Huberman Lab

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways

• We are driven by timers controlled by dopamine and serotonin which cause us to perceive experience differently depending on whether we’re excited or bored
• The more dopamine and epinephrine are released in the brain, the more we overestimate how much time has passed – conversely – the more serotonin released, the more we underestimate how much time has passed
• Our perception of time will differ in the first half of the day versus the latter half of the day because of variations in amounts of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the bloodstream
• If you are doing work that involves adhering to rigid rules like math or something where there’s a right or wrong answer – do it in the early part of the day because of how dopamine and norepinephrine impact time perception
• Dopamine and the release of dopamine govern our perception of time, drive our day, and can be leveraged to build habits or segment day into blocks of productive time
• Tackle brainstorming and creative work in the afternoon when serotonin is higher and offers flexibility in batching time
• Impact of time on relationships and social interactions: the more novel experiences we have in a place or with a person, the more we feel we know the place or person even though the actual amount of time might be short

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org



In this episode, I discuss how our brain and body track time and the role that neurochemicals, in particular dopamine and serotonin, but also hormones such as melatonin, allow us to orient ourselves in time. I review the three types of time perception: of the past, of the present, and the future, and how dopamine and serotonin adjust both our perception of the speed of the passage of time and our memory of how long previous experiences lasted. I also discuss circannual entrainment, which is the process by which our brain and body are matched to the seasons, and circadian (24 hours) entrainment, both of which subconsciously adjust our perceived measurement of time. I explain the mechanisms of that subconscious control. And I cover the ultradian (90 minutes) rhythms that govern our ability to focus, including how to track when these 90-minute rhythms begin and end for the sake of work and productivity. I include ten tools based on the science of time perception that you can apply to enhance productivity, creativity, and relationships in various contexts. 

 

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Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Introducing Time Perception, Note on Fasting & Supplements
• 00:05:12 Sponsors: ROKA, Athletic Greens, InsideTracker
• 00:09:25 Entrainment, Circannual Entrainment, Melatonin
• 00:13:20 Seasonal Oscillations in Testosterone & Estrogen, Tool 1
• 00:16:06 Circadian Timing, Tools 1, 2, 3 (for Circadian Entrainment)
• 00:21:13 Tool 4: Timing Physical Activity; Tool 5: Timing Eating Window
• 00:23:00 When Circadian Entrainment is Disrupted, Time Perception Suffers
• 00:25:00 Tool 6: Ultradian (90min) Cycles & Focus
• 00:31:42 Our Sense of the Passage of Time: Present, Prospective, Retrospective
• 00:34:40 Dopamine (& Nor/epinephrine) Lead to Time Overestimation; Frame Rate 
• 00:37:18 Serotonin & Time Underestimation; Decreased Frame Rate
• 00:39:10 Dopamine vs. Serotonin Across the Day; Tool 7: When to Do Rigid vs. Creative Work
• 00:42:38 Example of Tool 7
• 00:43:38 How Sleep Deprivation Degrades Performance
• 00:44:38 Trauma, “Over-clocking” & Memories; Adjusting Rates of Experience
• 00:50:04 Why Trauma Involves Dopamine & Epinephrine, Arousal
• 00:51:03 Dopamine, Spontaneous Blinking & Time Perception; Tool 8
• 00:53:38 Deliberate Cold Exposure, Dopamine, Tool 9: Adjusting Frame Rate in Discomfort
• 00:56:30 Fun “Feels Fast” BUT Is Remembered as Slow; Boring Stuff “Feels Slow,” Recall As Fast
• 01:00:54 Retrospective Time, Context Variation & Enhanced Bonding with Places & People
• 01:03:00 Dopamine Release Resets the Start of Each Time Bin on Our Experience
• 01:07:40 Habits & Time Perception; Tool 10 (Setting Functional Units of Each Day)
• 01:11:58 Synthesis & Book Suggestion (Your Brain Is a Time Machine by D. Buonomano)
• 01:12:27 Supporting the HLP: Subscribe, Instagram, Patreon, Thorne Supplements
  
  

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