In this episode, I discuss the science of setting, assessing, and pursuing goals. I explain the neural (brain) circuits that underlie goal setting and pursuit. Then I describe nine science-supported tools anyone can apply toward their goals. I explain when and how to use goal visualization, when to use multitasking and how to use specific rewards to improve the likelihood of reaching your goals. I also explain why envisioning failures and their consequences are effective and how to set goals of the appropriate level of challenge. I also explain how the molecule dopamine is used to gauge our progress toward milestones and long-term overarching goals and how to leverage dopamine for goal pursuit. Finally, I explain a unique tool called 'space-time bridging' that can be used to support all aspects of goal setting, assessment, and pursuit. This episode ought to be useful for anyone seeking to improve their performance in work, school, exercise, athletics, or personal development. 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) The Neuroscience of Goals (00:01:56) Tool 1: Learn Fast(er) by the 85% Rule  (00:06:18) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up (00:13:55) Brain Circuits for Setting & Pursuing Goals (00:21:52) Determining the Value of Goals  (00:24:33) Psychology of Goal Setting: Assessing Value, Action Steps (00:30:29) Peripersonal Space vs. Extrapersonal Space (00:35:39) Visually Focusing on a Goal Line Improves Performance (00:43:50) How Vision Improves Performance: Blood Pressure (00:51:55) Tool 2: Use Focal Vision to Initiate Goal Pursuit (00:54:40) Tool 3: Use Aged Self-Images to Self-Motivate  (00:59:33) Tool 4: Visualization of Goals is Only Helpful at the Start  (01:02:05) Tool 5: Visualizing Failure is the Best Ongoing Motivator (01:07:26) Tool 6: Make Goals Moderately Lofty  (01:13:05) Tool 7: Avoid Goal Distraction; Focus on 1-2 Major Goals Per Year (01:15:57) Tool 8: Ensure Specificity of Goals, Weekly Assessment (01:19:57) Dopamine, Motivation & Pleasure in Seeking Goals (01:22:43) Dopamine Reward Prediction Error, Controlling Dopamine (01:34:26) How Dopamine Influences Vision & Vice Versa (01:38:10) Interim Summary of Goal-Pursuit Steps (01:39:50) Tool 9: Space-Time Bridging  (01:49:59) Summary (01:51:50) Subscribe, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Newsletter Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This episode I discuss medical research on psychedelic compounds with Dr. Matthew Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. We discuss the biology and medical clinical-trial uses of psilocybin, MDMA, ayahuasca, DMT, and LSD. Dr. Johnson teaches us what the clinical trials in his lab are revealing about the potential these compounds hold for the treatment of depression, addiction, trauma, eating disorders, ADHD, and other disorders of the mind. Dr. Johnson describes a typical psychedelic experiment in his laboratory, start to finish, including the conditions for optimal clinical outcomes. And he explains some of the potential hazards and common misconceptions and pitfalls related to psychedelic medicine. Dr. Johnson explains flashbacks, the heightened risks of certain people and age groups using psychedelics and the ever evolving legal and pharmaceutical industry landscape surrounding psychedelics. Dr. Johnson also explains how the scientific study of psychedelics is likely to set the trajectory of psychiatric medicine in the years to come. Dr. Johnson is among a small handful of researchers who have pioneered the clinical study of these powerful compounds. He has unprecedented insight into how they can be woven into other psychiatric treatments, changing ones sense of self and of 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 Introducing Dr. Matthew Johnson   00:02:27 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:40 ‘Psychedelics’ Defined   00:14:09 Hallucinations, Synesthesia, Altered Space-Time Perception   00:19:56 Serotonin & Dopamine   00:23:50 Ketamine & Glutamate   00:28:00 An Example Psychedelic Experiment   00:37:30 ‘Letting Go’ with Psychedelics   00:44:10 Our Mind’s Eye   00:48:00 Redefining Your Sense of Self   00:58:56 Exporting Psychedelic Learnings to Daily Life   01:04:36 Flashbacks   01:12:10 Ayahuasca, ASMR, Kundalini Breathing   01:15:54 MDMA, DMT   01:26:00 Dangers of Psychedelics, Bad Trips, Long-Lasting Psychosis   01:38:15 Micro-Dosing   01:56:45 Risks for Kids, Adolescents & Teenagers; Future Clinical Trials   02:03:40 Legal Status: Decriminalization vs. Legalization vs. Regulation   02:18:35 Psychedelics for Treating Concussion & Traumatic Brain Injury   02:27:45 Shifting Trends in Psychedelic Research, Academic Culture   02:44:23 Participating in a Clinical Trial, Online Survey Studies, Breathwork   02:50:38 Conclusions, Subscribing & Supporting the HLP, Supplements   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I discuss ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder): what it is, the common myths, and the biology and psychology of ADHD. I discuss both behavioral and pharmacologic treatments for ADHD, and brain-machine interface tools. I also discuss behavioral training protocols that can improve focus in people with ADHD and those without ADHD, and for people of different ages. I discuss the role of dopamine in coordinating 'default-mode' and 'task-related' neural networks, attentional "blinks" (lapses of attention) and how to overcome them, and the role of actual blinks in time perception and attention. Finally, I review some of the prescription and over-the-counter compounds for increasing focus such as Adderall, Ritalin, Modafinil and Armodafinil, the racetams, Alpha-GPC and phosphatidylserine and the role of diet for managing ADHD (and the controversies of diet for ADHD). The role of cell phones/technology in ADHD and ADHD-like challenges with focus are also discussed. Throughout, both basic science and clinical scenarios, as well as applicable tools and resources are covered. 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 & Note About Diagnosis   00:03:44 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:07:56 ADHD vs. ADD: Genetics, IQ, Rates in Kids & Adults   00:13:00 Attention & Focus, Impulse Control   00:14:57 Hyper-focus   00:16:45 Time Perception   00:18:25 The Pile System   00:20:00 Working Memory   00:24:10 Hyper-Focus & Dopamine   00:26:40 Neural Circuits In ADHD: Default Mode Network & Task-Related Networks   00:32:57 Low Dopamine in ADHD & Stimulant Use & Abuse   00:37:10 Sugar, Ritalin, Adderall, Modafinil & Armodafinil   00:47:00 Non-Prescribed Adderall, Caffeine, Nicotine   00:49:18 How Stimulants “Teach” the Brains of ADHD Children to Focus   00:52:00 When To Medicate: A Highly Informed (Anecdotal) Case Study   00:56:35 Elimination Diets & Allergies In ADHD   01:04:46 Omega-3 Fatty Acids: EPAs & DHAs   01:07:00 Modulation vs Mediation of Biological Processes   01:10:50 Attentional Blinks   01:16:56 Open Monitoring & 17-Minute Focus Enhancement   01:22:50 Blinking, Dopamine & Time Perception; & Focus Training   01:30:10 Reverberatory Neural & Physical Activity   01:33:40 Adderall, Ritalin & Blink Frequency   01:35:00 Cannabis   01:37:30 Interoceptive Awareness   01:41:15 Ritalin, Adderall, Modafinil, Armodafinil; Smart Drugs & Caffeine: Dangers   01:48:05 DHA Fatty Acids, Phosphatidylserine   01:50:54 Ginko Biloba   01:51:45 Modafinil & Armodafinil: Dopamine Action & Orexin   01:56:19 Acetylcholine: Circuits Underlying Focus; Alpha-GPC   01:59:04 L-Tyrosine, (PEA) Phenylethylamine   02:01:23 Racetams, Noopept   02:05:15 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Combining Technology & Pharmacology   02:09:14 Smart Phones & ADHD & Sub-Clinical Focus Issues In Adults & Kids   02:14:30 Synthesis/Summary   02:16:10 Support for Podcast & Research, Supplement Resources   Disclaimer & Dislcosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I discuss what drives hunger and satiety, and the role our brain, stomach, fat and hormones play in regulating hunger and turning off the desire to eat more. I also address how protein is assimilated better early in the day than it is later in the day, and why those using intermittent fasting might want to shift their feeding window to earlier in the day. Then I delve into the topic of disorders of eating: Anorexia Nervosa, where people starve themselves and Bulimia Nervosa where people binge and purge their food. I discuss some common myths about Anorexia such as the role of media images increasing the rates of anorexia and the myth of the "perfectionist" anorexic. I also review the symptoms, and the brain and chemical systems disrupted in this condition. I explain how anorexics become hyperaware of the fat content of foods and develop reflexive habits of fat-hyperawareness. Then I discuss the most effective treatments ranging from family-based models to those that target the habitual nature of low-fat/calorie food choices. I also discuss new more experimental clinical trials on MDMA, Psilocybin and Ibogaine for Anorexia, and both their promise and risks I review the latest work on binge eating disorder and brain stimulation, drug treatments and thyroid disruption in Bulimia and why the treatments for Bulimia are so similar to those for ADHD. Finally, I discuss "cheat days," body dysmorphia and the growing list of novel forms of eating disorders start to finish. As always, science and science-based 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://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction: Fasting, & Defining Healthy Eating   00:08:55 Morning Protein Is Important   00:22:21 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:26:29 Defining & Diagnosing Eating Disorders   00:29:00 Anorexia Nervosa (Overview & Myths)   00:33:44 Bulimia (Overview & Myths)   00:37:35 Binge Eating Disorders, EDNOS, OSFEDS, Pica   00:39:44 What is Hunger? What is Satiety?   00:42:00 Neuronal & Hormonal “Accelerators & Brakes” on Eating   00:46:17 Fat, Leptin & Fertility & Metabolic Dysfunctions in Obesity   00:50:30 Why We Overeat   00:55:30 Homeostasis & Reward Systems/Decisions   00:59:58 Anorexia   01:04:28 The Cholesterol Paradox   01:06:13 Psychological vs. Biological/Genetic Factors in Anorexia   01:09:44 Chemical Imbalances, Serotonergic Treatments   01:12:56 Altered Habits & Rewards in Anorexia: Hyperacuity for Fat Content   01:18:28 Brain Areas for Reward Based Decision Making vs. Habits   01:24:06 Habit-Reward Circuits Are Flipped in Anorexics: Reward for Deprivation   01:28:30 How Do You Break a Habit?   01:33:23 Family Based Models, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy   01:35:39 MDMA, Psilocybin, Clinical Trials, Ibogaine   01:40:35 Anabolic vs. Catabolic Exercise, Spontaneous Movements, NEAT   01:43:23 Distorted Self Image in Anorexia   01:47:54 Bulimia & Binge-Eating, “Cheat Days”, Thyroid Hormone   01:53:05 Inhibitory Control, Impulsivity, Adderall, Wellbutrin   01:58:00 Direct Brain Stimulation: Nucleus Accumbens   02:04:28 Anorexia/Reward vs. Bulimia/Binging   02:05:45 Healthy Eating Revisited   02:10:55 Synthesis, Body Dysmorphias   02:14:15 Support: Podcast, & Research Studies   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices