What Loneliness Does To Your Brain with Ben Rein
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Gary O'Reilly, and Chuck interview neuroscientist Ben Rein about what loneliness and social isolation do to the brain and body. They distinguish between objective isolation and the subjective feeling of loneliness, explain the stress and inflammatory pathways involved, and discuss how personality, aging, technology, and drugs like alcohol, painkillers, and MDMA affect social behavior and health. Rein also shares research on empathy, dogs and oxytocin, and practical ideas for rebuilding social connection in an increasingly automated world.
Essentials: Time Perception, Memory & Focus
Andrew Huberman explains how different biological timing systems-from yearly and daily rhythms to 90-minute ultradian cycles-shape our perception of time, mood, energy, and performance. He describes how neuromodulators like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin alter how fast or slow time feels in the moment and how we remember events later. He then connects these mechanisms to trauma, novelty, and habits, showing how deliberate routines and environmental variation can structure our days, influence memory, and support better focus.
No. 1 Sugar Expert: 17 Seconds Of Pleasure Can Rewire Your Brain!
Dr. Robert Lustig explains how dopamine-driven behaviors and ultra-processed food, especially sugar, can create a "hostage brain" by rewiring reward pathways and degrading metabolic and brain health. He details mechanisms linking sugar, artificial sweeteners, mitochondrial dysfunction, and reactive oxygen species to Alzheimer's, cancer, depression, and other chronic diseases, while contrasting environmental versus genetic risk. The conversation also covers GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, vaccines and public health communication, loneliness, serotonin and oxytocin, practical strategies to reduce sugar and ultra-processed food, and emerging research on psychedelics and brain rewiring.