Summary of The Science of Setting & Achieving Goals | Huberman Lab Podcast #55

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

In "The Science of Setting & Achieving Goals | Huberman Lab Podcast #55," the Huberman Lab discusses the science behind setting and achieving goals. They explain that there are three basic elements of goal setting and achievement: objective mindset, action steps, and value assessment. They also discuss the role of multitasking and visualization in goal achievement, and provide a tool to help people transition between peripersonal space and extra personal space.

  • 00:00:00 The article discusses a rule for optimal learning - that is, learning something new - that suggests that you should make the difficulty of the task so that you are making errors about 15% of the time. The article provides guidelines for how to set goals that are achievable and still beneficial.
  • 00:05:00 Huberman discusses the science of setting and achieving goals, providing advice on how to make things difficult but not too difficult that learning is difficult. He points to the "15% rule" as a good metric to aim for, both students and teachers. He thanks the sponsors of today's podcast. Athletic Greens is a multivitamin, mineral, and amino acid supplement that Huberman recommends for people following a low carb or keto diet.
  • 00:10:00 The Huberman Lab discusses the science of setting and achieving goals, which is not unique to humans. Animals set goals and attempt to achieve them the same way humans do. The Huberman Lab brings this commonality of process to light in order to emphasize the similarities between humans and other animals. ROKA, a company that makes eyeglasses and sunglasses, uses this commonality of process to their advantage by designing glasses and sunglasses specifically for humans.
  • 00:15:00 The amygdala, the ventral striatum, and the cortex are involved in goal-directed behavior. The amygdala is responsible for fear and anxiety, the ventral striatum is responsible for initiating action and preventing action, and the cortex is responsible for executive function, such as planning. The basal ganglia has two circuits, one for getting us to do things and one for preventing us from doing things. The cortex is involved in goal-directed behavior by helping us think about the future and how our current actions are going to relate to the future.
  • 00:20:00 The orbitofrontal cortex is responsible for meshing emotionality with current progress and goal assessment. The four areas of the orbitofrontal cortex are involved in different aspects of goal setting and goal pursuit. The value information that is assessed when setting goals is mainly governed by dopamine. Psycho-logically, goal setting is broken down into two processes: (1) assessing the value of a goal and (2) deciding whether or not to take action based on that assessment. When these two processes are performed regularly, the goal-setter is better equipped to achieve their goals.
  • 00:25:00 The goal of this video is to summarize the three basic elements of goal setting and goal pursuit: objective mindset, action steps, and value assessment. The modern science of goal setting and pursuit dates back to the 1930s and includes the ABC method, SMART method, and SMARTER approach. There are only a few elements to goal setting and pursuit, and they involve a number of states and neural circuits in the brain. The goal of this video is to provide a summary of these three elements and their practical applications.
  • 00:30:00 The Huberman Lab discusses the difference between peripersonal space and extra personal space, which plays a role in how people pursue goals. They provide an example of how peripersonal space is related to consummatory behaviors, such as drinking coffee. They also provide a neuroscience-based tool to help people transition back and forth between peripersonal space and extra personal space. This allows people to better assess their progress and adjust their goal seeking.
  • 00:35:00 The goal of this video is to provide listeners with a different perspective on goal setting, specifically focusing on the role of multitasking and visualization in achieving goals. According to the speaker, most humans can only focus on one task for a short period of time, and multitasking throughout goal pursuit is not effective. Instead, splitting one's attention between multiple tasks is best done at specific times during goal pursuit in order to increase the level of neurotransmitters in the brain. Visual focus and contracting one's visual window are both effective ways to increase clarity of thought and focus when pursuing goals.
  • 00:40:00 The Science of Setting and Achieving Goals discusses the difference between peripersonal space (where we focus on our immediate surroundings) and extra personal space (where we focus on a distant goal). The studies found that when people focus their attention on a goal line, they are able to achieve their goals with 17% less effort than when they do not focus their attention on a goal line. This is due to the fact that when people focus their attention on a goal line, they engage in extra personal space, which puts them into goal pursuit mode.
  • 00:45:00 According to the study from the Balcetis Lab, focusing on a goal line allows people to move more effectively toward that goal. When we focus on a particular location, there is an increase in a particular feature of our blood pressure. This top number, which normally is 120 over 80, is called the systolic blood pressure. When the heart relaxes between beats, the blood pressure drops to a lower value and typically for healthy people, it is 60 to 80 millimeters of mercury. This information is important for understanding blood pressure, since it explains why it rises when the heart beats and why it falls between beats.
  • 00:50:00 The psychologists and scientists at Huberman Lab describe how the brain and body work together to set and pursue goals. Visual attention can be focused on one point outside of the peripersonal space to increase the effectiveness of goal pursuit. The protocol for using visual attention to pursue goals can be applied at any time, place, or activity.
  • 00:55:00 These studies demonstrate that visualizing long-term goals is more effective than visualizing immediate rewards in motivating behavior. This is particularly important for goals such as saving for retirement or investing in healthy habits.

01:00:00 - 01:50:00

The Huberman Lab podcast discusses the science of setting and achieving goals, with a focus on the importance of specificity, regular assessment of progress, and taking into account the subjective effects of a goal. They also recommend using dopamine as a tool to help achieve goals, and provide tips on how to increase dopamine levels.

  • 01:00:00 The research suggests that visualization of the goal itself is ineffective, but visualization of the failure pathway to the goal is more effective.
  • 01:05:00 The goal of goal setting is to create a significant, inspirational, and aggressive goal that is also realistic. Too easy or easy-to-achieve goals are not likely to be pursued, while difficult goals are more likely to be achieved.
  • 01:10:00 Goal setting can be difficult, but with moderate goals that are realistically challenging and within one's abilities, they are more likely to achieve them.
  • 01:15:00 The Huberman Lab discusses the science of setting and achieving goals, and how specificity of goals (and action steps) is important for achieving success. Weekly assessments of progress are recommended.
  • 01:20:00 Dopamine is the molecule of motivation and pleasure, and is released in greatest amounts when something positive and novel happens. This dopamine reward prediction error can be leveraged to try to reach one's goals.
  • 01:25:00 The "Huberman Lab Podcast" discusses the science of setting and achieving goals, with a focus on the effects of subjective reward expectations. It discusses a study where rats that exercised voluntarily got healthier, while rats that were forced to exercise got unhealthy. The podcast argues that the subjective effects of a behavior are important, and recommends weekly assessments of progress towards a goal as a reasonable schedule.
  • 01:30:00 The Science of Setting and Achieving Goals podcast discusses how dopamine is important for motivation and action, and how to use dopamine to achieve goals. Weekly or so, you want to reward yourself cognitively by telling yourself "I'm on the right track." Anticipating and thinking about failure as a mechanism of generating motivation is critical to lean into the correct behaviors.
  • 01:35:00 The video discusses the role of dopamine in goal pursuit, and how dopamine is depleted in various conditions, including Parkinson's disease and individuals who lack dopamine. The video also describes how dopamine can be restored with medication, and how behavioral tools, such as caffeine and L-Tyrosine, can increase dopamine levels. It concludes with a discussion of how neuroplasticity can be used to improve focus and motivation.
  • 01:40:00 The video describes how to use space-time bridging, or focusing on one's internal landscape, to achieve goals. This involves focusing on an image of the peripersonal space (breathing, heart rate, etc.) and then gradually expanding one's focus to the extra personal space and back again. This can be done at any time of day or night, indoors or outdoors, and can be done by anyone.
  • 01:45:00 This video explains how to set and achieve goals using space-time bridging, or the ability to focus on different locations in space and time. This practice is helpful in teaching the systems of one's brain to map to different timeframes and goals.
  • 01:50:00 In this podcast, Andrew Huberman discusses the science of setting and achieving goals, explaining the importance of identifying what the long-term goal is, setting milestones, and assessing progress along the way. He also discusses the importance of taking high-quality supplements, recommending Thorne as a provider. Finally, he reiterates the importance of science and encourages listeners to follow him on social media.

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