attention   01:22:20 Caffeine Sources Matter: Yerba Mate & Dopamine Neuron Protection   01:24:20 Caffeine & Neurotoxicity of MDMA   01:26:15 Amphetamine, Cocaine & Detrimental Rewiring of Dopamine Circuits   01:27:57 Ritalin, Adderall, (Ar)Modafinil: ADHD versus non-Prescription Uses   01:28:45 Tool 6 Stimulating Long-Lasting Increases in Baseline Dopamine   01:37:55 Tool 7 Tuning Your Dopamine for Ongoing Motivation   01:47:40 Tool 8 Intermittent Fasting: Effects on Dopamine   01:53:09 Validation of Your Pre-Existing Beliefs Increases Dopamine   01:53:50 Tool 9 Quitting Sugar & Highly Palatable Foods: 48 Hours   01:55:36 Pornography   01:56:50 Wellbutrin & Depression & Anxiety   01:58:30 Tool 10 Mucuna Pruriens, Prolactin, Sperm, Crash Warning   02:01:45 Tool 11 L-Tyrosine: Dosages, Duration of Effects & Specificity   02:05:20 Tool 12 Avoiding Melatonin Supplementation, & Avoiding Light 10pm-4am   02:07:00 Tool 13 Phenylethylamine (with Alpha-GPC) For Dopamine Focus/Energy   02:08:20 Tool 14 Huperzine A   02:10:02 Social Connections, Oxytocin & Dopamine Release   02:12:20 Direct & Indirect Effects: e.g., Maca; Synthesis & Application   02:14:22 Zero-Cost & Other Ways To Support Podcast & Research   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27 Sep 20212h 13min