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 sponsorsAG1: https://drinkag1.com/hubermanMaui Nui: https://mauinuivenison.com/hubermanHelix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/hubermanMateina: https://drinkmateina.com/hubermanFunction: https://functionhealth.com/hubermanTimestamps00:00:00 Michael Easter00:02:14 Discomforts, Modern vs Ancient Life00:07:35 Sponsors: Maui Nui & Helix Sleep00:10:17 Modern Problems, Exercise, Trail vs Treadmill Running, Optic Flow, Hunting00:20:01 Risk & Rewards, Intellectual vs Experiential Understanding00:23:39 Modern Luxuries, First-World Problems, Gratitude, Tool: Volunteer00:34:33 Rites of Passage, Tool: Challenge, Narrative & Purpose; Embracing Discomfort00:40:43 Sponsors: AG1 & Mateina00:43:33 Choice, 2% Study, Silence, Tools: Do Slightly Harder Things; Notice Resistance00:54:05 Cognitive Challenges, Walking, Screens, Tool: Sitting with Boredom01:01:53 Capturing Ideas, Attractor States, Tool: Being in Nature01:06:50 2% Rule, Rites of Passage, Tool: Misogi Challenge01:14:12 Phones, Sharing with Others, Social Media, Tool: Reflection vs Screen Time01:23:23 Dopamine, Spending vs Investing, Guilt01:29:48 Sponsor: Function01:31:35 Relaxation, Shared Identities & Community, Music, Tool: In-Person Meeting01:38:58 Loss of Gathering Places, Internet & Distorted Views, Hitchhiking01:45:06 Misogi & Entry Points; Daily Schedule, Caffeine Intake01:54:37 Optimal Circadian Schedule, Work Bouts, Exercise01:59:12 Outdoor Adventures, Backpacking & Nutrition02:04:57 Camping & Sleeping, Nature, Three-Day Effect02:10:10 Sea Squirts; Misogi Adventures & Cognitive Vigor, Writing, Happiness02:17:55 Effort & Rewards, Addiction, Dopamine, Catecholamines02:22:36 Humans, Running & Carrying Weight, Fat Loss, Tool: How to Start Rucking02:32:32 Physical/Cognitive Pursuits & Resistance; Creative “Magic” & Foraging02:39:27 Motivation; Slot Machines, Loss Disguised as a Win, Speed02:46:06 Gambling, Dopamine, Addiction02:50:29 Tool: Avoid Frictionless Foraging; Sports Betting, Speed; Junk Food, Three V’s02:56:22 Conveniences, Technology; Upcoming Book, Satisfaction03:02:57 Substack Links, Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network NewsletterDisclaimer & DisclosuresLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works.
Huberman has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills, and cognitive functioning. He is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017.
Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals, including Nature, Science, and Cell, and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover, and other top media outlets.
In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.

• No. of episodes: 315
• Latest episode: 2025-07-03
• Health & Fitness Science Life Sciences

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