The single most important thing for optimizing brain function is sleep.

Get natural light within 1–2 hours of waking. Morning light locks in your circadian rhythm; dim light in the evening prepares your body for sleep.

Light Sets Your Clock

Red light is less disruptive at night. Firelight or moonlight won't mess with sleep cycles—unlike blue light from screens or bulbs.

Red Light & Nighttime

Your body temp follows a daily rhythm—lowest at 4 AM, highest late afternoon. Cold showers in the morning can increase alertness and boost metabolism.

Body Temperature Matters

Working out at the same time each day sharpens your internal schedule. Optimal timing: ~30 mins or 3–4 hours after waking.

Exercise Trains Your Clock

Protein boosts alertness; carbs promote calm and sleep. Big, carb-rich dinners may help you fall asleep more easily.

Food Affects Brain & Sleep

Magnesium, apigenin, passionflower may help sleep, but many "nootropics" lack solid science. Start low, personalize, and proceed with caution.

Supplements: Be Selective

Shorter days affect mood, metabolism, and sleep. Light therapy may help combat winter-related dips in energy or mood.

Seasonal Shifts Are Real

Hormones and cycles affect sleep, mood, and metabolism differently in males vs. females. Understanding this can improve personalized routines.

Sex Differences Matter

Track how changes (like light, food, or exercise) affect your sleep and energy. Start small and stay consistent to see true benefits.

Change One Thing at a Time

Neuroplasticity requires repeated action. The weirder or more unnatural a change feels, the more your brain is learning. Stick with it.

The Power of Consistency

The mental strain you feel when you're learning something is the trigger for neuroplasticity for your brain to change.

Science-based tools for better sleep, energy, and focus.

“Office Hours” — In this episode, I answer your most commonly asked questions about science-supported tools for accessing more alertness, better learning, and quality sleep. I also cover when to exercise, time meals, and how to systematically vary your temperature to achieve specific effects on your nervous system. 

For an updated list of our current sponsors, please visit our website as previous sponsors mentioned in this podcast episode may no longer be affiliated with us: https://www.hubermanlab.com/sponsors

*Follow Huberman Lab*
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*Timestamps*
0:00 - Introduction
5:50 - Moonlight & Fire
9:25 - Red Light: Good & Bad
15:45 - Why Blue-Blockers Are Unscientific
19:20 - Eyeglasses, Contact Lenses & Windows
22:05 - Adding Up Your Lights
24:30 - “Netflix Inoculation” With Light
25:25 - How The Planet Controls Your Energy
27:00 - A Season For Breeding (?)
31:15 - Melatonin / Serotonin 
33:50 - Epinephrine vs Adrenaline: Same? Different?
35:00 - Exercise & Your Sleep
40:30 - Neuroplasticity & Food/Chemicals/NSDR
44:10 - Using Sound & Smell To Learn Faster
46:45 - Dream Meaning & Remembering
48:15 - Waking Up Paralyzed 
49:40 - Nap/Focus Ratios For Accelerated Learning
52:45 - Hypnotizing Yourself
54:05 - Smart Drugs
1:01:10 - Magnesium: Yay, Nay, or Meh?
1:02:10 - How Apigenin Works 
1:04:30 - Serotonin: Slippery Slope
1:05:35 - The Frog Experiment
1:08:35 - Temperature
1:10:30 - Morning Chills
1:28:00 - Eating For Heating
1:30:30 - Vagal Pathways For Gut-Brain Dialogue
1:31:50 - Sex Differences
1:33:50 - Self Experimentation

#HubermanLab #Science #Exercise

Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

health

Health

habits

Habits

videos

Videos

Welcome to the official Huberman Lab YouTube channel. 

The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works.

Huberman Lab is frequently ranked in the Top 15 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of science, education, and health and fitness.


Andrew Huberman

Using Science to Optimize Sleep, Learning & Metabolism

The core of Koch’s book is the Pareto Principle: 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. He takes this insight beyond economics, showing how it applies to time, productivity, relationships, and success. It's not a rule, but a pattern that repeats across life.

The 80/20 Principle is Rooted in the Pareto Principle

Strive for excellence in few things, rather than good performance in many.

Roughly 80% of outcomes come from 20% of causes. This pattern appears in:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Business</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Economics</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Time management</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Relationships, and more.</li></ul>

The 80/20 Rule is Universal

Most of what we do has little impact. The key is to identify and focus on the small number of activities that yield the greatest results.

Focus on the Vital Few

Effort and reward are not proportional. You don’t need to double your effort to double your results—in fact, often less effort can yield more if properly focused.

Success is Not Linear

Not all time is equally productive. Identifying your most effective hours and activities can drastically improve results.

Time is Not Equal

In business, a small percentage of customers typically drive the majority of profits. Focus on serving and understanding them better.

Leverage High-Value Customers

Eliminating or reducing low-value activities can be more powerful than adding new ones. Simplification leads to clarity and better results.

Simplify for Efficiency

The 80/20 Principle isn't just for business—use it to enhance your happiness, relationships, health, and personal goals.

Apply the Principle Personally

Powerful outcomes often stem from networks or systems that amplify effort. Build and optimize these to multiply your success.

Leverage Networks and Systems

Working smart beats working hard. Strategic thinking, reflection, and bold prioritization produce superior outcomes.

Redefine “Working Hard”

The key to success is not hard work, but selective work—choosing the right things to do and doing them well.

Identify which habits or routines lead to the greatest improvements and make those your focus—habitual excellence compounds over time.

Create 80/20 Habits

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Daily Prioritization: Spend 5 minutes identifying the top 1–2 tasks that will move the needle most.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Deep Work Blocks: Carve out 60–90 minutes daily for focused, uninterrupted work on high-value tasks.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Review & Reflect: Weekly reviews to spot which actions drove the best results—and which didn’t.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Automate or Delegate: Regularly offload low-impact tasks to free up time for strategic work.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Energy Management: Prioritize sleep, nutrition, and exercise.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Gratitude Practice: A quick daily reflection on wins.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Minimalism in Commitments: Say “no” to things that don’t align with your 20%. Protect your time.</li></ul>

🛠️ Example 80/20 Habits to Build:

Achievement is driven by insight and selective action—not by sweat, sacrifice, and suffering.

Unlocking the power of focusing on the vital 20% for success.

Be more effective with less effort by learning how to identify and leverage the 80/20 principle: that 80 percent of all our results in business and in life stem from a mere 20 percent of our efforts. The 80/20 principle is one of the great secrets of highly effective people and organizations. Did you know, for example, that 20 percent of customers account for 80 percent of revenues? That 20 percent of our time accounts for 80 percent of the work we accomplish? The 80/20 Principle shows how we can achieve much more with much less effort, time, and resources, simply by identifying and focusing our efforts on the 20 percent that really counts. Although the 80/20 principle has long influenced today's business world, author Richard Koch reveals how the principle works and shows how we can use it in a systematic and practical way to vastly increase our effectiveness, and improve our careers and our companies. The unspoken corollary to the 80/20 principle is that little of what we spend our time on actually counts. But by concentrating on those things that do, we can unlock the enormous potential of the magic 20 percent, and transform our effectiveness in our jobs, our careers, our businesses, and our lives.

productivity

Productivity

timemanagement

Time Management

books

Books

Richard Koch

The 80/20 Principle, Third Edition

There are various theories of charisma, all of which draw a similar conclusion, ‘charisma is the ability of an individual to communicate effectively, attract attention, and affect people on an emotional level.’ According to research, seven characteristics are most commonly associated with a charismatic person. They are:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Emotional Expressiveness</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Enthusiastic</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Driven</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Eloquent</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Visionary</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Self-Confident</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Responsive</li></ol>

The Anatomy of Charisma

Emotional expressiveness is the ability to communicate feelings through both words and nonverbal cues like gestures and tone.Expressive people often make better first impressions, have more friends, and build stronger relationships. Their openness fosters authenticity and leads to greater social support.

#1 Emotional Expressiveness

Enthusiasm can be described as a feeling of being interested and energetic about something. Charismatic people are full of energy and are very passionate about their goals and visions. This energy is contagious and makes other people involved as well. This is one of the major reasons why charismatic people are good leaders.They are committed to their goals and can make people work together as a team and get along well. This energy keeps them and the people around them motivated, making their cause more compelling. Their positive energy is often irresistible.

#2 Enthusiastic

Charismatic people are very sorted about their goals and <a href="https://www.psychologs.com/psychology-behind-ambition/">ambitions </a>and have a clear vision of what they need to do to achieve that goal. They work with focus and <a href="https://www.psychologs.com/the-psychology-of-resilience/">resilience</a> to achieve what they want. This inner drive not only fosters <a href="https://www.psychologs.com/the-psychology-behind-confidence/">confidence</a> in them but also motivates others.Drive and enthusiasm in this case, often go hand in hand as one supports the other. The motivation generated by both these factors fuels a collective sense of purpose. They have leadership qualities as this drive gives them the ability to provide a sense of direction to others.

#3 Driven

Eloquent individuals are said to be good with words, that is, verbal communication.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">They effortlessly put their views and thoughts in front of others in a way that is convincing and inspiring.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">They possess a good knowledge of tone, pitch, volume, and voice modulation they need to use while conversing with someone.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">They can put extremely complex ideas into a simpler manner for everybody to understand.</li></ul>Being eloquent makes other people more receptive to their ideas due to a better understanding.

#4 Eloquent

A visionary person is someone who can articulate the outcomes or future possibilities. A charismatic person might be able to envision good outcomes through a particular path and encourage other people to follow that path.However, just being visionary is not enough to make an individual charismatic or a leader.Along with the vision, one also needs strategy and the ability to perfectly execute that vision. This is where the other characteristics of a charismatic person come into play. Being eloquent and emotionally expressive helps them to convey their point effectively.

#5 Visionary

A Charismatic person has a strong belief in their ideas and abilities. This self-confidence not only helps them but also fosters trust and security among other people. People view them as confident and reliable people.Self-confidence makes a person appear steady and appealing in a non-boastful way. Being self-confident is also a result of all the other characteristics of a charismatic person combined.Moreover, all these qualities also lead to social intelligence and social competence.

#6 Self-Confident

A charismatic person is attentive and responsive to others’ emotions, ideas, and behaviors, fostering understanding and trust. They read nonverbal cues well and create a sense of comfort and empowerment.Their emotional expressiveness, confidence, enthusiasm, vision, and ability to connect make them inspiring, relatable, and effective leaders whom others feel comfortable working with or following.

#7 Responsive

The term ‘charisma’ was used in the early 1600s in a religious context. In that era, it meant a divine gift of grace.  Max Weber, a German sociologist, popularized the term ‘charisma’ in the early 1910s to describe a type of leadership based on personal strength and divine-like authority, with no external legitimacy. Originally rooted in theology, the concept later entered politics and is now even seen in dating. The word comes from Greek, meaning ‘favour’ or ‘gift’.

History of Charisma

The science behind a charismatic personality involves various components and their cultivation, which might take time to be embedded.

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

communication

Communication

teamwork

Teamwork

humanresources

Human Resources

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

7 Subtle Traits of Charismatic People, According to Psychology

Robert Greene believed that meditation wasn't about giving up worldly ambitions, but instead, it allowed him to understand himself better and align his ambitions with his true self.Through meditation, Greene was able to gain self-awareness and live a more authentic life. This practice helped him stay connected to his true values and achieve success without losing himself.

Meditation for Self-awareness

Danny asks Robert how he avoids surrounding himself with people who don't tell him the truth, despite his success.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">As a writer, Robert doesn't have a "court" of people.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">However, he admits to being a control freak and feeling uncomfortable when he loses control due to too many employees.</li></ul>Robert receives praise from people onlikne, but he is still self-critical and doesn't fully believe the compliments.He blames this negative mindset on his upbringing and the societal pressure to conform, which tames individuals and prevents them from being their true selves.

Avoiding Yes Men

Achieving success does not mean avoiding challenges. For Robert, even his stroke was a valuable lesson that shaped his character.Unlike many others, Robert doesn't let success get to his head. This allows him to approach new projects with a fresh perspective and constantly strive for growth.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">He always starts each project with a beginner's mindset, giving him an edge to improve with each new endeavor.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">At times, he can be too hard on himself and forget to celebrate his achievements. But he recognizes the importance of acknowledging and patting himself on the back occasionally.</li></ul>

Reflecting on Success

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Robert's meditation practice involves daily sessions of Zen meditation, sitting for 35-45 minutes in complete silence.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Meditation is a source of creativity as it taps into his unconscious and brings forth new and unexplored ideas.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The mind becomes like an empty, blue sky - free from hindrances and fixed ideas - through meditation.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He emphasizes the importance of connecting ambition to something deep within oneself, rather than pursuing empty or external goals.</li></ul>

Lessons from 12+ Years of Meditation:

Overcoming Boredom:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Starting a new skill or activity can be frustrating and boring</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Persistence and pushing through the initial boredom lead to magical outcomes</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Daily practice, despite the initial boredom, leads to gradual improvement.</li></ul>Boredom as Resistance:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Boredom is a form of resistance that strengthens the brain, body, and spirit</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Resistance training in various aspects of life, including boredom, builds strength and resilience</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Many people fail in life because they avoid or cannot handle boredom and resistance</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Developing a life task and pursuing one's passions is essential to push through boredom</li></ul>

Importance of Boredom

Writers in their twenties often make the following mistakes:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Poor punctuation, spelling, and grammar skills</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Underestimating the importance of writing as a skill</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Assuming that writing doesn't require effort or practice</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Focusing on their ego rather than effective communication</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Using clever phrases and puns without conveying meaningful content</li></ol>

Common Mistakes Young Writers Make

Empathy is important and can be learned.Ways to develop empathy:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Redirect self-love to others</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Genuinely try to understand others' perspectives</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Childhood experiences can influence empathy</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Empathy can come from a place of vulnerability and compensating for perceived weaknesses</li></ul>Empathy can improve relationships and connections with others. 🤝

Developing Empathy

Since high school, Robert excelled in writing essays. His amazing English teacher's praise motivated him to become a great writer. He longed to fulfill this dream, no matter what challenges came his way.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Robert strongly believes in his destiny to become a writer.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He describes a unique internal voice that always guided him towards writing.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He credits this voice to his innate genetic code and life experiences.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">According to Robert, this makes him irreplaceable and distinct.</li></ul>

Discovering Writing Potential

Robert helps people on his podcast, but cannot respond to emails as often due to age and a stroke.Previously:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Robert would email to help people.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Hearing sad stories made it difficult for him to respond quickly.</li></ul>He now struggles to keep up with emails and feels detached as a result. This could cause problems if he were a therapist.

Does Robert's Empathy Cause Problems?

Success is freedom in Robert's eyes, as his publisher gives him the freedom to write without restrictions or interference.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">He values this freedom immensely, as he doesn't have the pressures of a boss or limited topics to write about.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He has to be disciplined and focused on his work to maintain his success and freedom as a writer.</li></ul>Robert reflects on how he never fully understood the importance of this freedom in his younger years, but now he realizes its great value.

Robert's View on Success and Freedom

As we grow older, our understanding of death evolves. In our youth, it seems distant and insignificant. But with time, as we experience the loss of loved ones and our own mortality, death becomes more tangible and real.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Experiencing death in a near-death experience made it more than an intellectual concept</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He describes feeling death's presence in his body, which changed his perspective on life and death</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The stroke made him value life's fragility and find joy in simple moments, like watching birds outside his window</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He now sees death as a tangible reality.</li></ul>

Robert's Perspective on Death

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Robert appreciated Ryan Holiday's youthfulness, energy, and enthusiasm.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He sensed that Ryan had intelligence and wasn't just seeking personal gain or idolizing him.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Ryan's ability to fix Robert's Wikipedia page impressed him, especially considering the state of the internet at the time.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Robert asked Ryan to do some research for the 50 Cent book, but found it lacking and criticized him.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Ryan didn't take the criticism personally, and was receptive to learning and improving.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Ryan's willingness to learn and grow from criticism made Robert want to work with him.</li></ul>

Ryan Holiday's Willingness to Learn

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Robert's work is driven by his desire for valuable experiences, rather than monetary gain.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He is particularly interested in working with athletes, coaches, and trainers, due to his passion for sports.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He also enjoys learning how to navigate challenging situations, such as working with political figures.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He used to take freelance jobs to support his writing, and never pursued high-paying careers for the money.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Even though he has achieved financial stability, Robert's motivation has always been driven by his love for the work itself, rather than the desire for wealth.</li></ul>

Robert's Work: Valuing Experiences Over Money

Robert Greene is a writer. His books have sold millions of copies (including The 48 Laws of Power).  In this conversation, we spoke about what new writers get wrong, valuing experiences over money, why his ideas have stuck for 25+ years, developing empathy, and the role of meditation in his own life.  (0:00) Intro (1:58) Ancient Greece & 17th Century France (6:55) Avoiding Yes Men (10:53) Following Up On Success (13:10) Lessons From 12+ Years of Meditation (27:58) Importance Of Boredom (36:00) What Do Most Writers In 20s Get Wrong? (40:21) Developing Empathy (46:38) The Voice (52:28) Do People’s Problems Stick To Robert? (54:12) Success = Freedom (56:08) Death (1:06:00) Ryan Holiday (1:10:01) Valuing Experiences Over Money (1:14:45) Longevity Of Ideas (1:17:54) Robert’s Next Project (1:20:04) Challenge  Robert’s Links Website: https://powerseductionandwar.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/robertgreene Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertgreeneofficial  My Links 🎙 Podcast: https://anchor.fm/dannymiranda 🎥 YouTube: https://youtube.com/dannymiranda 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/heydannymiranda 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/heydannymiranda 🕺 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@heydannymiranda

philosophy

Philosophy

creativity

Creativity

podcasts

Podcasts

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

Subscribe for interviews that go inward with your favorite entrepreneurs, creators, and thinkers.  New episodes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Previous guests include Previous guests include Gary Vaynerchuk, Alex Hormozi, Robert Greene, Seth Godin, Andy Frisella, Chris Williamson, Kamal Ravikant, Iman Gadzhi, Anthony Pompliano, George Heaton, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Miss Excel Kat Norton, Ariel Helwani, James Altucher, Sam Parr, Shaan Puri, Colin and Samir, Gay Hendricks, and 350+ incredible humans.

The Danny Miranda Podcast

#367: Robert Greene – On Meditation, Success & Death

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Openness to New Ideas</li><li class="ql-align-justify">High Conscientiousness</li><li class="ql-align-justify">High disagreeableness (ornery, not easily dissuaded)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">High IQ (Ability to synthesize information quickly)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Possibly Low Neuroticism (Ability to handle stress)</li></ul>Innovators' Traits Are Not Deterministic. They need a combination of traits, make choices in life, and have context.

Common Big 5 Personality Traits of Innovators

Nobody ever shows up at a stock market low.

People do indeed try to fake having innovative qualities. The amount of this behavior goes along with how the stock market is doing.Testing for innovators:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">To figure out if someone is a true innovator, you need to ask them lots of detailed questions to see how well they really know their stuff and how committed they are.</li><li class="ql-align-justify ql-indent-1">Pretenders often struggle to provide in-depth answers and their knowledge fuzzes out as questions become more detailed.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">True innovators have spent years obsessing over the details of whatever it is they are trying to do and they know so much more about it than you ever will.</li></ul>

Testing for Innovators, Silicon Valley

Becoming innovative often involves making decisions within an unpredictable world. The future is hard to predict, and many variables come into play, like the fog of war. To prepare, innovators imagine different paths and scenarios.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Unpredictability: A key aspect of innovation</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Pre-Planning: Imagining and preparing for various scenarios</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Pivot: Adjusting and adapting strategies as situations change</li></ul>Great innovators consider their plans as hypotheses - firm but open to testing and modifications through the execution process.

Innovation and Unpredictability

Great innovators are establishing neural circuitry that reinforces the self and the process of being oneself.Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Steve Jobs emphasized the journey as the reward, an intrinsic motivation.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Competing against oneself and self-improvement are intrinsic motivators.</li></ul>Comparison with successful giants in the same ecosystem encourages higher goals (e.g. Silicon Valley).

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

Being in a relationship with an innovator has its challenges:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Their highly disagreeable traits can cause conflicts.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Their strong work ethic and drive may leave limited time for personal and family life.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">They often require significant independence.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Their need to constantly adapt and change plans may be unsettling for partners seeking stability.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Some may take risks in all aspects of their lives, creating instability.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">If their life becomes too stable, they may feel the need to shake things up.</li></ul>

Innovators & Personal Relationships

Learn how to be an extreme risk-taker in business and lead a calm personal life. Benefits:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Be like successful businessman Marc and never use debt in business.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Enjoy a peaceful and passive personal life with no extreme sports or sauna use.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Follow in the footsteps of composer Bach, who also had a sedate personal life.</li></ul>

Extreme Risk-Taking in Business and Personal Life

Marc thinks that the public is more open and forgiving than ever.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The elites are leading cancel culture. It is an elite phenomenon disguised as a grassroots movement.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The public is more forgiving of what previously might have been considered extreme behavior.</li></ul>

Public vs. Elite

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Congress and journalists have the lowest levels of trust, with scores around 10%.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Gallup polls have tracked trust in institutions since the 1970s.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Trust in many categories of institutions started at around 60-70% but has steadily declined over the past 50 years.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Big business and tech companies maintain higher trust levels.</li></ul>

Trust in institutions over time:

Can institutions be reformed? The role of a reformer is not a common one in society.Universities operate on outdated systems, but they still function, despite notable issues (like the New York subway.)<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Do most people view institutions as having flaws, yet continue to boast when their child is accepted into a prestigious university like Stanford or UCLA?</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Should we replace the old institutions with new ones or start from scratch?</li></ul>This is a great topic of study, especially in regards to how student loans function.

Reform & Institutions, Universities vs. Business

In a capitalist system, when old companies fail, they are replaced by newer and better ones. This is a sign of a healthy market economy.Unlike other industries, it is illegal for companies to conspire together in the business world. In contrast, in academia, universities can work with accreditation bureaus to control competition.Creative destruction is necessary for progress in business, but many people outside of this world are resistant to change.

Capitalism Works: Creative Destruction

Religious impulses in our time don’t show up as overtly religious, they show up in a secularized form.

The risk of cancelation discourages risk-takers.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Huberman keeps a secret hand-written file of everything he is afraid to speak about publicly and it’s getting much longer over time.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He is afraid to put it in electronic form.</li></ul>

How does the current education model prevent innovation?

I censor myself at the level of deleting certain things but I don’t contort what I do talk about.

Computers modeled after the human brain have been around since 1943, leading to the concept of neural networks.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">In computer programs, bugs are always the programmer's fault, not the computer's, as computers have no judgment.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">When programming self-driving cars, traditional rules-based approaches won't work.</li></ul>In the last decade, AI technology has significantly improved, particularly in vision recognition. Now, machines are far better at tasks like face recognition compared to humans, which was once thought unlikely.

History of Computers, Neural Networks, and AI

The differences between Google’s and Apple’s approaches to AI:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Google is superior in certain aspects because it can pool data for training AI</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Apple, on the other hand, values privacy and does not pool data.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">All of Apple’s AI has to work locally on devices, while Google’s AI can function in the cloud using pooled data</li></ul>

Apple vs. Google

AI got better because of larger datasets.Modern facial recognition AIs are trained on billions of photos from the internet.The days of distinguishing “real” vs. “fake” are over. The “genie” of AI text generation is out of the bottle

Input Data Set

Chat GPT works well because it’s trained on the entire internet of text:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The version used today is trained on data up until September 2021.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Most of this data was written by human beings, often under their own names.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">This data could be articles published in magazines, podcast transcripts, academic papers, etc.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The authenticity of these texts can generally be trusted.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Fake or parody articles are relatively rare.</li></ul>

ChatGPT

The most trusted channel would put out a unique public cryptographic key, and any content can be checked against this key to make sure it’s real. Who’s gonna run this?<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Government-run registries could turn into truth ministries, which is bad news.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Company-run registries would be a big target for hackers.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Maybe blockchain technology could do the trick – create a distributed database in the cloud.</li></ul>

Public key cryptography

Quantum Internet solution:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Basically, it secures internet communications by changing the translation or language super fast so it can’t be intercepted.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Not an option now, but could be down the line.</li></ul>

Quantum Internet

AI will make it easier for bad people to do bad things.

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Most people who aren’t informed are afraid of AI.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Machines could have better bedside manners than human doctors.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">AI could help patients stick to their physical therapy or nutritional programs.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The AI could be there all the time, infinitely patient, wise, and loving.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The ideal scenario would be for both the AI and the human to work together.</li></ul>

AI Positive Benefits, Medicine, Man & Machine Partnership

Throughout history, every new technology has been met with a “moral panic”. These panics often led to predictions of doomsday scenarios.Examples of past moral panics: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The Satanic panic of the 1980s, concerns about heavy metal music, fears surrounding comic books in the 1950s, and anxieties over jazz music in the 1920s and 30s.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">There was even a moral panic triggered by the arrival of bicycles in the 1860s and claims about health issues, such as “bicycle face”.</li></ul>

Marketing, Moral Panic & New Technology; Politics

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Denial.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Rational counter-arguments.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Name-calling.</li></ul>AI has already moved past the denial stage, thanks to its long 80-year prehistory and sudden dramatic advancements.The impact of a new technology primarily revolves around the reordering of status in society.

Three-stage societal response to new technologies:

The world is a very malleable place if you know what you want and you go for it with maximum energy and drive and passion the world will often reconfigure itself around you much more quickly and easily than you think.

How to foster innovation in today’s world?<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">You have to be signed up for the fight.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">It’s a contact sport, these aren’t easy roads.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The advantage you have as an innovator is that at the end of the day, the truth actually matters.</li></ul>Historically, it’s really hard to find an example of new technology that came into the world and was then pulled back.If innovators feel fulfilled by their close relationships, they won’t need approval from the internet or public opinion.

Innovator Development, Courage, Support

How can small groups defeat larger organizations? Large organizations have more resources but struggle with execution due to excessive overhead and bureaucracy:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Many people need to be consulted and agree on decisions.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Scheduling meetings takes time and delays decision-making and action.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The internal dynamics are more similar to a nation-state than a company.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The main competition in large companies is for the next promotion, and the biggest threat is often from within the company itself.</li></ul>

Small Groups vs. Large Organization

Small companies or teams have the advantage of agility:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">They can organize quickly, address issues immediately, and move at a much faster pace.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">However, small teams don’t have the same resources or global coverage.</li></ul>

Agility

Marc talks about IBM’s system, where most employees were expected to follow rules and procedures meticulously:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">There was a special category of employees known as “wild ducks,” innovators who were allowed to break the rules and create new things.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">They had the freedom to work independently, pull resources from other projects, and have direct access to the CEO.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">In the tech industry, “wild ducks” often get driven out and end up getting funded by venture capitalists.</li></ul>

“Wild Ducks”

Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

Marc and Andrew Huberman talk about the double-edged sword of risk-taking, the capacity to navigate uncertainty, public trust, universities, politics and the regulation of AI.

In this episode, my guest is Marc Andreessen, the legendary software innovator who co-created the internet browser Mosaic, co-founded Netscape, and is now at Andreessen Horowitz — a venture capital firm that finds and brings to life technologies that transform humanity. We discuss what it takes to be a true innovator, including the personality traits required, the role of environment and the support systems needed to bring revolutionary ideas to fruition. We discuss risk-taking as a necessary but potentially hazardous trait, as well as the role of intrinsic motivation and one’s ability to navigate uncertainty. We also discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and Marc’s stance that soon everyone will use AI as their personalized coach and guide for making decisions about their health, relationships, finances and more — all of which he believes will greatly enhance our quality of life. We also delve into nuclear power, gene editing, public trust, universities, politics, and AI regulation. This episode is for those interested in the innovative mind, psychology, human behavior, technology, culture and politics. For the full show notes, including articles, books, and other resources, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Marc Andreessen (00:03:02) Sponsors: LMNT & Eight Sleep (00:06:05) Personality Traits of an Innovator (00:12:49) Disagreeableness, Social Resistance; Loneliness & Group Think  (00:18:48) Testing for Innovators, Silicon Valley (00:23:18) Unpredictability, Pre-Planning, Pivot (00:28:53) Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation, Social Comparison (00:32:52) Sponsor: AG1 (00:33:49) Innovators & Personal Relationships (00:39:24) Risk Taking, Innovators, “Martyrs to Civilizational Progress” (00:46:16) Cancel Culture, Public vs. Elite (00:53:08) Elites & Institutions, Trust (00:57:38) Sponsor: InsideTracker (00:58:44) Social Media, Shifts in Public vs. Elite  (01:05:45) Reform & Institutions, Universities vs. Business (00:14:14) Traditional Systems, Lysenkoism, Gen X (01:20:56) Alternative University; Great Awakenings; Survivorship Bias  (01:27:25) History of Computers, Neural Network, Artificial Intelligence (AI) (01:35:50) Apple vs. Google, Input Data Set, ChatGPT (01:42:08) Deep Fakes, Registries, Public-Key Cryptography; Quantum Internet (01:46:46) AI Positive Benefits, Medicine, Man & Machine Partnership (01:52:18) AI as Best-Self Coach; AI Modalities (01:59:19) Gene Editing, Precautionary Principle, Nuclear Power (02:05:38) Project Independence, Nuclear Power, Environmentalism (02:12:40) Concerns about AI (02:18:00) Future of AI, Government Policy, Europe, US & China (02:23:47) China Businesses, Politics; Gene Editing  (02:28:38) Marketing, Moral Panic & New Technology; Politics, Podcasts & AI (02:39:03) Innovator Development, Courage, Support  (02:46:36) Small Groups vs. Large Organization, Agility; “Wild Ducks” (02:54:50) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media  Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

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