Using Failures, Movement & Balance to Learn Faster | Huberman Lab Podcast #7 Flashcards
How can we use failure, movement and balance to learn fast?
Learn some motor movement. Inversion, handstand, free throws, drawing, dancing. With more emphasis on the activities that test the vestibular system as vestibular disturbances release all the neurochemicals that are vital for plasticity. The more you don’t know how to do something, the more of an effect it will have. Avid gymnasts are comfortable upside down; they will get 0 plasticity from this. Make plenty of errors during your selected activity and DO NOT give up when it inevitably gets difficult. Frustration and uncomfortableness is a sign it’s working, not a sign of personal weakness. Give yourself positive self-talk during said difficult learning session. Attaching dopamine to the frustrating event makes it easier, more enjoyable and will accelerate plasticity. He did not say this, but I’d imagine smiling occasionally during the difficult experience can help. Tell yourself that those errors are good for you.
Neural-plasticity is a state. This means that you can release the neurochemicals in the brain via vestibular disruption, and then immediately go learn something and have accelerated learning as a result (Ex: Standing on 1 foot for 10 minutes before learning French will not only improve your balance, but enhance your language practice afterwards). The vestibular disruption/motor learning is merely a catalyst that opens the gates for plasticity. Also, having a strong incentive to do something has been shown to have a dramatic effect in learning in adults. It is as dramatic as a childs learning provided the incentive is serious enough, such as being hungry. With adults, plasticity was shown to be more effective when you don’t learn so much at once. Do smaller amounts of learning at a time.
Now, before ANY of this. You want to be in a state of alertness, but calm. If you are too tired/calm, he said maybe do some controlled hyperventilating to increase the alertness neuromodulator epinephrine. He did not say the “Wim Hof method” specifically, but this would be one way to do this. Coffee can also increase epinephrine. But the best way would be to be well rested. Now if you are too alert/stressed, do some calming breathing exercises. He recommended taking in 2 inhales consecutively and exhaling slowly.
When all of this is done, he recommends NSDR/Yoga Nidra for further accelerating learning and states of calm. In episode 6 he suggested walking, running, exercise, or sitting in your thoughts after a learning session to improve plasticity as well. Finally, get good rest the ensuing nights because this is where the neuroplasticity actually takes place.
“Plasticity is a state of the nervous system. It’s not just geared towards the thing you’re trying to learn. Motor movements are the most straightforward way to access states of plasticity, and that could be for the the sake of learning that specific motor movement, or the sake of accessing plasticity more generally.”
