How to Speak Clearly & With Confidence | Matt Abrahams

This episode, I explain what major depression is at the biological and psychological level and the various treatments that peer-reviewed studies have revealed can help prevent and treat depression. I explain the three major chemical systems that are altered in depression: norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine. I discuss genetic predispositions to depression and how stress, thyroid hormone and cortisol play a role in many forms of depression. I also discuss inflammation as a common feature of many depression symptoms. I review 8 specific science-supported protocols for treating and avoiding depression, including EPA fatty acids (which have been shown to rival certain prescription treatments), how exercise protects against depression, studies of creatine, adjusting dopamine balance and more. I also discuss the results of ongoing clinical trials for ketamine and psilocybin for depression, how these compounds work and finally, I review how ketogenic diets can help in certain cases of depression, especially treatment-resistant major depression. 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 Mood Disorders & Maintaining Mental Health (Protocol 1)   00:07:25 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:11:15 Major Depression   00:18:40 “Anti-Self” Confabulation   00:21:42 Autonomic (Vegetative) Symptoms of Depression   00:26:58 Norepinephrine, Dopamine & Serotonin   00:31:50 SSRIs (Prozac, Zoloft, etc.): Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors   00:37:00 Epinephrine/Motor Functions, Dopamine/Motivation & Craving, Serotonin/Emotions   00:39:33 Physical & Emotional Pain are Linked: Substance P   00:41:50 Hormones & Depression: Thyroid & Cortisol   00:46:50 Genetic Susceptibility to Depression: Impact of Stress   00:50:50 Understanding Biological Mechanism Is Key: Recipes versus Skills   00:52:50 Tools for Dealing with Depression: Logic & Implementation (Protocol 2)   00:56:25 Brain Inflammation & Mental State: Cytokines, Prostaglandins, etc.   00:59:20 Protocol 3: Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-3, EPAs: Eicosapentaenoic Acid)*   01:02:50 How EPAs Help Offset Depression: Serotonin Synthesis, Kynurenine, Quinolinic Acid   01:05:25 Protocol 4: How Exercise Offsets Depression   01:11:44 Protocol 5: Creatine Monohydrate, Forebrain Function & NMDA Receptors*   01:20:30 Protocol 6*: Ketamine, PCP (*Prescription-Only), & NMDA-Receptor Function   01:33:08 Protocol 7*: Psychedelics (*In Clinical Trials) for Major Depression: Psilocybin*   01:47:00 Protocol 8: Ketogenic Diet, GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)   01:54:50 Summary of Protocols Covered   02:00:10 Support & Additional Resources   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23 Aug 20211h 59min

This episode I interview Dr. Anna Lembke, M.D., Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Lembke is a psychiatrist expert in treating addictions of all kinds: drugs, alcohol, food, sex, video games, gambling, food, medication, etc. Dr. Lembke is also an expert in the opioid crisis, and the author of Dopamine Nation. We discuss the biology and psychology of why people become addicted to certain substances and behaviors and the key role that our "dopamine balance" plays in creating addiction. We also discuss the science and practice of how to conquer addictions, why people relapse and how to avoid relapsing. Dr. Lembke also shares her expertise on topics closely related to addiction such as community, shame and lying and she explains why telling the truth—even about the most basic things in daily life, adjusts dopamine levels in our brain. This episode is an important one for anyone struggling with addictions of any kind, for their friends and families and for health care professionals. It is also for anyone who has defeated addiction and is determined to stay clean. Last but not least, it helps explain why all humans do what we do, and how we can all maintain a healthy sense of pleasure seeking in life. 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. Anna Lembke, Addiction Expert   00:02:42 Disclaimer & Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:07:00 Dopamine, Happiness & Impulsivity   00:15:56 What Is Pleasure?   00:18:20 Addiction, Boredom & Passion for Life   00:24:00 Pain-Pleasure Balance Controls Addiction   00:29:10 Dopamine Deficits, Anhedonia   00:30:47 Are All Addictions the Same?   00:35:38 Boredom & Anxiety Lead to Creativity   00:40:35 Finding Your Passion Starts with Boredom & Action Steps   00:50:05 How to Break an Addiction   00:55:25 Relapse, Craving & Triggers   01:07:40 Can People Get Addicted To “Sobriety”?   01:11:45 Are We All Wired for Addiction?   01:15:57 Bizarre Addiction   01:18:14 Recovered Addicts Are Heroes   01:20:10 Lying, Truth Telling, Guilt & Shame   01:30:40 Clinical Applications of: Ibogaine, Ayahuasca, Psilocybin & MDMA   01:40:20 Social Media Addiction   01:51:25 Narcissism   01:53:30 Goal Seeking, Success & Surprise   01:58:10 Reciprocity   02:01:15 Closing Comments, Resources   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16 Aug 20211h 59min

This episode I discuss our sense of pain and pleasure: where and how they each arise in our mind and body and various ways to control their intensity. I discuss the science of behavioral tools like acupuncture and hypnosis and directed pressure, including the neural circuits they each activate to modulate our experience of pain or pleasure. I also discuss whole body pain, pain "syndromes" and novel pain relief compounds such as Acetyl-L-Carnitine, SAMe and Agmatine. I discuss neuroplasticity of the pain system and the key role that visual perception plays in pain modulation. Finally, I address the link between dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, with arousal, pleasure and pain. As always, both basic science and various protocols are described. Note: The description of the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) was intentionally simplified and does not include mention of dorsal horn spinal relay neurons, etc. For an excellent full text review of this anatomy and circuits for touch sensing, please see: https://bit.ly/3jH9CPf 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 Skin, Pain, Pleasure   00:01:50 Protocol 1: Maximizing Motivation (with Dopamine & Pleasure)   00:07:29 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:12:04 Pleasure & Pain, & Skin Sensors   00:18:13 Sensing Touch with Your Brain: Magnification of Feet, Hands, Lips, Face, Genitals   00:22:16 Two-Point Discrimination, Dermatomes   00:28:11 Thoughts & Genes That Make Physical Pain Worse   00:33:45 Expectations, Anxiety, & Pain Threshold   00:40:27 Protocol 2: Cold Sensing Is Relative; Getting Into Cold Water   00:45:22 Protocol 3: Heat Is Absolute   00:48:10 Injury & Pain   00:52:04 Protocol 4: Plasticity of Pain: Key Role of Vision   00:58:08 Sensing Disparate Body Parts As Merged   01:01:00 Pain “Syndromes”, Psychogenic Fever, “Psychosomatics”   01:04:40 Fibromyalgia, Naltrexone, Protocol 5: Acetyl-L-Carnitine   01:12:24 Protocol 6: Agmatine, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate   01:17:27 Acupuncture: Mechanism, Non-Responders, Itch & Inflammation   01:28:20 Laser Photobiomodulation, Protocol 7: Hypnosis (reveri.com)   01:30:00 Protocol 8: Pressure-Based Pain Relief, “Gate Theory of Pain (Relief)”   01:37:53 Redheads & Pain Thresholds, Endogenous Opioids   01:44:02 Protocol 8: Love & Pain, Dopamine   01:49:23 Pleasure & Reproduction, Dopamine & Serotonin, Oxytocin   01:51:40 Protocol 9: PEA, L-Phenylalanine (Precursor to Tyrosine)   01:55:40 Contextual Control of Pleasure by Autonomic Arousal, Dopamine Baselines   01:59:40 Pleasure-Pain Balance   02:01:24 Protocol 10: Controlling Pleasure, Dopamine & Motivation Over Time   02:06:40 Protocol 11: Immediate, Non-Goal-Directed Pleasure, PAG   02:08:40 Direction of Touch: Pleasure Versus Pain, Arousal & Touch “Sensitivity”   02:13:00 Synthesis & How to Conceptualize Pain and Pleasure, Support   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Aug 20212h 12min

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Matt Walker, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology and the Founder & Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the author of the international best-selling book Why We Sleep and the host of "The Matt Walker Podcast." We discuss the biology of sleep, including its various stages and what specifically happens to those stages when we don't get enough sleep. We also discuss the effects of sunlight, caffeine, alcohol, naps, hormones, exercise, marijuana, sexual activity, and various supplements on sleep. The episode consists of both basic science information and many science-supported actionable tools.  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. Matt Walker   00:02:16 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:00 What Is Sleep?   00:10:20 REM (Rapid Eye Movement) aka 'Paradoxical Sleep'   00:16:15 Slow Wave Sleep aka 'Deep Sleep'   00:24:00 Compensating For Lost Sleep   00:32:20 Waking in the Middle Of The Night   00:39:48 Uberman (Not Huberman!) Sleep Schedule   00:42:48 Viewing Morning Sunlight   00:49:20 Caffeine   01:07:54 Alcohol   01:14:30 Growth Hormone & Testosterone   01:16:14 Emotions, Mental Health & Longevity   01:20:40 Books vs. Podcasts   01:21:20 Lunchtime Alcohol   01:25:00 Marijuana/CBD   01:36:00 Melatonin   01:54:14 Magnesium   01:58:10 Valerian, Kiwi, Tart Cherry, Apigenin   02:15:00 Tryptophan & Serotonin   02:19:24 Naps & Non-Sleep-Deep-Rest (NSDR)   02:28:23 Is It Possible To Get Too Much Sleep?   02:34:35 Sex, Orgasm, Masturbation, Oxytocin, Relationships   02:47:30 Unconventional Yet Powerful Sleep Tips   02:59:10 Connecting to & Learning More from Dr. Walker   03:04:42 The New Dr. Matt Walker Podcast, Reviews & Support   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Aug 20213h 3min

This episode I describe how the organs of the body influence the function and health of our brain and how our brain controls our bodily organs. The conscious awareness of this brain-body dialogue is called interoception. I describe how two factors- mechanical forces (e.g., pressure, pain, volume, etc.) and chemical factors (e.g., gut acidity, microbiome diversity, etc.) combine to influence our moods, control inflammation, immune system, recovery from injury and more. I explain how specific actions of our lungs, heart, spleen, and diaphragm, control our brain via the vagus nerve and other neural pathways. I describe 11 science-supported protocols for enhancing brain-body health and the logic behind them. 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 Your Sense of Self: Interoception   00:01:25 Protocol 1: Fermented Foods, Not Fiber, to Reduce Inflammation   00:03:45 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:08:22 Main Drivers of Feelings & Performance   00:11:45 Brain-Body: A Mechanical & Chemical Dialogue   00:17:50 LDB (Lung-Diaphragm-Brain) Dialogue   00:21:00 Protocols 2, 3, 4: Control Heart Rate With Breathing   00:29:08 Sensing Lung Pressure: Piezo Receptors   00:30:54 Carbon Dioxide, From Air to Blood   00:34:02 Protocol 5: Alert While Calm   00:40:50 Baroreceptors: Hering-Breuer Reflex   00:42:47 Gut Volume & The Desire to Open Your Mouth   00:48:18 Protocol 6: Enhancing Gut-To-Brain Communication, Fasting   00:51:50 Intestines, Fatty Acids, Amino Acids & Sugar   00:57:00 Protocol 7: Reducing Sugar Cravings with Specific Amino Acid Nutrients   00:58:58 Gut Acidity (Is Good)   01:02:20 Improving Nasal Microbiome   01:04:13 Inflammation & Microbiome: Fiber vs. Fermented   01:11:15 Protocol 8: Reducing Inflammation & Enhancing Brain Function w/Fermented Foods   01:13:10 Leaking Guts, Auto-Immune Function & Glutamine   01:15:50 Gut Acidity: HCl (hydrochloric acid), Pepsin   01:18:30 Probiotics & Brain Fog   01:21:45 Nausea: Happens in Your Brain; Area Postrema   01:28:25 Protocol 9: Reducing Nausea: Ginger, Peppermint, CBD, etc.   01:30:40 Fever: Triggers and Control Knobs: OVLT   01:37:00 Protocol 10: Cooling the Blood Properly   01:38:53 Sensing Feelings, Vagus Nerve, Stress   01:41:50 Mental Emotions Reflect Bodily Conditions   01:45:00 Sensing Other People’s Emotions via the Body   01:46:00 Protocol 11: Increasing Interoception, Sensing Heartbeat   01:50:40 Conclusions & Resources   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 Juli 20211h 49min

Dr. Lex Fridman Ph.D., is a scientist at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), working on robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and human-robot interactions. He is also the host of the Lex Fridman Podcast where he holds conversations with academics, entrepreneurs, athletes and creatives. Here we discuss humans, robots, and the capacity they hold for friendship and love. Dr. Fridman also shares with us his unique dream for a world where robots guide humans to be the best versions of themselves, and his efforts to make that dream a reality.  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: Lex Fridman   00:02:29 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:07:35 What is Artificial Intelligence?   00:26:46 Machine & Human Learning   00:32:21 Curiosity   00:36:55 Story Telling Robots   00:40:48 What Defines a Robot?   00:44:30 Magic & Surprise   00:47:37 How Robots Change Us   00:49:35 Relationships Defined   01:02:29 Lex’s Dream for Humanity   01:11:33 Improving Social Media   01:16:57 Challenges of Creativity   01:21:49 Suits & Dresses   01:22:22 Loneliness   01:30:09 Empathy   01:35:12 Power Dynamics In Relationships   01:39:11 Robot Rights   01:40:20 Dogs: Homer & Costello   01:52:41 Friendship   01:59:47 Russians & Suffering   02:05:38 Public vs. Private Life   02:14:04 How To Treat a Robot   02:17:12 The Value of Friendship   02:20:33 Martial Arts   02:31:34 Body-Mind Interactions   02:33:22 Romantic Love   02:42:51 The Lex Fridman Podcast   02:55:54 The Hedgehog   03:01:17 Concluding Statements   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19 Juli 20213h

In this episode, I discuss science-supported tools for enhancing focus, learning, creativity, sleep, physical strength and endurance and brain and body health. I explain each protocol in detail, the rationale behind it, and how the protocol can be adjusted depending on individual needs. I set these tools in the context of a 24-hour day as a way of framing how one might incorporate these tools and protocols into their own daily routine. 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: Protocols for sleep, mood, focus, exercise creativity   00:04:23 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:08:50 Protocol 1: Record Your Daily Waking Time & Temperature Minimum   00:12:07 Protocol 2: Self-Generate Forward Motion (Outdoors)   00:17:00 Protocol 3: View Natural Light For 10-30min Every Morning   00:22:43 What To Do If You Can’t View The Sun: Blue Light   00:26:50 Protocol 4: Hydrate Correctly   00:28:00 Protocol 5: Delay Caffeine 90-120m After Waking   00:30:48 Protocol 6: Fast (or Fat-Fast) Until Noon   00:32:30 What Actually Breaks A Fast & What Doesn’t?   00:34:30 Fat Loss & Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP1), Yerba Mate, Guayusa Tea   00:37:30 Protocol 7: Optimize Deep Work: Visual Elevation, Ultradian Cycles, White Noise   00:48:30 Optimal Time of Day To Do Hard Mental Work   00:52:07 Protocol 8: Optimal Exercise; 3:2 Ratio   01:03:54 Tools for Training & Mental Focus: Fasting, Salt, Stimulants, Alpha-GPC   01:10:00 Protocol 9: Eat For Brain Function & Mood   01:17:39 Protocol 10: Get Your Testosterone & Estrogen In An Ideal Range   01:24:00 Protocol 11: Reset the Mind & Body, Enhance Neuroplasticity, Reveri.com   01:31:15 Protocol 12: Hydrate Correctly, Nap Rules   01:33:29 Protocol 13: View Late Afternoon/Evening Light To Support Sleep & Dopamine   01:39:00 Protocol 14: Eat Dinner That Promotes Serotonin, Calm Sleep   01:44:27 Protocol 15: Optimize Falling & Staying Asleep; Tools & Supplements That Work   01:55:00 Protocol 16: Preventing Middle of the Night Waking   01:59:10 Protocol 17: Weekends, Recovering From A Poor Nights Sleep   02:05:20 Neural Network, Supplement Sources, Sponsors   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Juli 20212h 4min

This episode I describe how our ears and nervous system decode sound waves and gravity to allow us to hear and make sense of sounds. I also describe protocols for rapid learning of sound and other types of information. I discuss sound localization, doppler effects (sound motion), pitch perception and how we isolate sounds in noisy environments. I also review the scientific findings on binaural beats and white noise and how they can improve learning. Other topics and protocols include tinnitus, sea sickness, ear movement, ear growth and the science-supported ways we can all accelerate learning using "gap 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://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Overview of Topics   00:02:20 Protocol: New Data for Rapid Learning   00:09:10 Introduction: Hearing & Balance   00:09:30 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:13:53 How We Perceive Sounds   00:21:56 Your Hearing Brain (Areas)   00:23:48 Localizing Sounds   00:28:00 Ear Movement: What It Means   00:33:00 Your Ears (Likely) Make Sounds: Role of Hormones, Sexual Orientation   00:35:30 Binaural Beats: Do They Work?   00:43:54 White Noise Can Enhance Learning & Dopamine   00:51:00 Headphones   00:55:51 White Noise During Development: Possibly Harmful   01:03:25 Remembering Information, & The Cocktail Party Effect   01:12:55 How to Learn Information You Hear   01:18:10 Doppler   01:22:43 Tinnitus: What Has Been Found To Help?   01:30:40 Aging: How Big Are Your Ears?   01:35:00 Balance: Semi-Circular Canals   01:40:35 A Vestibular Experiment   01:43:15 Improve Your Sense of Balance   01:48:55 Accelerating Balance   01:51:55 Self-Generated Forward Motion   01:56:25 Dizzy versus Light-Headed   01:58:38 Motion Sickness Solution   02:01:23 Synthesis   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Juli 20212h