In this episode, I interview Dr. Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Neurology & Neurosurgery at Stanford University. We discuss stress, what defines short-term versus long-term stress, and how stress can be beneficial or detrimental, depending on the context. We also discuss stress mitigation and how our sense of control over stress mitigation techniques, including exercise, determine health outcomes. Dr. Sapolsky explains some of the key effects of the hormone testosterone — how it can amplify pre-existing tendencies for aggression or sexual behavior, but that it does not produce those behaviors per se. He also explains how testosterone impacts our social hierarchies, sense of confidence, and willingness to embrace challenges of different kinds. He also explains how our behaviors and perceptions shape testosterone levels. And we discuss estrogen and the powerful role it plays in brain development, health and longevity. Finally, we discuss free will, what it means to have free will, and if we have any free will, including how knowledge alone might allow us to make better decisions for ourselves and society.  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: Dr. Robert Sapolsky   00:02:25 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:30 Stress: Short & Long-Term, Good & Bad   00:09:11 Valence & Amygdala   00:11:00 Testosterone: Common Myths vs. Actual Truths   00:15:15 Behaviors that Affect Testosterone   00:17:20 Mindsets & Contexts that Affect Testosterone   00:20:28 How Finger Length Ratios Reflect Prenatal Hormone Levels   00:22:30 Aggression: Male-Female, Female-Male, & Female-Female   00:24:05 Testosterone: The Challenge Hypothesis   00:29:20 How Dopamine Impacts Testosterone & Motivation   00:32:32 Estrogen: Improves Brain & Longevity BUT TIMING IS KEY   00:39:40 Are Testosterone & Sperm Counts in Males Really Dropping?   00:42:15 Stress Mitigation & Our Sense of Control   00:51:35 How Best to Buffer Stress   00:57:04 Power of Perception, Choice & Individual Differences   01:00:32 Context-Setting, Prefrontal Cortex & Hierarchy   01:11:20 How Dr. Sapolsky Accomplishes Deep Thinking   01:13:17 Do We Have Free Will?   01:20:50 How to Apply Knowledge & Learning   01:23:44 Robert’s New Book: “Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will”   01:28:27 Reflections, Support of Podcast, & Supporting Stress Research   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, is a clinical psychiatrist and scientist who directs a bioengineering research laboratory at Stanford University School of Medicine. His work aims to understand and develop treatments for disorders of the mind such as depression, attention deficit disorders (ADHD & ADD), autism, schizophrenia, anxiety, eating disorders, borderline personality and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We discuss his experience treating his patients and his laboratory’s mission to find and develop cures for mental disease and tools for probing how the brain 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 Introduction   00:03:47 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:07:41 Using Language to Understand the Mind   00:12:19 Blood Tests For Mental Disease   00:13:38 The Largest Challenges Facing Treatment of Mental Health   00:20:21 Predicting Depression & Suicide   00:22:47 Drugs That Work for Brain Illness   00:27:01 What Would A Cure For the Broken Mind Look Like?   00:32:23 Channelopsins: Tools For Understanding & Treating the Mind   00:39:10 Curing Blindness with Channelopsins   00:41:58 Why Karl Became a Scientist   00:47:10 Vagus Nerve In Depression   00:54:12 Challenges To Overcome for Treating Mental Illness with Channelopsins   00:58:34 Using the Dialogue with Patients to Guide Treatment   01:00:52 How Our Eyes Reveal Our Mental Health   01:06:04 Controlling Structures Deep In the Brain   01:08:23 The Most Effective Drugs Often Have the Most Side Effects   01:09:50 Do Psychiatrists Take the Drugs They Prescribe   01:14:15 Moving From Experimental Tools To Novel Treatments   01:16:00 Brain-Machine Interfaces & Neuralink   01:19:30 ADHD & Dr. Deisseroth’s Approach To Focusing His Mind   01:26:36 How Dr. Deisseroth Balances A Career In Medicine, Science & Family   01:35:41 New Ways of Exploring Brains: CLARITY   01:38:49 What Is Special About the Human Brain?   01:46:03 Psychedelics   01:54:12 MDMA   01:57:15 Dr. Deisseroth’s New Book “Projections: A Story of Emotions”   01:59:42 Connecting with Dr. Deisseroth on Twitter   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode explains how we sense chemicals through smell, taste, and pheromones. How things smell and taste and chemicals in the tears, breath, and on the skin of others have a profound effect on how we feel, what we do, and our hormones. I explain the 3 types of responses to smell, the 5 types of tastes, the possible existence of sixth taste sense, and how the act of sniffing can make us learn and focus better. I explain how smell and taste reflect brain health and can assess and even promote brain regeneration. I discuss how eating specific categories of foods makes us crave more of those foods, including how to make sour things taste sweet and develop a heightened sense of smell and taste.  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 00:06:02 Sensing Chemicals: Smell, Taste & Chemicals That People Make To Control Each Other 00:09:10 Vision Protocols Recap (Brief) & Correction 00:12:20 Color Vision: Excellent Resource: What is Color? (The Book) 00:13:54 How We Sense Chemicals: Enter Our Nose, Mouth, Eyes, Skin 00:17:28 The Chemicals From Other People’s Tears Lower Testosterone & Libido 00:21:16 SMELL: Sniffing, A Piece of Your Brain In Your Nose, 3 Responses To Smells 00:24:40 Smells & Memory: Why They Are So Powerfully Associated 00:26:40 Pheromone Effects: Spontaneous Miscarriage, Males & Timing Female Puberty 00:28:56 Sniffing Creates Alertness & If Done Properly Can Help You Focus & Learn Better 00:34:00 Protocol 1: Sniffing (Nothing) 10-15X Enhances Your Ability to Smell & Taste 00:35:50 Smelling Salts, Ammonia & Adrenaline  00:38:25 How You Can Become A Human Scent Hound, Detecting Cancer, & Tasting Better 00:43:45 Smell As A Readout Of Brain Health & Longevity; Regaining Lost Sense Of Smell 00:48:30 Dopamine, Sense Of Smell, New Neurons & New Relationships 00:50:20 Why Brain Injury Causes Loss Of Smell; Using Smell To Gauge & Speed Recovery  00:53:33 Using Smell To Immediately Becoming Physically Stronger 00:54:40 Smelling In Our Dreams, Active Sniffing In Sleep, Sniffing As a Sign Of Consciousness 00:57:35 Mint Scents Create Alertness By Activating Broad Wake-Up Pathways  00:59:48 Protocol 2 Pleasant Or Putrid: The Microwave Popcorn Test, Cilantro, Asparagus, Musk 01:03:00 Skunks, Costello, All Quiet On The Western Front   01:04:32 TASTE: Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Umami, Sour; Your Tongue, Gustatory Nerve, NST, Cortex 01:08:45 Energy, Electrolytes, Poisons, Gagging, Amino Acid & Fatty Acid Sensing, Fermentation 01:13:48 Our 6th Sense of Taste: FAT Sensing 01:15:05 Gut-Brain: Your Mouth As An Extension Of Your Gut; Burned Mouth & Regeneration 01:19:30 Protocol 3: Learn To Be A Super-Taster By Top-Down Behavioral Plasticity 01:22:20 The Umami-Sweet Distinction: Tigers Versus Pandas 01:25:05 Eating More Plants Versus Eating More Meat, Cravings & Desire 01:27:15 Food That Makes You Feel Good Or Bad: Taste Receptors On Our Testes Or Ovaries 01:30:05 Biological Basis For The Sensuality of Umami and Sweet Foods 01:32:28 Appetitive & Aversive Sensing: Touching Certain Surfaces, Tasting Certain Foods 01:33:35 Amino Acids Are Key To Life, The Maillard Reaction, Smell-Taste Merge, Food Texture 01:39:00 How Processed Food Make You Crave More Processed Foods 01:39:44 Protocol 4: Invert Your Sense of Sweet & Sour: Miracle Fruit; Swapping Bitter & Sweet 01:43:03 Pheromones, Desire To Continue Mating: Coolidge Effect Occurs In Males & Females 01:46:40 Do Women Influence Each Others Menstrual Cycles?  01:49:19 Recognizing the Smell Of Your Romantic Partner  01:50:30 Differences In Odor Detection Ability, Effects Of Hormones 01:53:00 We Rub The Chemicals Of Others On Our Eyes and Skin, Bunting Behavior 01:56:40 Summary Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode I describe how we see, meaning how our eyes focus, convert light information into electricity the rest of the brain can understand and how our brain creates the incredible thing we experience as “sight”. I also describe how we can train and support our visual system to improve at any age. I describe more than a dozen protocols to support depth perception, offset near-sightedness, improve mood, sleep, and our ability to focus (both visual focus and our mental focus generally). I also explain how to use eyesight to improve our levels of alertness and why visual hallucinations, lazy eyes and colorblindness occur. I also describe various compounds that may assist in supporting visual health and possibly improve our vision. Many simple, zero-cost protocols and a lot of scientific mechanisms are covered in this episode in clear language anyone can understand-- it is for anyone that values their brain and whether eyesight, young, adult-age or advanced age. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors: AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1 & LMNT   00:04:51 Protocol: Concurrent Training For Endurance, Strength, Hypertrophy   00:07:24 The Senses, Vision, Seeing & What We Should All Do To See Better   00:10:35 Our Eyes: What They Really Do, & How They Work   00:14:30 Converting Light Into Electricity Language: Photoreceptors, Retinal Ganglion Cells   00:17:00 We Don’t See Anything Directly: It Is All A Comparison Of Reflected Light   00:19:35 Dogs, Cats, Snakes, Squirrels, Shrimps, Diving Birds, & You(r View Of The World)   00:24:05 Everything You See Is A Best Guess, Blind Spots   00:25:50 Depth Perception   00:28:00 Subconscious Vision: Light, Mood, Metabolism, Dopamine; Frog’s Skin In Your Eyes   00:32:00 Blue-Yellow Light, Sunlight; & Protocol 1 For Better Biology & Psychology   00:35:00 Protocol 2: Prevent & Offset Near-Sightedness (Myopia): Outdoors 2 Hours Per Day   00:42:00 Improving Focus: Visual & Mental; Accommodation, Your Pupils & Your Bendy Lens   00:48:50 Protocol 3: Distance Viewing For 20min For Every 90 Minutes of “Close Viewing”   00:52:20 Protocol 4: Self-Generated Optic Flow; Move Yourself Through Space Daily   00:54:26 Protocol 5: Be More Alert; Eyelids, Eye Size, Chin Position, Looking Up Versus Down   00:59:21 Protocol 6: Sleep In A Very Dark Room To Prevent Myopia (Nearsightedness)   01:02:55 Color Vision, Colorblindness, Use Magentas Not Reds   01:04:32 Protocol 7: Keeping Your Vision Sharp With Distance Viewing Every Day   01:06:05 Protocol 8: Smooth Pursuit   01:08:48 Protocol 9: Near-Far Visual Training 2-3 Minutes 3-4 Times a Week   01:13:33 Protocol 10: Red Light, Emerging Protocol To Improve Photoreceptors & Vision   01:16:20 Dry Eyes; Blinking, Protocol 11   01:18:40 Lazy Eye, Binocular Vision, Amblyopia; Triggering Rapid Brain Plasticity; Protocol 12   01:24:48 Protocol 12: Determine Your Dominant Eye; Near-Far Training   01:27:57 Visual Hallucinations: The Consequence of An Under-Active Visual Brain   01:29:47 Protocol 13: Snellen Chart: A Simple, Cost-Free Way To Test & Maintain Vision   01:33:00 Vitamin A, Lutein, Idebenone, Zeaxanthine, Astaxanthin, Blood Flow   01:44:20 Summary of Protocols, Vital Point About Blood & Oxygen For Vision   01:46:00 Episode Length, Captions, Zero-Cost Support, Instagram, Searching Topics   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode I discuss endurance: our ability to perform effort over extended amounts of time. I describe the four kinds of endurance: muscular endurance, long duration (single-set) efforts, and the two kinds of high intensity interval training (HIIT). I discuss efficiency of effort and maximizing quality of effort, and a hydration formula. I review how our heart literally gets stronger when we oxygenate muscles properly. I also discuss motivation for long bouts of work and the visual physiological basis of the "extra gear" we all can leverage for effort. Finally, I review how accelerating as we fatigue can allow us to access untapped energetic resources. Thank you to our sponsors: AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:45 Why Everyone Should Train Endurance 00:09:49 All Episodes Now Searchable at hubermanlab.com & The Neural Network 00:11:28 How To Maintain Muscle 00:12:56 Endurance: It’s Not What You Think, Crossover With Brain Function 00:14:38 Energy; Many Paths To ATP: Creatine, Glucose, Glycogen, Fat; Ketones 00:18:00 The Vital Need For Oxygen: But Why? 00:19:00 What Allows Us To Endure (Anything)? 00:20:46 The 5 Things That Allow Us To Persist/Endure & What Causes Quitting 00:22:50 Why You Quit: It IS All In Your Mind 00:27:19 The “90% Mental” Myth 00:28:10 The Critical Need For Carbohydrates & Electrolytes (& Sometimes Ketones) 00:30:10 Phospho-Creatine, Glycogen, pH, Temperature Is Key 00:31:36 Using Your Blood, Heart, & Lungs To Go Longer, Further, With More Intensity 00:35:40 An Excellent Review on the Science of Training Adaptations (See Caption On YouTube) 00:37:15 The 4 Kinds of Endurance 00:38:53 Muscular Endurance: Powerful for Everyone: Posture, Performance, Resilience 00:41:50 Protocol For Building Muscular Endurance. No Major Eccentric Component 00:48:40 How to Make Muscles More Resilient: Mitochondrial Respiration, Neuronal Firing 00:51:31 Long Duration Endurance: 12minutes or More, One “Set”, Efficiency of Movement 00:57:00 Why Everyone Should Train Long Duration Endurance: Capillaries In Muscle & Brain 01:01:00 Two Distinct Types of High-Intensity Interval Training: Anaerobic & Aerobic 01:02:20 Anaerobic HIIT: 3-12 Sets, Work:Rest Ratio of 3:1 or 1:3; Quality of Repetitions is Key 01:07:00 Maximizing Oxygen Utilization, Heart Rate & Nerve-Muscle Energy Utilization 01:10:59 Aerobic HIIT; 1:1 Work:Rest Ratio, Tapping Into All Energy Utilization Systems 01:15:20 Building A Stronger Heart & Better Brain: Eccentric Loading the Heart: Stroke Volume 01:20:10 Resistance & Weight Training: Useless for the Brain? What Is Good For the Brain? 01:23:25 The Strength-Endurance Tradeoff; How Long to Wait Between Workouts 01:25:45 Breathing During Endurance, Explosive and Weight Training: Nose, Mouth, Gears 01:29:50 Intercostals & Diaphragmatic Breathing: Warming Up Intercostals Is Useful 01:31:00 Increasing Motivation & Adrenaline 01:32:10 Eliminating the “Side Cramp” With Physiological Sighs 01:34:45 Accelerating Through “The Wall”: Accessing Alternative Fuel Sources; Ketone Use 01:37:50 Hydration: Why Hydrate, How To Hydrate, & How Much Fluid To Drink 01:41:35 “The Galpin Equation”; Gastric Emptying Time, Adapting Hydration Mid-Training 01:44:20 Boosting Mitochondrial Density With Cold; Wait 6 Hours Before Cold/Between Training 01:46:00 Accelerating Recovery with 5 Minute Parasympathetic Down-Shift After Training 01:48:00 Leveraging The Visual System During Effort, Milestones; Dilation & Contraction; Pacing 01:53:10 The Physiological Basis of Your “Extra Gear”, Accessing Your “Kick”, Steve Prefontaine 01:56:00 Programming Examples; Concurrent Training 01:57:57 Caffeine, Magnesium Malate to Reduce Soreness, Nitric Oxide, Beta-Alanine 02:00:00 Synthesis; Next Episodes, Zero-Cost Ways to Support, Sponsors, Sources Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I describe how our brain and nervous system control muscle tissue and how to leverage that for muscle maintenance, growth (hypertrophy) and recovery. I explain how neurons control muscle contractions and limb movements. I explain muscle metabolism and muscle fiber recruitment. I detail protocols for increasing muscular growth and for neuro-muscular recovery. I explain the effects of deliberate cold, anti-inflammatory agents, and anti-histamines on training progress. I describe science-supported protocols using certain weight load ranges, total sets per week, training intensity, frequency, and in-between set activities if one's goal is to increase muscle growth, strength or endurance. I review three foundational compounds and nutrients and three optimization compounds and nutrients that have been shown to improve neuro-muscular performance. Finally, I explain how to leverage exercise and weight training to enhance cognitive function. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode I describe the science of fat loss, including how fat is mobilized and oxidized (burned) and how to increase fat burning by leveraging the nervous system. Most people don't realize it, but our neurons connect to our fat and release epinephrine/adrenaline to facilitate fat oxidation. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:06:00 Fat Loss: The Key Role of Neurons   00:08:44 The First Law of Fat Loss   00:11:00 Neurons Connect To Fat! (& That Really Matters)   00:13:38 5 Pillars of Metabolism: Sleep, Essential Fatty Acids, Glutamine, Microbiome, Thyroid   00:19:20 Mindset Truly Matters: Amazing Examples of Beliefs on Fat Loss   00:23:08 Our Brain Talks To Our Fat   00:25:00 The Most Incredible & Dangerous Fat Loss Agent   00:27:28 Losing Fat Is a Two-Part Process: Mobilization and Oxidation   00:32:25 The Critical Role of Adrenaline/Epinephrine, But NOT from Adrenal Glands   00:34:45 Fidgeting & Shivering: A Powerful Science-Supported Method For Fat Loss   00:41:24 How Fidgeting Works: Promotes Epinephrine Release into Fat. “N-E-A-T”   00:44:55 Two Ways of Using Shivering To Accelerate Fat Loss   00:47:30 White, Brown & Beige Fat; & Using Cold-Induced Shiver To Burn Fat   00:50:25 How To Use Cold Properly To Stimulate Fat Loss: Succinate Release Is Key/Shiver   00:52:26 Exact Protocols: (1-5X per week); Don’t Adapt! Submerge and Exit “Sets & Reps”   00:56:15 thecoldplunge.com see “protocols” tab Cold-Shiver-Fat-Loss Tool (cost free)   00:58:03 If Fat-Loss Is Your Goal, Avoid Cold Adaptation: Remember Polar Bear Swimmers   00:58:17 Irisin: Underwhelming; Succinate Is The Real Deal   01:00:00 Brown Fat, Why Babies Can’t Shiver and Becoming a Hotter Furnace, Adding Heat   01:01:55 Ice On Back of The Neck, Cold Underpants: Not A Great Idea For Fat Loss   01:04:00 A Key Paper For the Aficionados: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2826518/   01:05:00 Spot Reduction: There May Be Hope After All. Targeting Specific Fat Pads.   01:09:20 Exercising For Fat Loss: What Is Best? High Intensity, Sprinting, Moderate Intensity?   01:13:30 Exercising Fasted: Does It Truly Accelerate Fat Loss/Oxidation.   01:16:30 The 90 Minute Rule: After 90 Minutes, The Fasted Exercisers Start To Burn More Fat   01:18:15 If High-Intensity Training Is Done First, The Benefits of Fasting Arrive Before 90min.   01:22:44 Post-Exercise Metabolic Increases: How To Bias This Toward Fat Oxidation   01:26:05 A Protocol For Exercise-Induced Fat Loss; Adrenalin Is The Effector   01:28:50 Supplements/Compounds For Fat Loss Part: Caffeine Fidgeting, & Caffeine Adaptation   01:34:30 Ephedrine, Fenfluramine: Removed From Market Due to Safety Concerns   01:35:22 GLP1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide 1), Yerba Mate, Guayusa Tea, Semaglutide   01:40:30 Berberine, Metformin: Glucose/Insulin Reduction, Increase Fat Oxidation: But Caution   01:41:28 Gardner Lab Results: What You Eat May Not Matter, But Adherence Is Key Tool   01:43:00 examine.com & Enter “Yerba Mate”: Lowers Heart Rate Even Though Is a Stimulant   01:44:35 Acetyl-L-Carnitine: Facilitates Fat Oxidation   01:48:00 Summary List of Tools & How Nervous System Controls Fat Loss   01:51:20 Cost Free & Other Ways To Support Our Podcast, Making Sure We See Feedback   Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode I discuss the science and practice of learning physical skills: what it involves at a biological level, and what to focus on during skill learning at each stage to maximize learning speed and depth. I also describe what to do immediately after a training session (note: this is different than the optimal protocol for cognitive skill training) and as you progress to more advanced levels of performance. I also cover the science of skill-based visualization which does have benefits, but only if done correctly and at the correct times. I discuss auto-replay of skill learning in the brain during sleep and the value of adding in post-training ‘deliberately idle’ sessions. I cover how to immediately improve limb-range-of-motion by leveraging cerebellum function, error generation, optimal repetition numbers for learning and more. As always, scientific mechanism, peer-reviewed studies and science-based protocols are discussed.  Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 : https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:06:28 Skill Acquisition: Mental & Physical   00:08:40 Clarification About Cold, Heat & Caffeine   00:12:45 Tool: How To Quickly Eliminate the Side-Stitch ‘Cramp’ & Boost HRV Entrainment   00:16:08 Physical Skills: Open-Loop Versus Closed-Loop   00:18:50 Three Key Components To Any Skill   00:21:00 Sources of Control for Movement: 1) CPGs Govern Rhythmic Learned Behavior   00:23:30 Upper Motor Neurons for Deliberate Movement & Learning   00:25:00 Lower Motor Neurons Control Action Execution   00:25:26 What To Focus On While Learning   00:27:10 The Reality of Skill Learning & the 10,000 Hours Myth   00:28:30 Repetitions & The Super Mario Effect: Error Signals vs. Error Signals + Punishment   00:34:00 Learning To Win, Every Time   00:39:26 Errors Solve the Problem of What To Focus On While Trying to Learn Skills   00:43:00 Why Increasing Baseline Levels of Dopamine Prior To Learning Is Bad   00:44:40 The Framing Effect (& Protocol Defined)   00:46:10 A Note & Warning To Coaches   00:48:30 What To Do Immediately After Your Physical Skill Learning Practice   00:53:48 Leveraging Uncertainty   00:56:59 What to Pay Attention To While Striving To Improve   01:04:45 Protocol Synthesis Part One   01:07:10 Super-Slow-Motion Learning Training: Only Useful After Some Proficiency Is Attained   01:11:06 How To Move From Intermediate To Advanced Skill Execution Faster: Metronomes   01:16:44 Increasing Speed Even If It Means More Errors: Training Central Pattern Generators   01:19:12 Integrated Learning: Leveraging Your Cerebellum (“Mini-Brain”)   01:22:02 Protocol For Increasing Limb Range of Motion, Immediately   01:28:30 Visualization/Mental Rehearsal: How To Do It Correctly   01:33:50 Results From 15 Minutes Per Day, 5 Days Per Week Visualization (vs. Actual Training)   01:35:34 Imagining Something Is Very Different Than Actually Experiencing It   01:37:58 Cadence Training & Learning “Carryover”   01:39:00 Ingestible Compounds That Support Skill Learning: Motivation, Repetitions, Alpha-GPC   01:43:39 Summary & Sequencing Tools: Reps, Fails, Idle Time, Sleep, Metronome, Visualization   01:46:20 Density Training: Comparing Ultradian- & Non-Ultradian Training Sessions   01:49:24 Cost-Free Ways to Support Us, Sponsors & Alternate Channels, Closing Remarks   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode I explain the science of heating and cooling the body, a process called thermoregulation-- and how to apply that knowledge to significantly improve physical performance. I describe the three areas of our body that can remove heat (or bring heat into the body) faster than anywhere else, why that is so, and how proper cooling of these areas with specific protocols can allow people to perform 200-600% more volume and repetitions of resistance exercises at the same weight loads, or to run, cycle or swim significantly further. I also describe how to use directed cooling of so-called glabrous skin: the bottoms of feet, palms and face, to significantly enhance recovery times from exercise. Also, why the common practices of trying to heat up or cool the body via the torso or whole-body submersion in cold can be inefficient and/or dangerous-- and the better alternatives. Finally, I discuss the temperature-effects of caffeine, alcohol and anti-inflammatory compounds. The information in this episode is focused on mechanisms and tools for increasing athletic or exercise performance. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:00:31) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT (00:05:08) Physical Performance & Skill Learning (00:06:40) Optimal Learning Protocol (Recap): 4 Steps (00:08:31) Variables Impacting Physical Performance (00:10:00) Temperature Is the Dominant Variable (00:12:08) Understanding Mechanism Is Key (00:13:42) Heat: The Enemy of All Performance (& Why) (00:16:30) Blood Flow & Sweating & Piloerection (00:22:35) Heat Is What Limits Effort: Even If You Feel Fine/Motivated (00:25:29) Proper Cooling Can Double, Triple, Quadruple (Or More) Your Ability (00:26:42) Heat Induced Confusion & Death (00:30:02) The Three Body Parts Best For Heating & Cooling Your Whole Body (00:31:38) Face, Palms, Bottoms of Feet; Glabrous Skin (00:33:00) Arterio-Venous Anastamoses (AVAs) Are Super Cool(ing)! (00:37:15) Palmar Cooling Can Supercharge Your Athletic Performance (00:38:35) ATP, Pyruvate Kinase & Heat (00:40:55) Palmer Cooling Outperforms Anabolic Steroids Several-Fold (00:43:45) Increasing Endurance, Willpower & Persistence (00:46:33) Cardiac Drift, & Moving the ”I Quit” Point (00:50:44) Deliberate Heating: Myths and Better Protocols (00:53:20) Protocols For Self-Directed Cooling To Vastly Improve Performance (00:59:23) How To Use Cold To Recover Faster & More Thoroughly (01:02:05) Ice Baths & Cold Showers Can Prevent Training Progress: mTOR, etc. (01:06:29) Alcohol, Caffeine, NSAIDs: Their Temperature Effects Matter (01:09:44) Are Stimulants Counter Productive For Performance? It Depends. (01:12:00) The Caffeine Rule & “Caffeine Adaptation” (01:14:20) NSAIDs for Training: Performance Enhancements & Risks (01:17:00) The Best Way to Explore Your Own “Parameter Space” (01:18:35) Tools: How To Try (01:21:35) Cost-Free Support, & Additional Support & Resources Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode I describe the biology of two essential hormones we all make: cortisol and adrenaline (also called epinephrine). Cortisol and adrenaline powerfully regulate our levels of energy, focus and immune system function. I describe various science-supported tools and practices to increase or decrease cortisol and/or adrenaline, depending on one's specific needs and goals. I also describe the biology of nootropics, and how cortisol and adrenaline can improve or degrade learning. Finally, I review the scientific data and tools for timing the release of these hormones to improve memory, energy and immune system function. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:05:41 Energy & Your Immune System, & Learning Faster   00:08:34 Why & How Intermittent Fasting Increases Growth Hormone   00:11:56 Why Your Stomach Growls   00:13:09 Hot Baths & Hormones   00:14:35 Energy, Adrenaline (Epinephrine), & Cortisol   00:15:48 Cortisol & Cholesterol, Competition With Testosterone & Estrogen   00:17:54 Adrenaline (Epinephrine) Is Your (Immune System’s) Best Friend   00:18:48 Cortisol Basics In Two (Actually 1) Minute/s   00:19:48 Adrenaline Basics In Two Minutes   00:21:32 Tool: Time Your Cortisol Peak To Waking Using Specific Light Intensities   00:27:20 Brief Increases In Cortisol & Adrenaline Boost Energy, Focus & Immunity   00:30:04 Ways To Increase Adrenaline, Epinephrine & Cortisol & Why That Is Good   00:35:00 Does Mindset During Stress Matter?   00:36:15 Protocols: Adrenaline Breathing Described   00:39:00 Practices To Increase Energy Without Increasing Stress   00:45:00 Using Stressors to ENHANCE Our Immune System: Science & Tools   00:55:11 Timing Thyroid Release For Energy   00:57:02 Adrenaline/Stress Increase Performance & Memory. IF They Are After Learning   01:02:45 An Optimal Learning Protocol   01:03:20 Coffee Changes Your Brain & Increases Connectivity Of “Anxiety Circuits”   01:05:43 Nootropics: Two Kinds, & How & Why They Work, “Neural Energy”   01:09:00 Biology of Comfort Foods: From Negative to Positive Feedback Loops   01:14:00 Bombesin: Energy Without Eating   01:15:00 How Stress Makes Our Hair Gray, & How To Prevent Stress-Induced Graying   01:18:05 Blunting Chronic Cortisol, Including: Ashwagandha & Science Of   01:25:50 Licorice Increases Cortisol & Blood Pressure, & Reduces Testosterone (by Glycyrrhizin)   01:28:50 Apigenin: Anti-Cortisol   01:29:53 Protocols For Optimizing Energy & Immune System Function (& Learning)   01:37:00 When Fasting, Exercise, Cold & Intense Breathing Become Detrimental   01:39:00 Prescription Compounds   01:39:47 Tools For Accessing Alert & Calm States of “Energy”: Separating The Brain & Body   01:42:11 Ways To Apply Knowledge Presented Today   01:43:20 No-Cost Ways To Support Us, Feedback, Sponsors, Patreon, Partners, “Office Hours”   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode discusses metabolism and how our thyroid hormone and growth hormone control our metabolism. I also clarify that metabolism isn't just about burning energy, it’s about converting energy from different sources into fuels for building and repairing our tissues such as muscle, brain, and tendons and mobilizing energy from body fat storage. I discuss the role of iodine, selenium, and salt for thyroid health, and how specific exercise protocols, amino acids and temperature can dramatically shift levels of growth hormone release in waking and in sleep. I also describe the current landscape of prescription compounds, peptides and other factors for changing levels of thyroid and growth hormone, and some of their risks. Throughout the episode, mechanisms and tools grounded in specific mechanisms are discussed. Supplements from Thorne https://www.thorne.com/u/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:06:05) Thyroid & Growth Hormone (00:08:44) Food Shapes: Do They Matter? (00:11:43) Stevia: Naming & Impact (00:13:30) Metabolism 101: Your Brain the Furnace (00:17:33) Releasing Hormones From Your Brain, Stimulating Hormones from Your Pituitary (00:21:04) Thyroid Hormone’s Real Effects: Growth, Repair and Energy Consumption of Tissues (00:22:45) Iodine, L-Tyrosine & Selenium: The Trio Essential For Thyroid Function (00:26:05) How Much Iodine Do We Need? By Food, Supplement or Ocean Air (00:28:09) Selenium For Thyroid: Brazil Nuts & Other Valuable Sources (00:33:05) Selenium For Pregnancy, Prostate Cancer Risk, Acne (00:35:20) “Clean Eating” Downsides: Cruciferous Vegetables, Leeching Iodine (00:39:00) Other Benefits of Iodine: Reducing Inflammation (00:41:00) Why & How Increased Thyroid Increases Metabolism (00:42:12) What To Eat To Support Your Brain (00:43:00) Hyperthyroidism (Too Much) & Hypothyroidism (Too Little) (00:44:35) Menstruation: Thyroid Carbohydrate & Sugar Craving (00:45:33) Ketogenic Diet & Its Effects On Thyroid, Rebound Weight Gain (00:48:39) Growth Hormone: What, Why & How (00:51:18) Growth Hormone (GH) Changes Across The Lifespan & Risks of GH Therapy (00:53:40) How To Powerfully Increase Growth Hormone: Know The Natural Triggers (00:54:49) Not Eating Within 2hrs of Sleep: Keep Blood Glucose Low(ish) At Sleep (00:55:43) Delta Wave Brain Activity Is the Trigger For Growth Hormone Release (00:58:25) LOW Doses of Melatonin Supplementation For Increasing GH Release (01:01:00) Book: Altered Traits, Binaural Beats? Delta Waves Access (01:04:35) Specific Types & Duration of Exercise That Stimulate Growth Hormone & Warmups (01:08:40) Keeping Low Blood Glucose & Ensuring A Cool Down For Two Phase GH Release (01:10:36) Sex Differences For WHEN During Exercise Growth Hormone and IGF-1 Release Occurs: Males Have To Last Longer (01:14:10) Supplements That Increase Growth Hormone 100-400% (or more): Arginine, Ornithine (01:18:20) Arginine & Exercise Together Can Be Counter-Productive (01:19:50) L-Citrulline Better For Arginine Than Arginine Itself (?!); & Blood Pressure Caution (01:23:09) Growth Hormone Changes Across The Lifespan: No One Escapes (01:26:00) Heat (& Cold) for Triggering Extremely Large Increases In Growth Hormone (01:29:20) Specific Heat Protocols For Increasing Growth Hormone: Up To 16-Fold (?!) (01:34:30) 2021 (New) Study: Heat Increases GH, & Lowers Cortisol, No Effects On Testosterone, DHEA Or Prolactin (01:36:00) Prescription Growth Hormone, & Emerging Peptides Therapeutics, Secretagogues Etc. (01:42:25) Synthesis, Summary Of Actionable Steps For Increasing GH and Thyroid Hormone (01:44:00) Zero Cost & Other Ways to Support Our Podcast; & Thank You! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode I discuss how hormones from our gut, liver, pancreas and brain control our appetite--and the specific tools we can use to adjust those hormones in order to achieve specific goals. I explain the brain areas that control our desire to eat, and our desire to stop eating. I discuss a hormone we all can make that is regulated by UV-rays from sunlight that reduces our appetite. I also explain that when we eat controls our appetite and not the other way around (and how to leverage that fact). I describe how we are basically always eating until we reach a threshold level of fatty acids and amino acids in our gut and the factors that can alter that signaling and make us eat far more than we need. I also explain how insulin, glucose and glucagon work, why cholesterol is so key for ovary, adrenal, liver and testes function and how the ketogenic diet impacts glucose and thyroid levels. As always, I describe many tools: specific supplements, prescription compounds, specific types (and timing) of exercise to regulate hormones, specific timing and types of eating, ways to reduce sugar cravings by triggering release of the hormone CCK, and more. Note: A future episode will cover Thyroid hormone. Also, I mis-spoke when explaining POMC neurons. I said “P-M-O-C” but should have said “POMC”. Apologies. The name I gave for what POMC is, however, was correct: "proopiomelanocortin". Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Supplements from Thorne https://www.thorne.com/u/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:06:59) Hunger: Neural & Hormonal Control (00:08:32) Chewing & Hunger (00:11:05) Siamese Rats Reveal the Importance of Hormones In Hunger (00:13:08) Neurons That Powerfully Control Hunger by Releasing Specific Hormones (00:16:28) Anorexia & Extreme Overeating (00:16:57) Why Sunlight Suppresses Hunger: a-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (a -MSH) (00:20:03) Blue-blockers, Injecting a-MSH: Instant Tan & Priapism (00:22:30) Ghrelin: A Hormone That Determines When You Get Hungry, & That You Can Control (00:24:40) Meal Timing Determines Hunger, Not the Other Way Around (00:27:20) Satchin Panda, Circadian Eating & Intermittent(ish) Fasting (00:29:35) How To Rationally Adjust Meal Schedules: The 45min Per Day Rule (00:33:02) CCK (Cholecystokinin): A Hormone In Your Gut That Says “No Mas!” (00:34:55) Eating For Amino Acids, Fatty Acids & Sugar (00:39:05) L-Glutamine: Stimulates the Immune System & Reduces Sugar Cravings (00:43:42) Things To Avoid: Emulsifiers; Alter Gut Mucosa & Nutrient Sensing (00:49:32) “A Calorie Is NOT A Calorie” After All (00:52:36) Insulin & Glucose: Hyperglycemia, Euglycemia, & Hypogylcemia (00:56:12) The Order Your Eat Foods Matters: Managing Your Blood Glucose & Glucagon (01:02:40) Movement, Exercise & GLUT-4 (01:04:50) Why Sugar Stimulates Your Appetite (01:05:40) Keeping Blood Sugar Stable With Specific Exercises, The Power Of Insulin Sensitivity (01:07:55) High-Intensity Exercise, Glycogen & Metabolism (01:10:28) Cholesterol, HDL, LDL & Glucose Management: Ovaries, Testes, Liver, Adrenals (01:15:00) Prescription Compounds That Reduce Blood Glucose: Metformin (01:16:45) Berberine: A Potent Glucose Buffer That Also Adjusts Cholesterol Levels, Canker Sores (01:22:05) Chromium, L-Carnitine, Ginseng, Caffeine, Magnesium, Stevia, Vitamin B3, & Zinc (01:24:34) Acids: Vinegar, Lemons & Limes & False Alkalinity (01:26:40) Ketogenic Diets (In Brief): Effects On Blood Glucose, Thyroid Hormones (01:28:10) Diabetes, Filtering Blood, Sweet Urine (01:31:08) The Power of GLP-1 & Yerba Mate For Controlling Appetite, Electrolytes (01:35:19) Summary & Notes About Thyroid, Estrogen, Testosterone (01:37:20) Zero Cost & Sponsor-Based Ways To Support The Huberman Lab Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices