Dr. Jordan Peterson: How to Best Guide Your Life Decisions & Path

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Jordan Peterson, Ph.D., psychologist, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, best-selling author, and prominent online educator. We discuss the biology of human emotions and motivations, healthy versus destructive impulses, addictions, and generative drives. Topics include how brain states shape decision-making—for better or worse—and how religion and culture can guide us toward and through the best paths in life.

We also explore the innate human drive to create "impact at a distance" and how it influences social interactions, educational pursuits, career choices, and relationships. Additional subjects include morality, social media, politics, the human appetite for drama, and the importance of embracing responsibility as a form of adventure to avoid wasting time.

Listeners will gain practical knowledge from psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and religion.

Articles

• THE HYPOTHALAMUS AND AFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR IN CATS: A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL LESIONS, WITH ANATOMIC CORRELATIONS (Archives of Neurology and Psychology)
• Hierarchical Representations of Aggression in a Hypothalamic-Midbrain Circuit (Neuron)
• The Spines of Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus and Pygosteus) as Means of Defence against Predators (Perca and Esox) (Behaviour)

Books

• The Sacred and The Profane: The Nature of Religion
• Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World--Told from Inside by the Man Who Ran It
• Unit 731: Japan's Secret Biological Warfare in World War II
• Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
• The Origins and History of Consciousness
• The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness
• The Discovery of the Unconscious: The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry
• Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions

Other Resources

• David Anderson - Brain stimulation causes mouse to display aggressive behaviors toward an inanimate object (e.g., glove)
• The Sermon on the Mount (Peterson Academy)
• Picture Imperfect by Charles Piller
• Elon Musk on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
• Californication (IMDb)
• Donald Trump on The Joe Rogan Experience
• Donald Trump on This Past Weekend with Theo Von
• The science of emotions: Jaak Panksepp at TEDxRainier
• Michael Malice (Peterson Academy)

Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned

• Dr. David Anderson: The Biology of Aggression, Mating & Arousal

People Mentioned

• Sigmund Freud: Austrian neurologist, father of psychoanalysis
• Jean Piaget: Swiss psychologist, known for theory of cognitive development in children
• Richard Tremblay: Professor of Psychology, Université de Montréal
• Richard Dawkins: British biologist, author
• Mircea Eliade: Romanian religious historian, author
• David Spiegel: Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Psychologist, University of Chicago, “father of flow”
• Eric Knudsen: Professor of Neurobiology, Stanford University
• Karl Friston: Professor of Imaging Neuroscience, University College London
• Jonathan Pageau: French-Canadian liturgical artist, icon carver
• Marc Andreessen: American businessman, software engineer
• Joshua Gordon: former director - National Institute of Mental Health
• Camille Paglia: Professor of Humanities, University of the Arts in Philadelphia
• Carl Jung: Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist, known for analytical psychology
• Erich Neumann: German psychologist, author
• Michel Foucault: French historian, philosopher
• Alfred Adler: Austrian psychotherapist, founder Adlerian psychology
• Jaak Panksepp: Professor of Biology, Bowling Green State University
• Theo Von: American comedian, podcaster