How to Grow From Doing Hard Things | Michael Easter

My guest is Michael Easter, a professor at the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas and best-selling author. We discuss how
particular daily life choices undermine our level of joy, our sense
of purpose, our physical and our mental health and the daily,
weekly, monthly and yearly steps we can all take to vastly increase
our level of motivation, gratitude and overall life satisfaction.
We discuss how effortful foraging for information, undistracted
reflection and physical exercise are ways to ‘invest’ and therefore
grow our levels of dopamine, energy and motivation, whereas
low-friction activities are specifically designed to hijack or
diminish them. We also discuss dopamine reward circuitry in the
context of how to build and reset one’s energy levels and create a
deeper sense of purpose in work, creative pursuits and
relationships. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.
Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Maui
Nui: https://mauinuivenison.com/huberman Helix Sleep:
https://helixsleep.com/huberman Mateina:
https://drinkmateina.com/huberman Function:
https://functionhealth.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Michael
Easter 00:02:14 Discomforts, Modern vs Ancient Life 00:07:35
Sponsors: Maui Nui & Helix Sleep 00:10:17 Modern Problems,
Exercise, Trail vs Treadmill Running, Optic Flow, Hunting 00:20:01
Risk & Rewards, Intellectual vs Experiential Understanding
00:23:39 Modern Luxuries, First-World Problems, Gratitude, Tool:
Volunteer 00:34:33 Rites of Passage, Tool: Challenge, Narrative
& Purpose; Embracing Discomfort 00:40:43 Sponsors: AG1 &
Mateina 00:43:33 Choice, 2% Study, Silence, Tools: Do Slightly
Harder Things; Notice Resistance 00:54:05 Cognitive Challenges,
Walking, Screens, Tool: Sitting with Boredom 01:01:53 Capturing
Ideas, Attractor States, Tool: Being in Nature 01:06:50 2% Rule,
Rites of Passage, Tool: Misogi Challenge 01:14:12 Phones, Sharing
with Others, Social Media, Tool: Reflection vs Screen Time 01:23:23
Dopamine, Spending vs Investing, Guilt 01:29:48 Sponsor: Function
01:31:35 Relaxation, Shared Identities & Community, Music,
Tool: In-Person Meeting 01:38:58 Loss of Gathering Places, Internet
& Distorted Views, Hitchhiking 01:45:06 Misogi & Entry
Points; Daily Schedule, Caffeine Intake 01:54:37 Optimal Circadian
Schedule, Work Bouts, Exercise 01:59:12 Outdoor Adventures,
Backpacking & Nutrition 02:04:57 Camping & Sleeping,
Nature, Three-Day Effect 02:10:10 Sea Squirts; Misogi Adventures
& Cognitive Vigor, Writing, Happiness 02:17:55 Effort &
Rewards, Addiction, Dopamine, Catecholamines 02:22:36 Humans,
Running & Carrying Weight, Fat Loss, Tool: How to Start Rucking
02:32:32 Physical/Cognitive Pursuits & Resistance; Creative
“Magic” & Foraging 02:39:27 Motivation; Slot Machines, Loss
Disguised as a Win, Speed 02:46:06 Gambling, Dopamine, Addiction
02:50:29 Tool: Avoid Frictionless Foraging; Sports Betting, Speed;
Junk Food, Three V’s 02:56:22 Conveniences, Technology; Upcoming
Book, Satisfaction 03:02:57 Substack Links, Zero-Cost Support,
YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors,
YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network
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