Podcast Notes Playlist: Latest Episodes

Vijay Boyapati, author and regular guest rejoins me on the show to chat about his recent book launch as well as a few ideas that specifically came from the book. We also chat about some of his more ‘bearish’ ideas on Bitcoin and that Bitcoin is not inevitable.

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• It’s a valuable skill to be able to sift through the noise and find the signal in scientific studies
• Though meta-analyses summarize findings from previous studies, it’s still prudent to look at each individual study to make sure they’re sound – garbage in, garbage out (and vice versa)
• Observational studies are non-intervention studies looking at the outcomes of people and data to find patterns
• Experimental studies are intervention studies to determine safety and efficacy between groups of people assigned to intervention or control (non-intervention)
• The gold standard of experimental studies is a randomized controlled trial, ideally, double-blind so neither participant nor researcher knows who is assigned to intervention or control
• While clinical trials are regulated by FDA, most of the world follows the same guidelines for Phases I – IV

In this “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) episode, Peter and Bob dive deep into all things related to studying studies to help one sift through all the noise to find the signal. They define the various types of studies, how a study progresses from idea to execution, and how to identify study strengths and limitations. They explain how clinical trials work, as well as the potential for bias and common pitfalls to watch out for. They dig into key factors that contribute to the rigor (or lack thereof) of an experiment, and they discuss how to measure effect size, differentiate relative risk from absolute risk, and what it really means when a study is statistically significant. Finally, Peter lays out his personal process when reading through scientific papers.

If you’re not a subscriber and listening on a podcast player, you’ll only be able to hear a preview of the AMA. If you’re a subscriber, you can now listen to this full episode on your private RSS feed or on our website at the AMA #30 show notes page. If you are not a subscriber, you can learn more about the subscriber benefits here.

We discuss:

• The ever changing landscape of scientific literature [2:15];
  
• The process for a study to progress from idea to design to execution [4:15];
  
• The various types of studies and how they differ [7:30];
  
• The different phases of a clinical trial [19:15];
  
• Observational studies and the potential for bias [26:30];
  
• Experimental studies: Randomization, blinding, and other factors that make or break a study [44:00];
  
• Power, p-values, and statistical significance [56:15];
  
• Measuring effect size: Relative risk vs. absolute risk, hazard ratios, and “Number Needed to Treat” [1:07:45];
  
• How to interpret confidence intervals [1:17:30];
  
• Why a study might be stopped before its completion [1:23:45];
  
• Why only a fraction of studies are ever published and how to combat publication bias [1:31:30];
  
• Why certain journals are more respected than others [1:40:30];
  
• Peter’s process when reading a scientific paper [1:43:45]; and
  
• More.

• We have specific brain circuitry for bonding that are repurposed for the types of relationship whether it’s mother-child, friendship, romantic partnership, etc.
• The strength and stability of our adult bonds are rooted in the health of our caregiver-child bond (but this bond is neuroplastic and can change with experience)
• Dopamine causes us to maintain social homeostasis and seek out connection (via phone, hang out, etc.) if we are not at our optimal level
• Introverts release more dopamine in social interactions so need less of them, while extroverts release less dopamine in social interactions and need more of them to feel filled up
• Think about people based on how much interaction they need to feel balanced, not how chatty or quiet they are
• Homeostatic drives aren’t siloed: there’s common biology of circuitry that underlies things that maintain us (e.g., hunger, connection, social interaction, water, etc.)
• Themes and traditions anchor our psychology and allow us to synchronize our physiology and act as a bridge to establish social bonds
• The right brain handles more autonomic forms of bonding (e.g., heart rate, pupil size) versus the left brain which is responsible for more conscious forms of bonding (e.g., reading to your child)
• Oxytocin is the “hormonal glue”, involved in everything from childbirth, orgasm, honesty, social recognition, and key to all things that lead to bonding
• Part of why breakups (whether in friendship or romantically) are so painful is because they involve a dissolution of emotional and cognitive empathy that was built up

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.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• ROKA - https://www.roka.com - code "huberman"
• Athletic Greens - https://www.athleticgreens.com/huberman
• Headspace - https://www.headspace.com/specialoffer

Our Patreon page:

• https://www.patreon.com/andrewhuberman

Supplements from Thorne:

• http://www.thorne.com/u/huberman 

Social:

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• Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab 
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Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Social Bonding: Child-Parent, Romantic, Friendship, Breakups
• 00:02:55 ROKA, Athletic Greens, Headspace
• 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, Patreon, Thorne, Instagram, Twitter

Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com 

• The brain and its functions are the results of genetics and experience
• Sensory neurons are taking information from the outside world and filter through systems of the body to make meaning
• Location of sensory input (e.g., eyes, feet, fingertips, etc.) doesn’t matter – it all becomes electrical signals flowing in
• All the different parts of the brain are working through the world to make sense of our environment and keep us alive
• The paradox of the brain: areas of the brain are multi-functioning and interactive – but also highly specialized in arrangement and processing
• Our circadian system provides an internal sense of the earth’s rotation by processing light – it affects everything from sleep and hormones to appetite and mood
• The general rule of light viewing: get as much light as you can anytime you want to be alert, avoid light when you want to sleep
• Motion sickness is a mismatch between retina and brain – our eyes might be looking down at our phone or a book, but our brain knows we’re moving forward in ways outside of our control

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.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Athletic Greens - https://athleticgreens.com/huberman 
• InsideTracker - https://insidetracker.com/huberman 
• Magic Spoon - https://magicspoon.com/huberman 

Our Patreon page:

• https://www.patreon.com/andrewhuberman 

Supplements from Thorne:

• http://www.thorne.com/u/huberman 

Social:

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab 
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab 
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab 
• Website - https://hubermanlab.com 
• Newsletter - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network 

Links:

• InsideTracker Interview - https://blog.insidetracker.com/longevity-by-design-andrew-huberman 
• Dr. Berson's Webpage - 
• https://vivo.brown.edu/display/dberson 
• Eyewire - (Contribute to Neuroscience Research from Home/Computer -
• https://eyewire.org/explore  
• Best Neuroscience Textbook (NOTE this is a TEXTBOOK) - https://amzn.to/3lZWrL4 
• Book - We Know It When We See It by Richard Masland - https://amzn.to/31S60Vp 

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Dr. David Berson 
• 00:02:55 Sponsors: Athletic Greens, InsideTracker, Magic Spoon 
• 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 Times 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, Patreon, Thorne

Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com 

• “This not a new normal, this is a new abnormal. The planet will never will cooler tomorrow than it is today”– John Doerr
  • Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now by John Doerr – The wholesale transition plan for every human activity from a fossil fuel-based system to a renewable-based system: how we produce, consume, transport, and organize
    • Electrify transportation
    • Decarbonize the grid – shift to wind, solar, and safe nuclear
    • Fix food systems – reduce the amount of meat and dairy, how we grow plants, and reduce waste
    • Protect nature – reduce deforestation and protect the oceans
    • Clean up the industry – change how we produce things like steel and cement
    • Remove the stubborn carbon that remains – plant more trees, make the sequestering of carbon economic
  • Global governments are the largest obstacle – we must go for the gigatons, the messages sent to individuals to ‘go green’ are often just distractions from the bigger problem

John Doerr is an engineer, venture capitalist, the chairman of Kleiner Perkins, and the author of the #1 New York Times best-seller Measure What Matters. For over 40 years, John has helped build some of the most generational defining companies of our generation. He was an original investor and board member at Google and Amazon, helping to create more than a million jobs. A pioneer of Silicon Valley’s cleantech movement, John has invested in zero emissions technologies since 2006. Check out his latest book, Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now.

1.) What was John's entry into climate change investing? Having backed the likes of Amazon and Google, why did John decide then was the right time to do a climate fund, a pandemic fund, an iPhone fund? How does John think about market timing risk today? How does John determine between risks he is vs is not willing to take?

2.) What was one of John's biggest lessons on risk and upside from working alongside Tom Perkins? How did the Google deal come together? Where did John first meet Larry and Serge? What convinced John to write them a $12M check for 12% of the company? Why was it a contested deal within the partnership? How did the discussion go internally?

3.) Why and how is climate innovating and investing different today than it was in 2008? What are the core OKR's laid out in the book, that we need to achieve as a society? Why does John believe that governments are the biggest problem to us achieving these objectives? What does John mean when he says, "I am hopeful but not optimistic"?

4.) What does truly great listening mean to John? How would John describe his style of board membership? What do the truly special board members do? What does John do that makes him often cited as one of the best at recruiting? What is John's biggest investing miss? How did it change his mindset and approach? What investment is John most proud of, that no one knows? 

John’s Favourite Book: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need

• “People joke like, ‘are you going to be 5% exposed, or 100% exposed,’ I’m 500% exposed. I’m not 5%, 50%, we started with $250 million of capital, we bought $3.5 billion of Bitcoin.”
• You can think of Microstrategy as the first digital property development company. 
• It doesn’t make sense for Bitcoin to be spent on anything. 
• Bitcoin fixes every company and governmental institution.
• Unless you’re willing to default on your taxes to your nation-state, you can’t use property as currency. 
• One useful thing to do for everyone every day is to convert some piece of property to Bitcoin. 

“People joke like, ‘are you going to be 5% exposed, or 100% exposed,’ I’m 500% exposed. I’m not 5%, 50%, we started with $250 million of capital, we bought $3.5 billion of bitcoin.”
— Michael Saylor

Location: Miami
Date: Monday 29th November
Company: Microstrategy
Role: CEO

In August 2020, MicroStrategy commenced with the bold defensive move to invest significant treasury assets in Bitcoin in response to inflationary pressures. Since then, MicroStrategy has strategically enhanced their holdings to become the largest corporate owner of Bitcoin and just last week announced an additional $414 million purchase. 

The strategy has been led by CEO Michael Saylor. As a developer of enterprise software, Saylor has long espoused digital transformation. Bitcoin is part of that process, digitising the last major building blocks of the analogue society: property, energy, and money.

Whilst this first wave of corporate adoption is entrepreneurial in spirit, the advantages of corporate adoption are clear. Yet, despite a glut of Bitcoin miners maximising their Bitcoin hodling, MicroStrategy hasn't been followed by a wave of institutions following suit. Such inertia is predicated on a range of impediments that may fall away in the next few years.

In this interview, I talk to Michael Saylor, the CEO of MicroStrategy. We discuss the evolution of their Bitcoin strategy, technological disintermediation, and Bitcoin as a foundational societal technology. 

This episode’s sponsors:
Gemini - Buy Bitcoin instantly
BlockFi - The future of Bitcoin financial services
Sportsbet.io - Online sportsbook & casino that accepts Bitcoin
Casa - The leading provider of Bitcoin multisig key security.
Exodus - The world's leading Desktop, Mobile and Hardware crypto wallets.
Ledger - State of the art Bitcoin hardware wallet
Compass Mining - Bitcoin mining & hosting

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WBD431 - Show Notes

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• We cannot have fear without having most or all the elements of a stress response – but we can have stress without fear
• We can inherit a predisposition to fear and trauma from our parents, with a stronger association shown from father
• Amygdala is a critical component of threat reflex, which involves activation of some systems and suppression of the parasympathetic system
• Changing the narrative is one of the most potent ways we can rewire fear circuitry
• Detailed recounting or retelling or fearful or traumatic event is key to unpairing threat reflex and changing the narrative, which will diminish stress response over time
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has been shown beneficial for acute, single event experiences (e.g., car accident) by reducing activation of amygdala and amplitude of threat reflex – but might be incomplete treatment because it doesn’t change the narrative of the event
• Social connection is beneficial for relief of fear and trauma by diminishing tachykinin
• Taking a self-directed approach and inducing stress through breathing can mitigate stress – best results if incorporated with narrative therapy
• Breathing approaches to mitigate stress: (1) Try 5 minutes of physiologic sigh (double inhale through the nose followed by long exhale through mouth); (2) Try 5 minutes of cyclic hyperventilation (deep inhale through nose immediately following by deep exhale through mouth x 25-30 then fully exhaling until lungs are empty and repeating)

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.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Athletic Greens - https://www.athleticgreens.com/huberman 
• InsideTracker - https://www.insidetracker.com/huberman 
• Helix Sleep - https://www.helixsleep.com/huberman 

Our Patreon page:

• https://www.patreon.com/andrewhuberman 

Supplements from Thorne:

• https://www.thorne.com/u/huberman 

Social:

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab 
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab 
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab 
• Website - https://hubermanlab.com 
• Newsletter - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network 

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Introducing Fear, Trauma & Trauma 
• 00:02:15 Athletic Greens, InsideTracker, Helix Sleep
• 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, Patreon, Supplements, Instagram, Twitter

Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com