#134: The Latest Science on Enhancing Focus and Developing a Growth Mindset with Dr. Andrew Huberman

Everyone wants to change their brain to think, feel, and act better, but how? Visual focus and mental focus are directly linked to one another via specific circuits in the brain. If we want to get better at focusing on tasks for the sake of learning, listening better, or engaging neuroplasticity we not only need to limit external distractions, we need to limit internal distractions through specific mindsets and behaviors.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host Dhru talks to Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and tenured Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He has made numerous important contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity. 

Dr. Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award in 2017, which is given to the scientist making the largest discoveries in the study of vision. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford Medical School has been published in top journals including Nature, Science, and Cell and has been featured in TIME, Scientific American, Discover, on BBC, and other top media outlets.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Huberman dive deep into the topic of visual science and the connection between vision and the brain, and how our eyes are not connected to the brain, they are the brain. They discuss how to optimize our brain through performing specific actions each day, and how these set and enforce our cellular and circadian rhythm. They also talk about the importance of a growth mindset, and how we can cultivate motivation and sustain momentum in achieving our goals.

In this episode, we dive into: 

-The connection between vision and the brain (6:13)

-Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression (11:41)

-Why looking at your phone at night can lead to memory defects (16:37)

-Why the brightness of light is key when it comes to optimizing your circadian rhythm (21:10) 

-How the nervous system triggers the immune system (38:37) 

-How to enhance mental focus and create a growth mindset (49:48)

-The benefits of yoga nidra and how it enhances neuroplasticity (1:07:24)

-What Dr. Huberman does to focus (1:11:26)

-Why being hydrated helps you stay alert (1:14:08)

-Where to learn more about Dr. Huberman (1:26:36)

For more on Dr. Andrew Huberman, you can follow him on Instagram @hubermanlab, and through his website http://www.hubermanlab.com/.

For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit.

Interested in joining Dhru’s Broken Brain Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/.

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