Optimal Protocols for Studying & Learning - Dr Andrew Huberman

In this episode, I discuss science-supported protocols to optimize your depth and rate of learning of material and skills. I explain the neurobiology of learning and neuroplasticity and how correctly timed, self-directed test-taking can be leveraged to improve learning and prevent forgetting.

I discuss the study habits of the most successful learners, ways to limit distractions, how to set study goals, and how tests can be used as tools to learn, not just as a means for evaluating one’s mastery of learned material. A surprising aspect of tests, specifically self-testing soon after exposure to new material, is that they can significantly improve your ability to learn, apply, and maintain new knowledge. I also discuss tools to improve focus and alertness while studying.

The Counter-Intuitive Nature of Learning

• The most effective learning practices are not intuitive, and common beliefs about how to learn are often incorrect.
• The primary goal of studying should be to offset the natural process of forgetting new information, rather than just "learning to retain" it.

Fundamentals of Neuroplasticity and Learning

• Neuroplasticity is the nervous system's ability to change in response to experience, forming the basis of all learning.
• The main mechanisms of neuroplasticity involve the strengthening and weakening of existing connections between neurons (synapses). The addition of new neurons (neurogenesis) is a rare mechanism and accounts for a trivial amount of learning in adults, mainly in the olfactory bulb and dentate gyrus.
• The removal or weakening of neural connections is crucial for learning, particularly for the acquisition of new motor skills, and should not be seen as inherently negative.

The Most Effective Learning Tool: Testing and Self-Testing

The Dating Doctor: "Start Dating Like It's Your Job!" - The Diary of a CEO with Dr Orion Taraban

Dr Orion Taraban is a psychologist, host of the podcast ‘PsychHacks’, and the author of the book, ‘The Value Of Others: Understanding the Economic Model of Relationships to Get (and Keep) More of What You Want in the Sexual’.

The Modern Relationship Crisis and Its Macro Context

• The world is currently experiencing a "relationship crisis," marked by a catastrophic decline in all forms of relationships over the last 10 years.
• Fewer people are getting married, with rates at historic lows in the USA. Additionally, fewer people are entering into relationships, and even casual sexual relationships ("hooking up") are being transacted less frequently.
• This crisis has significant downstream consequences on a macro scale, including potential population collapse. Many countries, if not for immigration, would be below reproductive replacement rates, leading to an economically burdened society with fewer workers supporting a growing elderly population. This phenomenon is partly driving advancements in robotics and AI to compensate for declining human workforce numbers.
• For individuals, this translates into mating and dating being more confusing and difficult than ever before, despite technological advancements that should theoretically make it easier.

The Impact of Dating Apps

• The meteoric rise of dating apps has correlated with a catastrophic decline in all forms of relationships. In the last decade, online initiation of relationships increased by 250%, with over 50% of couples now meeting through social media or online dating sites.

Dan Bilzerian's hedonistic life – Chris Williamson with Dan Bilzerian

Dan Bilzerian is an entrepreneur and a professional poker player.

What would it be like to dedicate yourself to hedonism for a decade? Without any budget or time or resource constraints. What would you discover from doing every adventure available in the modern world? And what would you truly value once it was over?

Expect to learn where Dan has been for the last few years, whether his company Ignite actually went bankrupt, if Dan is still rich, why he’s trying monogamy, what happens when you lock yourself on an island with 100 women, Dan’s advice for all men on how to be more attractive, the biggest pitfalls men make when posting on social media, how to stop being intimidated by hot women, and much more…

How to Improve & Protect Your Skin Health & Appearance - Dr Andrew Huberman with Dr Teo Soleymani

Dr. Teo Soleymani is a double-board-certified dermatologist and specialist in skin cancer and reconstructive surgery. He discusses science and clinically supported protocols to improve skin health and give your skin a more youthful appearance and structure, reducing premature ageing and skin cancer risk. He discusses the impact of sun exposure on skin. He discusses skincare routines to significantly improve skin appearance. He outlines how caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and stress impact the skin and describes how nutrition and anti-inflammatory diets can improve skin health. He also discusses the causes and treatments for skin cancer and common skin conditions, including dandruff, acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, and vitiligo.

The Impact of Stress on Skin Health and Appearance

• Skin is the body's largest and most dynamic organ, with its surface cells turning over completely approximately every 28 days. This regenerative capacity allows skin to heal itself and serves as a model for studying various diseases.

• Stress, both acute and chronic, significantly impacts skin appearance and health. The dermis, rich in blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and glands, is where most biological activity related to stress response occurs.

• Acute Stress: Leads to immediate changes, such as hair loss (e.g., during exam periods, after major illness, or pregnancy), and temporary paleness or a gaunt appearance due to vasoconstriction that shunts blood away from the skin to muscles in a "fight or flight" response.

• Chronic Stress: Primarily mediated by cortisol, which breaks down collagen and elastin and thins vessel walls, leading to accelerated skin aging. The visible signs of chronic stress on the skin are noticeable and can be mitigated by reducing stress.

Effects of Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol on Skin

Why Is Everyone So Emotionally Fragile? - Chris Williamson with Whitney Cummings

Whitney Cummings is a comedian, actress, writer, and a podcaster. Emotional maturity is a difficult thing to truly come by. Making your needs known, setting boundaries, being able to disappoint people without being afraid. If it’s such an important skill, why is it so hard to discover how to develop it? Expect to learn how Whitney has been changed since becoming a mother, why Whitney has been thinking about circumcision so much, what codependence is and how to overcome it, why your niceness might be narcissism in disguise, why the news and memes are moving at such an insane velocity right now and much more…

Taylor Swift's Cultural Impact and Marketing Strategy

• Taylor Swift has achieved immense financial success with her tours, surpassing figures like Michael Jackson in revenue.
• Her appeal to children and young fans is highlighted, with her music generally avoiding hypersexualisation and focusing on "teenage feelings" like heartbreak, contrasting with many contemporary female pop stars. Her dancing style is described as "awkward" and "not sexy," further contributing to a non-sexualised image.
• Her approach is seen as a "counterculture" phenomenon, especially in comparison to overtly sexualized artists, making her appear as a "conservative icon". Country music is noted to hold a similar appeal for parents seeking safer content for their children.
• Taylor Swift effectively engages her fanbase through "Easter eggs," puzzle pieces, codes in her albums, and even sending gifts to fans, making them feel special. This is identified as a successful marketing strategy that many other artists might consider "corny" or "low status".
• She demonstrates wit and resilience in handling public criticism, such as transforming "snake" accusations into a powerful statement by retorting, "snakes eat rats". This ability to "stunt on" haters and sublimate criticism into something else is seen as a valuable skill for public figures.

Relationships as a "Business Decision" and Personal Development

• The idea that choosing a partner is a "business decision" (in terms of managing personal energy and bandwidth) was discussed, with the argument that one's partner can either energise or deplete them, impacting their focus on work and personal life. The quote "be regular and orderly in your personal life so you can be original and violent in your work" was cited to support this.

Bret's Top Existential Concerns for Humanity - The Diary Of A CEO with Dr Bret Weinstein

Dr. Bret Weinstein's Core Premise and Mission

• Dr. Bret Weinstein, an evolutionary biologist and former college professor, believes humanity is in "terrible danger", facing a growing number of existential threats.
• He feels obligated to identify and articulate these errors, even if he thinks his efforts are unlikely to change humanity's fate.
• His overarching concern is that humanity is creating a rate of change so rapid ("hyper-novelty") that we cannot adapt fast enough, leading to increasingly poor adaptation to modern life.

Existential Threats and Concerns

• Weinstein argues that "all" sizable institutions have collapsed and often function inversely to their intended purpose.
• Journalism: Modern newspapers bend over backwards not to report the news, engaging in propaganda and confirmation bias rather than truth-seeking. A functional, truth-seeking newspaper would be immensely popular, but powerful competing forces (e.g., those driven by inside information) prevent their existence.
• Academia/Universities: No university in the US truly functions as a truth-seeking institution anymore; instead, they indoctrinate students. Weinstein recounts his personal experience at Evergreen State College where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives led to a "campus-wide riot" and accusations of racism against him for challenging faculty mandates. He highlights that students are being "betrayed" and taught to "demand things of the system rather than to contribute".
• Government and Courts: These institutions also failed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Cartesian Crisis: The breakdown of truth-seeking institutions, coupled with the advent of AI, is creating a "Cartesian Crisis" – a profound cynicism about factual material that will make it impossible for humans to interact, govern themselves, or have confidence in shared facts.
• Hope for Change: A single exception (e.g., one truly free social media platform like X, or one functioning university/newspaper) can change the entire dynamic by fostering competitive pressure for truth and free discourse.

Nutrition to Support Brain Health & Offset Brain Injuries - Dr Andy Galpin

In this episode, I discuss nutrition and supplementation to reduce the risk of brain injury and enhance brain performance and long-term health. Most brain injuries, including traumatic brain injury (TBIs) and concussion, are not from sports and are actually quite common in non-athletes. I explain what happens in the brain when a TBI occurs and discuss science-supported nutrients to reduce the risk of brain injury, minimize symptoms, and improve recovery.

Summarizing both research and clinical studies, I explain the neuroprotective effects of specific nutrients, including creatine monohydrate, fish oil (DHA and EPA), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), choline, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), magnesium, and anthocyanins. I also describe the recommended dosages, frequency, timing, and potential adverse effects and provide options for supplementation and whole-food sources.

Defining and Classifying Brain Injuries

• A brain injury is a broad term with various types and severities, meaning there is no single solution for prevention or recovery. Brain injuries are generally categorised by severity: mild, moderate, and severe.
• Mild TBI: Most common (over 90% of cases). Typically involves a loss of consciousness or amnesia lasting 30 minutes or less, often associated with confusion or post-traumatic amnesia for up to one day. Concussions are almost always mild TBIs; while not all TBIs are concussions, all concussions are TBIs.
• Moderate TBI: Loss of consciousness or amnesia lasting between 30 minutes and 24 hours. Symptoms are more severe, including headaches, confusion, dizziness, nausea, slurred speech, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Often leads to downstream problems like lasting behavioural changes or long-term memory difficulties.
• Severe TBI: Loss of consciousness or amnesia for 24 hours to more than seven days. Associated with dementia-like symptoms such as memory and attention problems, decision-making issues, learning impairments, mood disturbances, and significant sleep problems.

Physiology and Pathophysiology of Brain Injuries

The New Science Of Why Men & Women Cheat - Chris Williamson with Macken Murphy

Macken Murphy is an evolutionary biologist at the University of Melbourne. Why do people cheat? Is it just the allure of novelty? Dissatisfaction in their current relationship? Fear of being left? Retaliation for their partner cheating? Macken’s brand new study gives so many fascinating answers to these questions. Expect to learn what the evolutionary drivers are behind men’s and women’s infidelity, what this new science says about the Dual Mating and Mate Switching hypotheses, the top 3 reasons for why men and women both cheat, whether cheating is heritable, if there is such a thing as one and done cheating, the most common behaviours of somebody who is being unfaithful and much more…

Facial Attractiveness: Signals and Preferences

• Averageness: Faces that are mathematically average (the result of superimposing many faces) are consistently found attractive. This might be because they are easier for the brain to process, or because average traits represent the end result of historical sexual selection, where non-average features were selected against.

• Symmetry: Facial symmetry is attractive and often correlates with other indicators of attractiveness. It is believed to signal robust underlying developmental qualities, demonstrating an individual's ability to withstand environmental insults, or the absence of severe injuries or heritable genetic disorders. While symmetry is attractive, its correlation with healthiness has mixed results in Western populations.

• Facial Femininity (in women): Heterosexual men consistently find facial femininity in women very attractive.

• Facial Masculinity (in men): Preferences for facial masculinity in men are mixed. Some studies suggest a slight preference for masculinity, others for femininity, and some show no effect. The latest reviews indicate a slight preference for facial femininity in men. While facial masculinity is associated with traits like fighting ability and testosterone levels, which can be impressive signals, it is not universally preferred above more feminine traits.

• Eye Features: A dark ring around the iris (limbal ring) and clear white sclera are considered attractive, potentially acting as cues to health. Eye color preferences may be frequency-dependent, contributing to eye color diversity.

The Masculinity Trade-Off Hypothesis and Beards

Is It Ethical To Hand-Pick Your Child’s Genes? - Chris Williamson with Dr Jonathan Anomaly

Dr Jonathan Anomaly is a philosopher, professor and an author. The concept of hand-selecting your baby’s traits has been an idea since the dawn of genetic science. This technology is now available. But just how ethical is it to shape your child’s destiny, and what unseen problems might a world with this science be facing?

The Stigma and Denial of Genetic Differences

• Conversations about IQ and genetics became highly stigmatised after World War II due to their misuse in the 1920s and 30s to justify restrictive immigration policies and notions of group supremacy.
• Historically, Hitler banned IQ tests after finding Jewish individuals consistently scored higher than Germans.
• This post-1943 "ick" factor around genetic selection and trait preference has obscured open discussion, often leading to accusations of "eugenics".
• Denying the reality of genetic influence is not a moral high ground; it can cause oppression, especially if it hinders access to beneficial technologies for children.

The Nature and Validity of IQ

This Be The Verse - By Philip Larkin

This Be The Verse - By Philip Larkin is a funny take on the trials of parenting and being parented.

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

The impact of under sleeping on body fat/weight - Thomas DeLauer

The Pervasive Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Body Fat and Metabolism

• Even mild sleep deprivation, accumulating over days and weeks, significantly contributes to increased stomach and belly fat, hinders fat oxidation, and negatively impacts overall metabolism.

Short-Term Effects (1-2 Nights to One Week)

• Reduced Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): After just one or two nights of poor sleep, the body's resting metabolic rate can decrease by 2.6%, meaning it burns fewer calories at rest. This reduction can be reversed with recovery sleep.

• Hormonal Imbalance (Total Sleep Deprivation): One night of total sleep deprivation (e.g., an all-nighter) can lead to an 18% decrease in muscle protein synthesis, a 21% increase in cortisol (the stress hormone), and a 24% decrease in testosterone.

• Increased Calorie Intake and Food Appeal: Restricting sleep to about two-thirds of normal for a week can cause individuals to consume an average of 559 more calories per day compared to well-rested individuals. This occurs without changes in hunger hormones like ghrelin, but rather due to increased neuronal activity in the brain in response to food, making food appear more appealing and driving the desire to eat.

Mid-Term Effects (3 Weeks to One Month)

Accessing Your Best Self With Mind-Body Practices, Belief Testing & Imagination - Dr Andrew Huberman with Dr Martha Beck

Dr. Martha Beck, a sociologist and life coach, joins neuroscientist Andrew Huberman to explore practical methods for "Accessing Your Best Self." Their discussion delves into the powerful interplay of mind-body practices, the critical process of belief testing, and the transformative potential of imagination. The core message revolves around aligning with one's true nature to alleviate suffering and cultivate a more fulfilling life.

A central theme of the discussion is the concept of the "true self" or "essential self," which Dr. Beck describes as our innate, authentic nature. Suffering, she argues, often arises from a misalignment with this core self, a deviation caused by societal conditioning and limiting beliefs. To reconnect with this authentic self, Dr. Beck outlines a three-step process:

1. Acknowledge and Sit with Suffering: The first step is to recognize and accept feelings of discomfort, anxiety, or pain without resistance. Instead of avoiding these feelings, the practice involves observing them with curiosity.
2. Compassionate Inquiry: The next step is to gently question the thoughts and beliefs that are contributing to the suffering. Dr. Beck emphasizes the importance of self-compassion during this process, treating oneself with the same kindness one would offer a friend.
3. Notice the Shift: As limiting beliefs are questioned and compassion is applied, a subtle shift in one's internal state can occur, leading to a sense of relief and a clearer connection to one's true desires.