The guest
Andrew Huberman: Professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab Podcast, which translates neuroscience into practical tools for everyday life.
What this episode covers
In this solo episode, Huberman dismantles the popular myth of the 'dopamine hit' and explains that dopamine works through a baseline level and peaks above it, where every big peak is followed by a drop below baseline. He details the neurobiology (two pathways, synaptic vs volumetric release, slow G-protein-coupled receptors) and how activities and substances raise dopamine by different amounts. He warns that layering stimulants and pleasures depletes the readily releasable pool, lowering baseline and motivation over time, and prescribes intermittent reward schedules, learning to draw reward from effort itself, cold water exposure, and quality social connection. He closes with a tour of dopamine-affecting supplements and drugs.
Recommended on this episode
ProductRecommended
Pilot V5 pen
Pilot
“I love these Pilot V5s”
“it's one of these Pilot V5s. I love these Pilot V5s. They don't sponsor the podcast. I just happen to like them.”— Andrew Huberman
BookRecommendedISBN verified
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
Anna Lembke
“this amazing book... I highly encourage you to check it out. It's fantastic.”
“She's head of the Addiction Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford. Has this amazing book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. If you haven't read the book, I highly encourage you to check it out.”— Andrew Huberman
BookRecommendedISBN verified
The Molecule of More
Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long
“The other terrific book about dopamine”
“The other terrific book about dopamine is the Molecule of More, which is a similar in some regard, but isn't so much about addiction”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Yerba mate
“I already enjoy yerba mate as my principle source of caffeine”
“Yerba mate something I've talked about before on this podcast has some interesting properties. First of all, it contains caffeine. It's also high in antioxidants.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
L-tyrosine
“I do use L-tyrosine from time to time for enhancing focus and motivation”
“I do use L-tyrosine from time to time for enhancing focus and motivation, but I want to emphasize from time to time.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
PEA (phenethylamine)
“I personally take PEA from time to time as a focus and work aid”
“I personally take PEA from time to time as a focus and work aid in order to do intense bouts of work... I will take 500 milligrams of PEA”— Andrew Huberman
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
ProductReferenced
Wellbutrin (bupropion)
“Good example of this would be the drug Welbutrin also called bupropion which increases dopamine and norepinephrine.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductReferenced
Huperzine A
“something called huperzine A. Huperzine A is a compound sold over the counter at least in the United States that can increase acetylcholine transmission”— Andrew Huberman
ProductReferenced
Maca root
“you will find for instance, that things like Maca root can increase dopamine... It will reduce cortisol and through some indirect pathways related to cortisol can increase dopamine.”— Andrew Huberman
Big reveals from this episode
- Huberman recounts being injected with Thorazine in the ER during a Giardia infection, feeling profound depression within minutes, then begging for l-DOPA to restore his dopamine.
- He gives concrete dopamine multipliers: chocolate 1.5x, sex 2x, nicotine 2.5x, cocaine 2.5x, and amphetamine 10x above baseline.
- Core counterintuitive claim: after a dopamine peak, baseline drops below where it started, proportional to how high the peak was.
- A friend's child quit ADHD treatment after a 30-day fast from phone, video games and social media restored his concentration and mood.
- Cold water exposure raised dopamine 2.5x above baseline (rivaling cocaine) but sustained for up to three hours instead of crashing.
- Huberman banned his phone from workouts for a year because layering music, podcasts and texting had drained the activity of pleasure.
- Giving children rewards for drawing made them draw less once rewards stopped, illustrating how extrinsic rewards undermine intrinsic motivation.
- A 2017 Science paper showed oxytocin and social connection directly trigger dopamine release in the ventral tegmental area, not just the serotonin system.
Worth remembering
- Dopamine is a neuromodulator that coordinates many neurons at once, unlike neurotransmitters that handle local communication.
- Adrenaline is biochemically manufactured from dopamine: l-DOPA to dopamine to noradrenaline to adrenaline.
- Caffeine only modestly raises dopamine but upregulates D2/D3 receptors, making you more responsive to dopamine's effects.
- Addiction is described as a progressive narrowing of the things that bring you pleasure.
- Caffeine increases the toxicity of MDMA by upregulating the same dopamine receptors.
- Yerba mate has shown neuroprotective effects specifically for dopaminergic neurons in animal studies.
- Deprivation states upregulate dopamine receptors, which is why food tastes far better when you are very hungry.
- A study in Neuron found that hearing information that confirms your existing beliefs can itself trigger dopamine release.
- Two days off highly palatable processed foods is enough to make plain whole foods like broccoli taste delicious again.
- Viewing bright light between 10pm and 4am can reduce dopamine levels for several days afterward.
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