Essentials: The Science of Emotions & Relationships

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I discuss the biology of emotions and moods, focusing on how development and neurochemicals shape our feelings and relationships.

I describe how early infant bonds and puberty shape adult patterns of emotional connection. I explain that understanding emotions requires recognizing both internal states and external cues, along with strategies to enhance your emotional awareness. Additionally, I discuss the key elements of healthy emotional bonds and provide practical tools to deepen one’s understanding of emotions, leading to a richer emotional life.

Huberman Lab Essentials are short episodes (approximately 30 minutes) focused on essential science and protocol takeaways from past Huberman Lab episodes. Essentials will be released every Thursday, and our full-length episodes will still be released every Monday.

Journal Articles

• Attachment, Exploration, and Separation: Illustrated by the Behavior of One-Year-Olds in a Strange Situation (Child Development)
• Importance of investing in adolescence from a developmental science perspective (Nature)
• Intranasal Oxytocin Increases Positive Communication and Reduces Cortisol Levels During Couple Conflict (Biological Psychiatry)

Other Resources

• Mood Meter (app)
• Lighting the Brain (The New Yorker)

People Mentioned

• John Bowlby: British developmental psychologist, known for attachment theories
• Mary Ainsworth: American-Canadian developmental psychologist, known for attachment theories
• Allan Schore: faculty member in department of psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles
• Karl Deisseroth: professor of bioengineering and psychiatry, Stanford University