Summary of The Science of Making & Breaking Habits | Huberman Lab Podcast #53

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

The Huberman Lab discusses the science of making and breaking habits, with a focus on how different phases of the day are conducive to different kinds of habits. They emphasize the importance of phase two of the day - considered the "relaxation" or "mellow" part of the day - for consolidating new habits and getting deep sleep. The article includes advice on getting into bed at a low light level, avoiding caffeine in the middle of the night, and using sleep aids like NSDR.

00:00:00 Today's podcast is about the biology of habit formation and breaking, and it discusses steps that anyone can take to improve their habits. Athletic Greens and InsideTracker are sponsors of the podcast, and InsideTracker provides personalized nutrition recommendations based on blood and DNA analysis.
00:05:00 InsideTracker enables users to see their biological age and compare it to their chronological age. Helix Sleep makes mattresses that are uniquely tailored to each person's sleep preferences, and they offer a 100-night trial with a risk-free return policy. Habits are learned through neuroplasticity, which involves the formation of new neural circuits. According to the popular books and psychological literature on habits, immediate goal-based habits are more effective than identity-based habits.
00:10:00 The Science of Making & Breaking Habits, a podcast episode, discusses how different schedules of dopamine release predict whether or not someone will be able to form a habit quickly. The study mentioned in the podcast looked at how walks after dinner could be formed into a habit by different individuals, and found that it can take anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for different individuals to form that habit.
00:15:00 In this video, Dr. Huberman discusses the science of habit formation and how different habits can be easier or harder to adopt. He also discusses the concept of habit strength, which is the measure of how context-dependent a habit is.
00:20:00 The video discusses how habit formation and breaking habits can be aided by understanding how the nervous system learns and engages in plasticity. It provides a tool known as "psychology of habit," which is gleaned from research in the psychology literature.
00:25:00 The article discusses the neuroscience of habit formation, and how one simple exercise, designed to help people visualize the sequence of steps required to complete a habit, can increase the likelihood of that habit being performed.
00:30:00 Task-bracketing is a tool that helps you learn and remember new habits by providing a context for the habit's execution. It is important because it helps to ensure that the habit is context-dependent, strong, and likely to occur even under difficult conditions.
00:35:00 The author describes how to make and break habits, citing research that task-bracketing is more effective over time than being very specific about when to perform a habit. He provides a program to help you do this.
00:40:00 This 1-paragraph summary is about the science of making and breaking habits. The speaker discusses how the body goes into a "action and focus oriented" state after waking up in the morning, and how this phase of the day is the best time to adopt habits that have a high degree of limbic friction. This is different than trying to adopt habits at a specific time every day, which can be difficult to stick to. The speaker also discusses how by including habits that have a high degree of limbic friction in this "broad window" of time after waking up, the nervous system will be better prepared to overcome any obstacle in the way of performing those habits.
00:45:00 The video discusses how different phases of the day are conducive to different habits. The first phase, from 0 to 8 hours after waking, is ideal for acquiring new habits. The second phase, from 9 to 14 hours after waking, is when dopamine and norepinephrine levels start to taper down and cortisol levels start to rise. serotonin levels are highest in this phase.
00:50:00 The Huberman Lab discusses the science of habit formation, emphasizing the importance of phase two of the day - generally considered the "relaxation" or "mellow" part of the day. The benefits of habits in this phase include less resistance and better sleep. Supplements like ashwagandha are also recommended in this phase to reduce cortisol.
00:55:00 The Huberman Lab discusses the science of making and breaking habits, with a particular focus on phase three, when the new habits are consolidated and deep sleep is achieved. The article includes advice on getting into bed at a low light level, avoiding caffeine in the middle of the night, and using sleep aids like NSDR.

01:00:00 - 01:50:00

The Huberman Lab podcast discusses how habits are formed and how to break them. The first step is to understand how the brain works and how habits are formed. The 21 day process of forming and testing new habits is helpful in assessing whether or not a person can make room for new habits. The podcast also discusses stress reduction, sleep, nutrition, and positive routines.

01:00:00 This video discusses how habits are formed and how you can make them easier to execute. It discusses how different behaviors can be placed in different phases of the day in order to create a more predictable environment for the brain. If you are able to keep a habit in the same phase of the day, that is a good sign that it has been successfully formed. If you are able to move a habit around somewhat randomly, it can be beneficial because it increases context-independence.
01:05:00 The Science of Making & Breaking Habits discusses the role of dopamine in habit formation, and how dopamine release is increased when expectations are met. Reward prediction error also predicts how much dopamine will be released when a reward is received, and how it will be distributed among different types of rewards.
01:10:00 The Huberman Lab discusses dopamine and its role in habit formation and breaking. This information can be used to motivate oneself to carry out a task or break a habit. By anticipating the rewards associated with a task and mentally walking through the steps involved, one can increase the likelihood of success.
01:15:00 The 21 day system for habit formation involves writing down 6 things you want to do every day for 21 days, with the expectation that you will only complete 4-5 of them each day. This system allows for failure, which helps to motivate you to keep trying.
01:20:00 The video describes a 21-day program to form new habits that focuses on performing 4 to 5 habits each day, with the expectation that you will not perform more than 4 to 5. After 21 days, the program transitions into autopilot and you are expected to maintain the habits you formed in the first 21 days.
01:25:00 The Huberman Lab podcast discusses how to form and break habits. The first step is to understand how the brain works and how habits are formed. The 21 day process of forming and testing new habits is helpful in assessing whether or not a person can make room for new habits. The podcast also discusses stress reduction, sleep, nutrition, and positive routines.
01:30:00 Long-term depression (LTD) is a cellular and molecular mechanism by which neural connections that are associated with a habitual behavior weaken over time. This can be used to break the habit. There are many ways to achieve this, including providing a reward or punishment for not engaging in the habit.
01:35:00 The article reviewed the findings of studies on habit formation and habit reduction, and found that notifications to either engage in habits or not engage in habits were not very effective over time. The article also explained that in order to break a habit, the punishment needs to be bad enough to override the reflexivity of the behavior. This can be done by linking a good habit to the bad habit, and by recognizing when you are heading toward a bad habit.
01:40:00 The Huberman Lab demonstrates that by adding positive behaviors to bad habits, the likelihood of that bad habit being executed becomes less and less. The approach is simple, and can be applied to addictive behaviors.
01:45:00 This podcast discusses how habit formation and habit breaking works, with a focus on the biology and psychology of addiction. Dr. Anna Lembke, a neuroscientist, discusses how the brain reacts to addiction, and how habits can be harder to form or break due to the psychological and biological factors involved. There are two programs designed to help people break bad habits: One involves dividing the day into three phases, and the other involves engaging in new habits six times per day for 21 days. You can find more information about these programs and the supplements Dr. Huberman takes at Thorne, which has high-quality ingredients.
01:50:00 The Huberman Lab provides a podcast with short, easy-to-follow explanations of neuroscience and psychology related concepts. This podcast is helpful for people interested in habit formation and breaking.