An interview with Dr Huberman about the problems of our time and how to deal with them

Why are good intentions not enough when mind and body do not come together?

How do body and mind prepare for a task? In this conversation, Andrew Huberman connects immediate tools for calming down with longer-term routines for resilience.

The answers are an edited version conveying the meaning of the historical YouNr1 conversation. Huberman works at Stanford University. The intensive form of breathing is practised safely seated or lying down, never in or near water and never while driving.

Huberman: My laboratory has been deeply involved in studying what influences the mind and body. We all want to wake up rested and motivated to face the day’s challenges. Sometimes we need to be quiet and listen; sometimes we need to act decisively. And, of course, we want to sleep well at night and concentrate during the day.

Question: So mental and physical states really determine what we consider success in life, understood broadly: financially, professionally, emotionally and in our relationships?

Huberman: I began asking myself that question about a decade ago. I see it as a kind of contract between mind and body to work towards a shared goal. They need to listen, empathise or pursue a goal with intensity together, depending on what is required.

We wanted to discover how to influence these states deliberately. People do many things to reach a desired state — caffeine, exercise, meditation. Yet these act rather indirectly on the system that controls those states: the nervous system, comprising the brain, spinal cord and their connections.

I do not distinguish between mind and body: they are one. If the body is here and the mind is elsewhere, there is no coherence. We achieve real efficiency only when both are synchronised. That is why I speak of a contract: the tools that work follow precisely this principle.

Question: Why is it possible to sleep for eight hours and still wake up exhausted, especially under chronic stress?

Huberman: Short-term stress is not bad; it is part of the natural cycle. What we do not want is for it to become chronic. Our nervous system is well equipped to handle acute challenges such as a pandemic. The danger arises when stress persists.

I believe everyone needs two kinds of tools: immediate, or “online”, tools and preventive, or “offline”, tools. In my laboratory, we have particularly investigated methods for calming the nervous system quickly.

Question: Is meditation an immediate tool?

Huberman: During an ongoing conflict, we cannot simply walk away and meditate. We need a tool we can use in the moment itself.

Alongside these are offline tools that raise our stress threshold over time — our lowest point, so to speak, at which a stress response begins.

Question: What real-time tool have you worked on?

Huberman: Our main focus was breathing techniques. The physiological sigh combines an inhalation with a brief second inhalation and a long exhalation. It also occurs spontaneously. One to three deliberate repetitions can help reduce acute tension.

And if a blocked nose makes nasal breathing difficult, you can also sigh through your mouth.

Regarding the nasal microbiome, the microorganisms of the upper airways are also a field of research. A study by De Boeck and colleagues investigated how particular Lactobacillus bacteria are adapted to the human nose. This adds to our understanding of the nose as an active part of the respiratory tract.

Question: What is the physiological explanation for the double nasal inhalation?

Huberman: The second inhalation helps reopen the air sacs in the lungs; the long exhalation that follows supports gas exchange. I describe the physiological sigh as a particularly quick way to reduce acute stress. Behind it lies a broader idea: we can use the body to influence our mental state.

Question: How does stress management work in the longer term?

Huberman: Offline tools help us prepare outside the immediate stressful moment. Some support relaxation, such as yoga nidra and mindfulness. Others provide an activating stimulus, such as series of deeper breaths followed by a short breathing pause. The point is to experience physical activation deliberately and learn to manage it.

Question: How does that fit into neuroscience?

Huberman: Chemical messengers such as dopamine and serotonin act on larger networks. We can compare them to conductors: they change how nerve cells work together and which states — attention, motivation or calm, for example — arise more readily. It is about this interaction.

Question: Is there a “right” way to breathe?

Huberman: Not in the sense that only abdominal breathing is correct. What matters is that we can control the diaphragm consciously, unlike the liver or spleen. Through conscious breathing, we can deliberately influence our biochemistry. That alone makes it worth pausing regularly to breathe with awareness.

Question: How can people learn more about your work?

Huberman: I use podcasts, YouTube and live sessions to make science understandable. My aim is for people to apply what they learn and pass it on. When you have learned something, teach it to someone else: learn, do, teach. In the original version of this conversation, a book was also announced for 2021.

Further sources

• Huberman Lab — Breathwork Protocols for Health, Focus & Stress
• De Boeck et al. (2020) — Lactobacilli Have a Niche in the Human Nose