The Huberman Lab Podcast discusses neuroscience: how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. His laboratory studies neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance. For more than 20 years, Dr. Huberman has consistently published original research findings and review articles in top-level peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, Neuron, and Current Biology. He is a regular member of several National Institutes of Health review panels and a Fellow of the McKnight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Huberman regularly consults for technology development companies, professional athletic organizations, and various units of U.S. and Canadian Special Operations.
Using Play to Rewire & Improve Your Brain | Episode 58
In this episode, I discuss the transformative nature of play—how it changes our feelings, thoughts and actions and indeed, how it can rewire our brain to function better in all contexts. I explain the role of play in childhood, as well as adulthood in skill and social development and describe key characteristics of the mind and body during play. Additionally, I explore how play allows the brain to test contingencies in different roles/environments. Throughout, I discuss the underlying neurobiology of play. I also describe how low-stakes play, and tinkering can broaden and shape your future capabilities. Finally, I discuss how our childhood ‘personal play identity’ informs our adult personality. Throughout the episode, I use the science of play to outline recommendations for using play as a means to enhance neuroplasticity and explore novel situations, regardless of age.
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Article Links
- Reading on a smartphone affects sigh generation, brain activity, and comprehension
- In search of the neurobiological substrates for social playfulness in mammalian brains
- Is chess just a game, or is it a mirror that reflects the child's inner world?
- A new structural model for the study of adult playfulness: Assessment and exploration of an understudied individual differences variable
- 5MinuteConsult Journal Club
Book Links
- Personal play identity and the fundamental elements in its development process
- Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
- Play It Away: A Workaholic’s Cure for Anxiety
Timestamps
(00:00:00) The Power of Play
(00:02:23) Tool: Reading on Smart Phones, Sighing & Learning
(00:09:14) AG1 (Athletic Greens), Roka, Helix Sleep
(00:13:57) Homeostatic Regulation of Play
(00:23:53) Childhood Play & Mindsets
(00:29:21) Contingency Testing
(00:32:17) The (Power of) Playful Mindset
(00:36:13) Body Postures
(00:44:03) Rule Testing & Breaking
(00:48:24) Role Play
(00:50:39) Neurobiology of Low-stakes Play
(00:54:22) Expanding Capabilities through Tinkering
(01:00:03) Play Is THE Portal to Neuroplasticity
(01:04:44) Adulthood Play
(01:10:14) Fire Together, Wire Together
(01:18:03) Trauma & Play Deficits & Recovery
(01:23:25) Competition & Dynamic Movement
(01:27:36) Chess, Mental Roles, Novelty
(01:32:52) Personal Play Identity
(01:37:24) Play Transforms Your Future Self
(01:40:55) Recommendations for Play
(01:44:25) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify/Apple Reviews, YouTube, Sponsors, Patreon, Instagram, Twitter, Thorne
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac