Huberman Lab

Podcast Notes

• The neurobiology of goals and goal setting should be layered on top of the psychology to help us achieve our goals more efficiently
• Four parts of the brain are responsible for goals: the amygdala responsible for fear & anxiety, the basal ganglia responsible for action/inaction, the lateral prefrontal cortex involved in planning and thinking across timescales, and the orbital prefrontal cortex which helps us orient our emotions involved with goals
• Regardless of the goal or its size, the same neural circuits are involved
• The neural circuits involved in goals assess two things: (1) the value of the goal and whether it’s worth pursuing; (2) which actions to take towards that goal
• Delayed discounting: the further out a goal is, the less effective the reward is in motivating behavior
• We evaluate progress and how we feel about pursuit in peri-personal space; moving toward a goal involves orienting thinking toward extra-personal space
• Imagining a goal has to be coupled to the pursuit of the goal – visualization alone is helpful in getting us started on pursuit of goals but not a good way to maintain the pursuit of a goal
• Foreshadow failure: thinking about failure or what will happen if you don’t achieve a goal is actually the best way to motivate towards goal pursuit – in other words, use failure as motivation to lean into correct behaviors
• “The brain and body are much better at moving away from fearful things than towards things we want.” – Dr. Andrew Huberman
• Assess progress towards a goal on a weekly basis and give yourself a small reward to leverage the dopamine system and tell yourself you’re on the right track
• Best practices in setting and achieving goals: (1) set goals that are challenging but possible (not too easy, not impossible); (2) plan concretely; (3) foreshadow failure; (4) focus on visual points to keep the attention and remove distractors

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org

In this episode, I discuss the science of setting, assessing, and pursuing goals. I explain the neural (brain) circuits that underlie goal setting and pursuit. Then I describe nine science-supported tools anyone can apply toward their goals. I explain when and how to use goal visualization, when to use multitasking and how to use specific rewards to improve the likelihood of reaching your goals. I also explain why envisioning failures and their consequences are effective and how to set goals of the appropriate level of challenge. I also explain how the molecule dopamine is used to gauge our progress toward milestones and long-term overarching goals and how to leverage dopamine for goal pursuit. Finally, I explain a unique tool called 'space-time bridging' that can be used to support all aspects of goal setting, assessment, and pursuit. This episode ought to be useful for anyone seeking to improve their performance in work, school, exercise, athletics, or personal development.

 

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Links:

• The 85% Rule for Optimal Learning - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12552-4  
• Effects of Narrowing Visual Attention on Goal Pursuit Behavior - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167219861438  

 

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 The Neuroscience of Goals
• 00:01:56 Tool 1: Learn Fast(er) by the 85% Rule 
• 00:06:04 LMNT, Athletic Greens, ROKA
• 00:13:55 Brain Circuits for Setting & Pursuing Goals
• 00:21:52 Determining the Value of Goals 
• 00:24:33 Psychology of Goal Setting: Assessing Value, Action Steps
• 00:30:29 Peripersonal Space vs. Extrapersonal Space
• 00:35:39 Visually Focusing on a Goal Line Improves Performance
• 00:43:50 How Vision Improves Performance: Blood Pressure
• 00:51:55 Tool 2: Use Focal Vision to Initiate Goal Pursuit
• 00:54:40 Tool 3: Use Aged Self-Images to Self-Motivate 
• 00:59:33 Tool 4: Visualization of Goals is Only Helpful at the Start 
• 01:02:05 Tool 5: Visualizing Failure is the Best Ongoing Motivator
• 01:07:26 Tool 6: Make Goals Moderately Lofty 
• 01:13:05 Tool 7: Avoid Goal Distraction; Focus on 1-2 Major Goals Per Year
• 01:15:57 Tool 8: Ensure Specificity of Goals, Weekly Assessment
• 01:19:57 Dopamine, Motivation & Pleasure in Seeking Goals
• 01:22:43 Dopamine Reward Prediction Error, Controlling Dopamine
• 01:34:26 How Dopamine Influences Vision & Vice Versa
• 01:38:10 Interim Summary of Goal-Pursuit Steps
• 01:39:50 Tool 9: Space-Time Bridging 
• 01:49:59 Summary
• 01:51:50 Subscribe, Sponsors, Patreon, Supplements: Thorne, Instagram, Twitter, Newsletter

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