Neuroscience behind Making & breaking Habits (Andrew Huberman)

Disclaimer: These are the notes made from Dr. Huberman’s You tube video, entitled: The Science of Making & Breaking Habits | Huberman Lab Podcast #53.

70% of your behavior is habitual.

Let’s start with understanding a few terms:

“Limbic Friction”- its the strain required to overcome 2 states. one of anxiousness (too alert) and the other Tired/lazy (too calm). Simply put- its the activation energy needed to engage in the behavior.

Linch-pin habits – term used by Dr. Huberman, he defines it as easy/happy habits that associate other habits to happen. eg. exercising early morning shifts many other habits.

Habit strength is based on low limbic friction, when you require less energy to get into the habit and less context dependency. If environment changes, do you still carry out your habit?

Procedural memory– It is the episodic memory based on repetition of steps, procedures to get an outcome. This is important to overcome limbic friction. One way to do is visualizing- think through each step. It increases chances of doing activity from start to finish.

Task bracketing– dorsolateral striatum (part of brain(basal ganglia)) is involved in habit formation. We have neurons that record things happening before and after the habit .

[Pre-habit activity --> actual habit --> post-habit activity]

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Habit to build –> procedural memory visualization –> task bracketing

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A day in phases

• Phase 1 – (00-08 hours after waking up)
• Phase 2 – (09-14 hours after waking up)
• Phase 3 – (15-24 hours after waking up)

Taking situation where usually one sleeps at 10pm and wakes at 7 am.

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Now lets look at each phase in detail!

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Phase 1

Your whole system is action oriented, This is ALERT & Focused phase. This is primarily because of the elevated levels of hormones, Nor-epinephrine, epinephrine and Dopamine.

What to do in this phase?

• View sunlight within 30 minutes of waking up
• Physical Exercise
• Cold exposure (shower/ice bath)
• Caffeine
• Foods rich in tyrosine, it increases dopamine
• Fasting

These activities will further enhance the body’s natural state of alertness, hence you can take on hard things first!

You can task bracket habits such that Hard ones are done in this phase of the day.

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Phase 2

Norepinephrine, Cortisol & Dopamine levels decrease = alertness decreases

Serotonin increases = more relaxed state of mind.

What to do in this phase?

• Taper the amount of light viewing
• see sunset- benefits brain clock
• NSDR -( Non- Sleep Deep Sleep) (Yoga Nedra)
• Heat baths (increase serotonin hence mind relaxation)
• Journaling
• Music

Practice habits you are already in practice of, those that require little limbic friction.

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Phase 3

what to do in this phase?

• Decrease room temperature and light
• Be well fed
• No caffeine
• sleep

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Understanding Dopamine

Reward = Dopamine

• If you get the reward you were expecting to get for a behaviour/act – you are more likely to do that act ahain.
• If the reward is unexpected, the dopamine surge you get is heightened.
• If the reward is expected and it doesn’t comes- dopamine decreases far below the base line.
• Breaking Habits- reward for not-Performing activity

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21 Day System

Dr. Huberman recommends taking on 6 new habits per day for 21 days. Expecting that you will perform 4/5 activities each day so you have a permission to fail.

Miss a day — No punishment!

After 21 days –> don’t deliberately do the tasks and see how many are you doing naturally or auto-pilot. Repeat the cycle Until and unless not all 6 habits get on auto-pilot.

You move onto the next habits, when these 6 are solidified!

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