Josh Waitzkin: The Art of Learning & Living Life

In this episode, my guest is Josh Waitzkin, former child chess prodigy and the subject of the movie and true story Searching for Bobby Fischer. Josh is also a world champion martial arts competitor and the author of the book The Art of Learning. We discuss Josh’s childhood as a chess prodigy and how he learned to train and compete at the highest levels by facing his fears and overcoming points of weakness. He explains the principles that unify disparate physical and mental pursuits and how understanding the interconnectedness of the learning process enables ultra-high-level performance across disciplines.

We explore how to structure one’s day to tap into the most creative, generative, and unique capabilities. Josh shares his approach to learning, including how to address flaws and mistakes and how to harness the subtle and overt energies of the learning and peak performance process. He also discusses how he structures his life and makes decisions related to career and family. This episode is sure to inspire deep thinking and practical life changes for all who listen.

Articles

• Self-regulating arousal via pupil-based biofeedback (Nature Human Behaviour)
• Behavioral, Physiological, and Neural Signatures of Surprise during Naturalistic Sports Viewing (Neuron)

Books

• Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess
• Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
• Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
• The Lion Tracker's Guide To Life
• Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
• The Lessons of History
• Ernest Hemingway on Writing

Other Resources

• Searching for Bobby Fischer (movie)
• Arte Suave - Marcelo Garcia
• Hilary and Jackie (movie)

Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned

• The Science & Process of Healing from Grief
• Dr. James Hollis: How to Find Your True Purpose & Create Your Best Life
• Dr. Martha Beck: Access Your Best Self With Mind-Body Practices, Belief Testing & Imagination
• Dr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages

People Mentioned

• Bobby Fischer: American chess grandmaster
• Garry Kasparov: Russian chess grandmaster
• Mikhail Tal: Latvian – Soviet chess grandmaster
• Tigran Petrosian: Armenian- Soviet chess grandmaster
• Anatoly Karpov: Russian chess grandmaster
• Jim Harbaugh: football coach
• Marcelo Garcia: Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, coach
• Simon Baron-Cohen: professor of psychology, University of Cambridge
• Bruce Pandolfini: American chess coach, author
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Hungarian-American psychologist, recognized for flow state
• Peter Svidler: Russian chess grandmaster
• Rick Rubin: record producer
• Joe Mazzulla: basketball coach
• Sean McVay: football coach
• Yuri Razuvaev: Russian chess coach, author
• Daniel Barenboim: Argentine-Israeli classical pianist, conductor
• Carol Dweck: professor of psychology, Stanford University
• Robert Pirsig: American author, philosopher
• Michael Jordan: American basketball player
• Mike Tyson: American professional boxer
• Lex Fridman: computer scientist, podcaster
• Stella Waitzkin: American abstract expressionist painter, sculptor
• Hans Hofmann: German-American abstract expressionist painter
• Willem de Kooning: Dutch- American abstract expressionist painter
• Jackson Pollock: American abstract expressionist painter
• Boyd Varty: wildlife and literacy activist
• Eddie Chang: neurosurgeon, University of California, San Francisco

Sponsors

• AG1
• Wealthfront**
• Our Place
• Joovv
• Function
• Eight Sleep

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