🎯 All Moments (11)
Click any moment to jump to that point in the video
The Hidden Cognitive Benefit of Chess
A breakdown of why chess is a powerful tool for neuroplasticity, specifically because it forces the player to adopt and switch between multiple identities and roles within a single game.
Why High Stakes Kill Your Best Performance
A breakdown of the neurochemical state required for play: low adrenaline and high endogenous opioids. Huberman explains why being too concerned with outcomes inhibits the brain's ability to explore novel solutions.
The Biological Mechanism of Play: Opioids and the Brain
Andrew Huberman explains the neurobiological basis of play, focusing on the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and the release of endogenous opioids that enhance prefrontal cortex function.
Why Dynamic Movement Triggers Brain Plasticity
Andrew Huberman explains why linear movements like running are less effective for neuroplasticity compared to dynamic movements like dance or sports that engage the vestibular system and play circuitry.
The Low-Stakes Play Tool for Adults
Huberman provides a practical tool for adults to improve their brain health by engaging in low-stakes activities where they are not the top performer.
Discovering Your Personal Play Identity
Huberman discusses how our childhood play styles—whether we were competitive, cooperative, leaders, or followers—serve as a portal into how we function in work and relationships as adults.
Redefining Play as Contingency Testing
A paradigm shift in how to view play: not as a childish activity, but as a vital process for expanding your catalog of potential outcomes in life.
How Play Enhances Prefrontal Cortex Neuroplasticity
Explaining how the act of playing makes the brain more adaptable and responsive to experience in all areas of life, not just during the play itself.
How to Keep Your Brain Young Through Play
Huberman explains that play is the most powerful portal to neuroplasticity, regardless of age, because it mimics the natural learning states of childhood and triggers growth factors like BDNF.
Why the Brain Never Outgrows the Need for Play
A compelling biological argument for why play is essential throughout adulthood: the brain circuits for play are never pruned away, meaning they are intended to be used for the entire lifespan.
Richard Feynman's Secret: The Mischievous Tinkerer
The story of how Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman used a playful, mischievous spirit to see the world differently and make groundbreaking scientific discoveries.