Big Think

The brain mechanisms that unlock human potential | Steven Kotler


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"If you're interested in human performance, what you want is something that's reliable and repeatable, and thus you want neurobiology because neurobiology gives you mechanism."

Most explanations of human performance lean on psychology or philosophy, but best-selling author Steven Kotler argues that these frameworks are only metaphors. If you want repeatable, measurable science, you need to use biology.
By understanding brain networks, Kotler explains how we can engineer peak states like flow, creativity, and focus for peak performance.
0:00 The biology of peak performance
3:28 The functional networks of the brain
4:33 Fear and attention circuitry in the brain
6:20 How to turn on peak performance
7:13 Motivation, learning, creativity, and flow
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About Steven Kotler:
Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. He is the author of ten bestsellers (out of thirteen books total), including The Art of Impossible, The Future Is Faster Than You Think, Stealing Fire, The Rise of Superman, Bold and Abundance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, translated into over 40 languages, and appeared in over 100 publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, TIME and the Harvard Business Review. Steven is also the cohost of Flow Research Collective Radio, a top ten iTunes science podcast. Along with his wife, author Joy Nicholson, he is the cofounder of the Rancho de Chihuahua, a hospice and special needs dog snctuary.

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