August 27, 2024 • 3hr 14min

#2195 - Andrew Huberman

The Joe Rogan Experience

In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan sits down with Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University. They discuss a wide range of topics related to neuroscience, human performance, creativity, and personal development. The conversation covers everything from the human sense of smell to the neuroscience of peak performance in sports to the importance of authenticity in creative pursuits.

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Key Takeaways

Humans have a much better sense of smell than commonly believed. Studies show people can track scents almost as well as bloodhounds when other senses are restricted.
The anterior midcingulate cortex is a key brain region involved in doing challenging things. It grows larger in people who regularly push themselves to do difficult tasks they don't want to do.
Starting a skill or sport at a young age allows the nervous system to develop specialized circuitry, giving a significant advantage over those who start later in life.
Authenticity and "being yourself" is crucial for success and fulfillment in creative fields like music, podcasting, and comedy. Trying to please others often leads to losing what made you unique.
Voluntary physical and mental adversity through challenging exercise and tasks can help build resilience and make other life challenges seem easier by comparison.
Long-distance cardio exercise seems particularly effective for helping people overcome addictions and anxiety compared to just weightlifting.

Introduction

In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan sits down with Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University. They discuss a wide range of topics related to neuroscience, human performance, creativity, and personal development. The conversation covers everything from the human sense of smell to the neuroscience of peak performance in sports to the importance of authenticity in creative pursuits.

Topics Discussed

Human Sense of Smell (6:41)

Huberman discusses research showing that humans have a much better sense of smell than commonly believed. He cites studies by researcher Noam Sobel demonstrating that humans can track scents almost as well as bloodhounds when other senses are restricted:

In experiments, blindfolded humans were able to track a scent of chocolate buried 7 inches underground
Humans have roughly the same number of olfactory receptors as dogs, but dogs use them more efficiently
Dogs' noses create vortices that give them longer exposure to scents

Huberman notes: "We have an amazing olfactory apparatus. In fact, he makes the argument and there's evidence for the fact that as soon as people meet and they've done these beautiful experiments, people meet, they shake hands and the next thing they do, they tend to within about a minute, they wipe the scent of the other person on their face."

The Anterior Midcingulate Cortex and Challenging Tasks (1:16:59)

Huberman explains the importance of the anterior midcingulate cortex (AMC) in doing challenging things:

The AMC grows larger in people who regularly push themselves to do difficult tasks they don't want to do
It is larger in "superagers" who maintain cognitive abilities longer into old age
Doing things you enjoy does not grow this brain region - it must be challenging

He states: "If you really don't want to do something and you do it, this area gets bigger. And it's got inputs and outputs from all of these different brain areas that make all of this make sense, like the dopamine system, like the learning and memory system, like the areas of the brain that say, no, I'm going to retreat from that."

Starting Skills Young and Specialized Neural Circuitry (1:23:41)

Rogan and Huberman discuss how starting a skill or sport at a young age allows the nervous system to develop specialized circuitry:

Examples include Floyd Mayweather in boxing and Anderson Silva in MMA
The nervous system literally develops around the patterns of the sport/skill
This gives a huge advantage over those who start later in life

Huberman explains: "Their nervous system was shaped in fighting the same way Tiger Woods' nervous system was shaped golfing."

Authenticity in Creative Pursuits (2:46:37)

They discuss the importance of authenticity and "being yourself" in creative fields like music, podcasting, and comedy:

Early punk rock and hip hop artists were successful by just being themselves authentically
Podcasting allows for authentic, unscripted conversations
Trying to please others often leads to losing what made you unique

Huberman notes: "When a podcast works, I think it's because you're just being you. And it seems so obvious, it's kind of almost trite. But Rick is like. Exactly. And the biggest mistake is to take the feedback, the comments, whatever the hit piece or whatever, and to change who you are."

Voluntary Adversity and Resilience (2:53:50)

Rogan explains how he uses voluntary physical and mental adversity to build resilience:

Doing difficult things like intense sauna sessions or cold plunges
Makes other life challenges seem easier by comparison
Helps deal with the pressures of fame and public scrutiny

He states: "I'm voluntarily uncomfortable most of the day. So regular uncomfortable. It's like, yeah, whatever. It's not 196 degrees for 25 minutes. I did that this morning before I got here. That s**t's hard. That's really hard. That's like, you're going to die hard."

Cardio Exercise and Overcoming Addiction (2:56:57)

Huberman observes that long-distance cardio exercise seems particularly effective for helping people overcome addictions:

Many former addicts successfully stay sober through running or other endurance sports
Weightlifting alone doesn't seem as effective for addiction recovery
May be due to the time involved and the overwhelming nature of endurance exercise

He notes: "It is kind of remarkable that people that do a lot of cardio seem to successfully beat their addictions."

Issues with Healthcare and Medical Research (3:03:22)

They discuss problems with the current healthcare system and medical research:

Promising treatments like peptides are often not properly researched due to lack of profit potential
The system is set up to maximize profit rather than patient outcomes
There are conflicts of interest in fields like exercise physiology

Rogan states: "A lot of this stuff is going to cost companies money because people won't be taking pain medication, they won't be taking anti-inflammatory medication, they won't be getting as many surgeries. And that's where it gets fucked up because the healthcare system, the business of healthcare, is really set up not looking at people as like, what's the best way and the most efficient way and the most cost effective way in terms of for the actual patient to treat them. No, it's, how do I make the most money from this person?"

Conclusion

This wide-ranging conversation between Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman covered numerous fascinating topics at the intersection of neuroscience, human performance, and personal development. Key themes included the untapped potential of human abilities like smell, the neuroscience behind developing expertise, the importance of authenticity in creative pursuits, using voluntary adversity to build resilience, and issues with the current healthcare and medical research systems. Throughout the discussion, both Rogan and Huberman emphasized the value of pushing oneself to do difficult things, maintaining authenticity, and taking an active role in one's own health and development.