How do mindsets about food affect our bodies?

Mindsets about food can influence physiological responses. For example, believing you are eating an indulgent, high-calorie meal can cause a stronger drop in hunger hormones like ghrelin compared to believing you are eating a 'sensible' diet shake, even if the nutritional content is the same.

Can believing exercise is beneficial actually make it more beneficial?

Yes, the hotel worker study showed that simply informing women their job constituted good exercise led to health improvements like weight loss and lower blood pressure, without any change in their actual activity level. This highlights the power of mindset.

Is all stress bad for you?

No, while public health often portrays stress as solely damaging, the body’s stress response was also designed to enhance our ability to manage challenges. Mindsets about stress can influence whether it leads to detrimental effects or growth.

How can I adopt a 'stress-enhancing' mindset?

A three-step approach involves: 1. Acknowledging you are stressed. 2. Welcoming the stress, as it signifies something you care about. 3. Utilizing the stress response to achieve your goals, rather than focusing on eliminating the stress.

What is the connection between stress, hormones, and mindsets?

Mindsets act as a portal between conscious and subconscious processes. Adopting an enhancing mindset about stress can positively influence subconscious responses, potentially leading to more moderate cortisol levels and higher DHEA, and can even impact anabolic hormones.

Can mindset changes impact physical health outcomes?

Absolutely. Studies show that altering beliefs about stress or exercise can lead to measurable physiological changes. This suggests our thoughts and assumptions play a significant role in our physical well-being and performance.

Key Moments

Essentials: Science of Mindsets for Health & Performance | Dr. Alia Crum

Andrew Huberman

Science & Technology3 min read35 min video

Sep 4, 2025|306,200 views|8,665|221

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Mindsets profoundly influence health and performance by shaping physiological responses, not just motivation.

Key Insights

Mindsets are core beliefs about a domain that shape expectations, explanations, and goals, influencing both thoughts and actions.

Beliefs about food can alter physiological hunger and satiety signals, demonstrating that mindset impacts the body's response to nutrients.

The way individuals perceive exercise significantly affects their physiological outcomes, even without behavioral changes, highlighting the power of mindset in health practices.

Stress is not inherently bad; a mindset viewing stress as enhancing can lead to better health outcomes, performance, and well-being.

Mindsets act as a bridge between conscious and subconscious processes, influencing how our bodies react to stimuli like stress.

Decoupling the definition of stress from its negative consequences and viewing it as a neutral, yet-to-be-determined effect is crucial for leveraging its potential benefits.

UNDERSTANDING MINDSETS

Mindsets are defined as fundamental beliefs or assumptions about a specific domain that guide our expectations, interpretations, and motivations. They act as mental shortcuts, simplifying complex realities and directing our thinking and actions. While Carol Dweck's work focused on growth mindsets related to intelligence, Dr. Alia Crum expands this concept to various areas, including stress, food, and exercise, demonstrating their far-reaching influence beyond just motivation.

MINDSETS AND THE BODY'S RESPONSE TO FOOD

A groundbreaking study revealed that beliefs about food can significantly alter physiological responses. Participants consumed the exact same milkshake but were told it was either a decadent, high-calorie treat or a sensible, low-calorie diet shake. Those who believed they were eating the indulgent shake experienced a three-fold greater drop in ghrelin, the hunger hormone, indicating their bodies responded as if they had consumed more calories, even though nutrients were identical.

THE IMPACT OF MINDSETS ON EXERCISE PERCEPTION

The 'hotel worker study' illustrated how mindsets about exercise can yield physiological benefits without altering actual behavior. Hotel housekeepers who were physically active daily but didn't view their work as exercise showed no health improvements. After a group was informed that their work met exercise guidelines, they experienced weight loss and decreased blood pressure within weeks, proving that reframing physical activity as beneficial exercise can lead to tangible health gains.

RETHINKING STRESS: FROM DEBILITATING TO ENHANCING

The prevailing public health message often portrays stress as universally harmful. However, research suggests the experience and response to stress are complex and can be influenced by our mindset. Viewing stress as debilitating can lead to negative physiological and psychological outcomes, such as increased muscle tension and insomnia. Conversely, adopting a mindset that views stress as potentially enhancing can foster more adaptive responses and positive outcomes.

THE MECHANISMS OF STRESS MINDSETS

A mindset emphasizing stress as enhancing shifts motivation from merely coping or avoiding stress to actively utilizing the stress response for growth. This can influence physiological markers, such as cortisol and DHEA levels, and alter how we approach challenging situations. It's not about liking stress, but about understanding that the adversity or challenge inherent in stress can, under certain mental frameworks, lead to personal growth, improved performance, and enhanced well-being.

ADOPTING A STRESS-ENHANCING MINDSET

Leveraging stress for advantage involves a three-step approach: acknowledging the stress, welcoming it because it signifies something you care about, and then utilizing the response to achieve your goals rather than trying to eliminate the stress. This reframes stress from a threat to an opportunity, potentially activating beneficial physiological pathways and enhancing our capacity to process information and achieve goals.

THE MINDSET-BODY CONNECTION

Mindsets act as a critical interface between conscious thought and subconscious physiological responses. A deeply ingrained negative mindset about stress, for example, can unconsciously trigger protective or avoidant responses. By bringing these mindsets to consciousness and consciously choosing more adaptive beliefs, individuals can influence their body's subconscious reactions, thereby optimizing health and performance.

PERSONAL APPLICATION AND FUTURE POTENTIAL

Individuals are encouraged treat themselves as scientists, examining their mindsets across various life domains to identify those that are most adaptive and empowering. The work of Dr. Crum and her lab highlights the vast, yet largely untapped, potential of the human mind in influencing health outcomes, suggesting that further research and conscious application of mindset science can unlock new levels of well-being and performance. Resources for learning more are available on the Stanford Mind & Body Lab website.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Companies

●Organizations

●Studies Cited

●Concepts

●People Referenced

Leveraging Stress: An Enhancing Mindset

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Acknowledge that you are stressed.

Welcome the stress, recognizing it's linked to something you care about.

Utilize the stress response to achieve your goals, rather than trying to eliminate the stress.

Decouple the definition of stress from its negative consequences; view it as a neutral, yet-to-be-determined effect.

Consider your mindsets about health domains (food, exercise, illness) and how they might shape your physiology.

Adopt the mindset that healthy foods are indulgent and delicious.

View side effects of treatments as signs the treatment is working, if applicable.

Think of yourself as a scientist: examine your mindsets, identify what serves you, and find more adaptive ones.

Avoid This

View stress solely as debilitating or harmful.

Avoid trying to fight or eliminate stress; instead, aim to leverage it.

Define stress only by its negative outcomes.

Assume that believing in a healthy diet is enough; your actual practice and belief combined matter.

View work as just work if it involves physical activity; consider its exercise benefits.

Adopt a mindset that healthy foods are disgusting and depriving.

Common Questions

A mindset is defined as a core belief or assumption about a specific domain or category. These beliefs shape our expectations, explanations, and goals, orienting our thinking and actions.

Topics

Placebo Effect Nocebo Effect Physiology Behavioral Science

Mentioned in this video

studyMilkshake Study

Dr. Alia Crum's graduate study at Yale that demonstrated how beliefs about a food (indulgent vs. sensible milkshake) alter physiological responses like ghrelin levels, even when the food is objectively the same.

conceptPsychogenic Fever

A fever that is caused by psychological factors rather than infection, with studies showing a genuine increase in body temperature when people believe they are sick.

conceptGrowth Mindset

A mindset concept, popularized by Carol Dwek, related to the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work.

conceptNocebo Effect

The opposite of the placebo effect, where negative beliefs or expectations lead to negative health outcomes.

conceptLean Mass Hyper-Responders

While not explicitly named, the discussion around various diets (plant-based, omnivore, carnivore, intermittent fasting) and how mindset influences their perceived effectiveness touches on how individuals respond differently to dietary changes.

personDuncan French

A guest previously on the Huberman Lab podcast who conducted graduate work at UConn focusing on exercise science and physiology, showing stress can spike adrenaline and testosterone.

softwareStanford Spark

A website housed under mbl.stanford.edu that provides toolkits, including one for the 'rethink stress' approach, aimed at social psychological answers to real-world questions.

conceptPhysiological Toughening

A process where the release of catabolic hormones during stress can activate anabolic hormones, aiding in growth and learning.

conceptPost-traumatic Growth

The phenomenon where individuals experience positive psychological change following a traumatic event, leading to enhanced connection with values, others, and a greater appreciation for life.

conceptStress as Enhancing

The idea that the experience of stress, rather than just its negative consequences, can lead to growth, improved performance, and better health outcomes.

studyHotel Worker Study

A study where hotel housekeepers were informed that their work counted as exercise. This mindset shift led to significant health benefits, including weight loss and reduced blood pressure, without behavioral change.

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