Dr. Kay Tye

Sponsors: Eight Sleep, Levels & LMNT

Amygdala; “Valence”

Novelty; Reward & Punishment Response

Amygdala & Hunger; Social Interaction

Social Media & Social Connection; Tool: Email & Time Management

Sponsor: AG1

Social Media; Friction & Feedback, Leadership

Social Isolation, Harlow Experiments, “Loneliness Neurons”

Social Homeostasis, COVID-19 Pandemic & Loneliness

Quality of Social Contact, Social Homeostasis, Social Media

Sponsor: InsideTracker

Social Media, Relationships; Social Isolation & Exclusion

Empathy: Friend vs. Foe

Background & Empathy, Diversity, Emotional Regulation

Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset

Social Rank & Hierarchy, Sibling Order, Development

Dynamic Hierarchy; Dominants vs. Subordinates; Mentors

Psychedelics: Research & Mechanisms; Psilocybin

Work-Life Balance, Fitness & Extracurriculars

Personal Life, Diversity, Happiness; Typical Day

Science & Academia; Future Directions

Research & Science Outreach

Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

- Dr. Kaye Thai is a professor of neuroscience at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
- Her research focuses on the amygdala, loneliness neurons, and social homeostasis.
- The podcast aims to provide free information about science and science-related tools to the general public.
- The amygdala is involved in emotional processing, assigning meaning to stimuli, and predicting reward and fear.
- Social interactions have a significant impact on emotional evaluation, but the mechanisms for detecting and interpreting these interactions are not well understood.
- Loneliness can have a negative impact on individuals, and social media can either provide a sense of social interaction or contribute to feelings of isolation, depending on the individual's experience.
- Empathy may be influenced by whether someone is viewed as an ally or adversary.
- Diversity in experiences and backgrounds is important for decision-making bodies.

- Dr. Kaye Thai is a professor of neuroscience at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
- She has made breakthroughs in understanding the brain, including the role of the amygdala in reinforcement of positive behaviors.
- Her current work focuses on loneliness neurons and social homeostasis.
- The discussion covers social hierarchies, social media's impact on social interactions, and the neurochemical and hormonal aspects of social interactions.
- The conversation is important for understanding mental illness, mental health, and building healthy social interactions.

- The podcast is separate from the speaker's teaching and research roles at Stanford.
- The podcast aims to provide free information about science and science-related tools to the general public.
- The first sponsor is Eight Sleep, which offers smart mattress covers with cooling, heating, and sleep tracking capabilities.
- The second sponsor is Levels, a program that uses a continuous glucose monitor to provide real-time feedback on how different foods, activities, and sleep patterns impact health.
- The third sponsor is Element, an electrolyte drink that helps improve mental and physical functioning.

- Loneliness can have a negative impact on individuals, especially for extroverts who gain energy from social interactions.
- Introverts also enjoy social interaction but may prefer more solo or one-on-one time to reset their energy.
- The concept of social homeostasis is important and can be compared to the intake of calories. A deficit in social interaction can lead to feelings of loneliness.
- Social media can either provide a sense of social interaction or contribute to feelings of isolation, depending on the individual's experience.
- The quality and type of social interaction, rather than just the quantity, can determine whether it feels nourishing or not. Real-life interactions tend to have more inter-brain synchrony compared to interactions through social media.

- InsideTracker is a personalized nutrition platform that analyzes data from blood and DNA to help understand the body and reach health goals.
- Regular blood work is important for understanding factors that impact immediate and long-term health.
- InsideTracker provides a personalized platform to see levels of metabolic factors, lipids, hormones, etc., and offers specific directives for nutrition, behavioral modification, and supplements to optimize those levels.
- To try InsideTracker, visit insidetracker.com/Huberman for a 20% discount on any plan.

- The speaker discusses the differences between real-life interactions and social media interactions, highlighting the challenges of anonymity and different contexts.
- They suggest that social media interactions may create more hunger for social interaction rather than satisfying the need for it.
- The speaker mentions the importance of considering social homeostasis and the impact of social media on creating hunger or satisfaction.
- They discuss the varying levels of investment and attention in different forms of communication, such as social media posts versus voice calls.
- The speaker speculates that social media is designed to make users want to use it rather than improving their well-being, and mentions the concept of wanting what others have.

- The speaker discusses the concept of empathy and how it relates to positive and negative emotions.
- They speculate that empathy may be influenced by whether someone is viewed as an ally or adversary.
- The speaker shares an anecdote about at-risk kids who initially took more food for themselves due to a scarcity mindset, but eventually learned to share.
- They draw a comparison between the behavior of the kids and that of animals protecting resources.
- The speaker reflects on the primitive circuits involved in resource allocation and protection.

- The brain can be divided into circuits that correspond to positive, negative, and neutral responses.
- Behaviors and decision-making may be influenced by feelings of safety and relatedness.
- Experiential statistics, such as past experiences, shape our perspectives and behaviors.
- Diversity in experiences and backgrounds is important for decision-making bodies.
- Empathy and theory of mind are crucial for creating a benevolent environment and understanding others.

- The speaker discusses the concept of abundance versus scarcity mindset.
- They mention how some people view the world as abundant in opportunities for partnership, while others see it as scarce.
- The speaker believes in the abundance mindset and sees comparison as a way to determine social status.
- They acknowledge that while many people have their basic survival needs met, not everyone feels they have everything they desire.
- The speaker emphasizes that having material possessions does not necessarily equate to having an abundance mindset.

- Social rank is a concept that exists in various contexts, such as work and family.
- Studying social rank in the brain is challenging because it is difficult to differentiate between individual identity and actual rank.
- An experiment is being conducted to explore how animals form new hierarchies when rehoused together.
- The dynamics of forming new hierarchies differ for alphas, intermediates, and subordinates.
- There may be a correlation between birth order and leadership potential, with oldest or only children often assuming leadership roles.

- The speaker grew up in a neighborhood where social rank was determined by different activities and skills.
- They believe that dynamic hierarchies based on competence are healthier than fixed hierarchies based on one skill.
- In an experiment with mice, prefrontal cortical neurons could predict dominance and competitive success.
- Subordinates in the experiment showed increased decoding accuracy closer to the cue presentation, suggesting they were observing the dominant animal's behavior.
- The speaker discusses the importance of acknowledging social rank in various contexts, such as research laboratories and society in general.

- The speaker is interested in psychedelics and their potential for increasing neuroplasticity and empathy.
- They have participated in clinical trials for psilocybin and MDMA and believe that psychedelics hold promise for the treatment of depression and trauma.
- The speaker is interested in studying the cellular mechanisms of hallucinations and the effects of psychedelics on brain states and transitions.
- They are currently conducting experiments with animals using psilocybin and neural pixel recordings to observe their responses in a conflict task.
- The speaker believes that exploring set and setting, individual variability, and biomarkers could help predict the suitability of psychedelic therapy for individuals.

- The speaker has known the person being interviewed for a while and is excited to have a longer conversation with them.
- The person being interviewed has been involved in various things, including being a yoga instructor and a semi-professional break dancer.
- The speaker is curious about how the person being interviewed structures their day and balances their responsibilities as a parent, running a laboratory, and valuing relationships and health.
- The person being interviewed believes in work-life balance and believes that it is possible to have a fulfilling personal life while still being successful in their career.
- The person being interviewed wants to be a role model for others in academia by showing that it is possible to have hobbies and non-work activities while still making meaningful contributions.

- The speaker, Andy Huberman, discusses how people refer to him by different names based on their relationship with him.
- The discussion focuses on the amygdala, a brain structure often associated with fear but actually involved in various emotional processing.
- The speaker mentions previous research on the amygdala's role in emotional responses and highlights the importance of considering all aspects of the brain.
- The amygdala is described as a fork in the road for processing emotional valence, or the goodness or badness of something.
- The concept of valence is explained as the brain's response to things that are good or bad, and it is distinguished from the term "value."

- The speaker believes that diversifying one's interests and activities outside of work can make them a better scientist.
- They emphasize the importance of having a rich personal life and not being solely focused on work.
- The speaker describes their typical day, which includes surfing, spending time with family, and conducting lab meetings.
- They mention the benefits of surfing, such as exercise, meditation, and social community.
- The speaker acknowledges that falling in love with surfing could lead to spending a lot of time in the ocean.

- The speaker is passionate about mentorship and shaping the future of science.
- They express gratitude for being able to study and discuss interesting ideas as their job.
- They acknowledge the challenges and changing environment in academia, including a drop in postdocs and a mass exodus to industry.
- The speaker mentions a book they found problematic and misogynistic, which inspired them to write their own book.
- They discuss the need for change in academia, particularly in terms of compensation and treatment of trainees, and the need to address issues of sexual misconduct and power structures.

- The speaker believes that providing more opportunities for people to experience research and science will lead to more fundamental discoveries.
- They applaud the efforts to extend research experiences to first-time researchers and remove barriers to contributing to science.
- The speaker mentions a podcast that has made millions of people fascinated with neuroscience and suggests that if given the chance, these listeners could contribute to neuroscience in some way.
- They mention the Cactome Project, where people can contribute to understanding the structure of the brain by tracing neurons.
- The speaker thanks the guest for sharing knowledge and addressing speculative questions, and expresses gratitude for their enthusiasm for science and advocacy work.

- Dr. Kay Thai discusses the biology of social interactions
- Viewers are encouraged to follow Dr. Kay Thai on social media and subscribe to the YouTube channel, Spotify, and Apple podcast
- Sponsors mentioned in the episode should be checked out to support the podcast
- Supplements are discussed in previous episodes and can be beneficial for improving sleep, hormone function, and focus
- Viewers can sign up for the monthly Neural Network newsletter on HubermanLab.com for free protocols and summaries

- The amygdala is responsible for assigning meaning to novel stimuli and determining if they are important or significant.
- The amygdala initially responds to novel stimuli but quickly stops responding if it does not predict anything important or rewarding.
- The amygdala is not only involved in fear and punishment but also in predicting reward.
- Neurons in the amygdala complex can predict both reward and fear, and they send this information to different downstream targets to elicit different responses.
- The concept of neurons from one region having different functions and going to different targets was initially novel but is now widely accepted.

- The amygdala is not responsible for producing the physical arousal associated with panic or fear, but it does receive information from the rest of the body.
- The amygdala can detect signals related to hunger and energy balance, potentially through ghrelin receptors.
- In mice, one day of food deprivation shifts the balance between positive and negative valence encoding projection neurons, prioritizing the reward pathway over the fear pathway.
- The amygdala is able to detect various signals from the environment, but it is unclear how all of this information is processed.
- Social interactions have a significant impact on emotional evaluation and bandwidth, but the mechanisms for detecting and interpreting these interactions are not well understood.

- The speaker discusses social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok and how they have changed social interaction.
- They mention that social media can provide both positive and negative feedback, and that some people enjoy engaging in high-friction interactions and arguments.
- The speaker questions whether social media can provide meaningful social contact, suggesting that true social contact requires synchronous interaction.
- They explain the role of the amygdala in processing stimuli and how they personally limit their exposure to social media and email to maintain clarity and productivity.
- The speaker emphasizes the importance of controlling top-down inputs and filtering out unnecessary clutter to foster creativity and clear-mindedness.

- AG1 is a vitamin mineral probiotic drink that contains adaptogens.
- The speaker has been taking AG1 since 2012 to meet vitamin and mineral quotas and support gut health.
- Gut health is important for the immune system and brain functioning.
- AG1 provides specific micronutrients that are hard to get from whole foods.
- AG1 supports mental health, physical health, and performance.

- The speaker praises the guest for limiting time on social media and email.
- They discuss the value of reducing incoming information to improve focus and creativity.
- Social media allows for anonymous feedback, which can be valuable for learning and improvement.
- The speaker mentions reading teaching evaluations and values both positive and negative feedback.
- The speaker discusses the usefulness of anonymous lab surveys for mentorship and improvement.

- Social interaction is important for biological needs and has health consequences when lacking.
- Social isolation and perceived loneliness can lead to shortened lifespan, mood disorders, and increased morbidity and mortality.
- The neuroscience community has a knowledge gap on social isolation due to the controversial nature of previous experiments.
- The accidental discovery of dopamine neurons in the dorsal raphe led to the study of social isolation.
- Loneliness is an unpleasant need state that drives the desire for social contact.

- The discovery of loneliness neurons has changed the way the speaker organizes their day and week.
- The speaker is more aware of how much time they spend alone versus with others.
- The speaker has become more discerning about who they spend their time with.
- The pandemic led to a sudden drop in social contact for the speaker, which initially caused depression but eventually led to a new normal of being comfortable with alone time.
- The speaker has consciously created dynamic social experiences while also protecting alone time to maintain social homeostasis.

Dr. Kay Tye: The Biology of Social Interactions and Emotions