Huberman Hacks Part II: The Plastics
Learning to learn.
I felt a familiar feeling, as I clenched my fist, muttered some curse words under my breath, and smirked in acceptance of the situation. It happened again: my best friend got the best of me in another nail-biting bout of backyard sports. You might not think that getting smoked in badminton would be that big of a deal, but when you spend most of your time around people that talk as much shit and that are as competitive as my best friends, the smallest of contests can feel like the World Series. Have you ever met THAT person that somehow always manages to pick up any and every random skill faster and better than everybody else? Well, this was that kid. Whether it be wrestling, ultimate frisbee, or learning foreign languages, his brain always seemed to mold and form in accordance with the task at hand. In the neuroscience community, this concept of re-shaping your brain is referred to as neuroplasticity, and it is the key to learning anything new. We are familiar with this concept through the scope of children, whose sponge-like brains appear to absorb everything we put in front of them; furthermore, we are familiar with it through the scope of adults, who typically find it more and more difficult to master a new hobby, learn a new language, or adapt to an evolving culture as their years pile up. If you have ever heard something along the lines of, “it’s impossible to learn to play an instrument when you’re older,” or, “the brain stops developing in your 20’s,” then you know what I’m talking about.
Contrary to these common beliefs, modern neuroscientists have discovered novel techniques and strategies that adults can leverage to refresh their brains’ abilities to adapt, learn, and hold onto information. Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at the Stanford School of Medicine, is a human performance enthusiast and an expert on optimizing cognitive abilities. Last month, Huberman gave a speech at a Logitech conference about the specific steps each of us can take to leverage neuroscience and physiology to combat the aforementioned age-related decline in neuroplasticity and push us in the direction of those superior performers on the badminton court, in the classroom, and at the office. I’ve attached that speech below for anybody interested in improving their learning habits and environments, as well as some summary points for those that are less interested in the science and more interested in the application. Additionally, if you are looking for more physiology and neuroscience lessons that you can apply to prevent winter colds, improve fat loss, combat depression, and more, check out the Huberman Labs Podcast here.
Huberman’s Keys to Neuroplasticity
Increase your focus before and during your learning/training session.
Leverage your brain’s natural ability to rehearse the neural pathways associated with your learning/training session at 10X-20X the normal speed.
Make a lot of mistakes to, “show,” your brain what wrong looks like and help it remember what right looks like.
Huberman’s Learning/Training Steps For Neuroplasticity
Focus your vision on a pinpoint object for 10-60 seconds prior to your learning/training session.
Take random 10-second breaks during your learning/training session to stop and think about nothing.
Listen to white noise during your learning/training session.
Perform as many reps as possible at full speed when learning something new to create as many errors as possible.
Follow a non-sleep deep-rest protocol — such as meditation, hypnosis, or short napping — in the middle of or after your learning/training session.
Follow proper sleep hygiene — for more on this, check out this post and this podcast.
Randomize your reward schedule (sometimes rewarding yourself for your performance and other times not) as well as the conclusion of your learning/training session (sometimes give yourself the opportunity to work until success but other times cut yourself off at the set end time).
After trying these methods out and manipulating them to my preference, I can attest that — whether it be mastering a jiu jitsu technique, studying for an exam, or even reading a book — they provide a non-trivial improvement in neuroplasticity and both cognitive and physical performance. I encourage you to try them out and see where they take you.