How did the 'milkshake study' demonstrate the power of mindsets on physiology?

In the milkshake study, participants consuming the exact same shake had different ghrelin responses based on whether they believed it was an 'indulgent' high-calorie shake or a 'sensible' low-calorie shake. The indulgent mindset led to a threefold stronger drop in ghrelin, indicating greater satiety and a more adaptive metabolic response.

Can mindsets impact the physical benefits of exercise, according to research?

Yes, the hotel housekeepers study showed that when housekeepers were informed their work met exercise guidelines and was beneficial, they experienced health improvements like weight loss and decreased blood pressure, even without changing their activity levels. This suggests that believing one is getting enough beneficial exercise can enhance its physiological effects.

How do general public health messages about exercise potentially create negative mindsets?

Current public health messages often focus on the minimum requirements for exercise benefits, which can create a mindset of insufficiency if people don't meet them. This can be demotivating and may even lead to worse health outcomes, as perceived lack of activity can be a stronger predictor of mortality than objective activity levels.

What is the key difference between a 'debilitating' and 'enhancing' mindset about stress?

A debilitating mindset views stress as inherently bad, leading to avoidance or denial. An enhancing mindset, conversely, views stress as a potential source of strength and growth, connecting it to things one cares about and motivating constructive action.

What is the three-step approach to leveraging stress in a positive way?

The three-step approach involves: 1) Acknowledging that you are stressed; 2) Welcoming the stress, using it as an opportunity to reconnect with what you care about; and 3) Utilizing the stress response to achieve the goal you care about, rather than trying to get rid of the stress itself.

How do social media influencers and mainstream media shape our mindsets about food?

Research by Brad Turnwald shows that 70-90% of food content in popular movies and by influencers promotes unhealthy, highly processed foods, often using language that connotes excitement and indulgence. Conversely, healthy foods are rarely shown and often described with language of deprivation, fostering a negative mindset towards nutritious eating.

How can mindsets improve the effectiveness of medical treatments, beyond just placebo effects?

Ongoing research aims to integrate mindsets with active drug treatments. For example, reframing side effects of allergy treatment as a positive sign that the body is adapting led to reduced anxiety, fewer symptoms, and better immune marker outcomes in children. This suggests that mindsets can amplify the benefits and improve the experience of active medical interventions.

Key Moments

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

Andrew Huberman

Science & Technology3 min read102 min video

Jan 24, 2022|758,163 views|19,754|1,076

andrew huberman huberman lab podcast huberman podcast dr. andrew huberman neuroscience huberman lab mindset alia crum growth mindset carol dweck

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Mindsets shape our physiology and experiences. We can change beliefs about stress, food, and exercise for better health.

Key Insights

Mindsets are core beliefs that orient our expectations, explanations, and goals, significantly influencing our biology and behavior.

Our beliefs about food can physiologically alter our body's response, such as hunger hormone levels, independent of the food's objective nutritional content.

The "hotel workers study" demonstrated that changing mindsets about exercise, without changing behavior, led to improved health metrics.

Mindsets about stress can determine whether it is experienced as debilitating or enhancing, impacting physiological responses and performance.

Negative mindsets about symptoms or side effects (nocebo effects) can be as potent as positive ones (placebo effects), influencing treatment outcomes.

The source of our mindsets includes upbringing, culture, media, influential figures, and conscious choice, offering opportunities for deliberate change.

DEFINING MINDSETS AND THEIR PURPOSE

Dr. Alia Crum defines mindsets as core beliefs or assumptions about a domain that shape our expectations, explanations, and goals. These beliefs act as simplifying systems for complex realities, influencing our motivation and actions. Examples range from intelligence (growth vs. fixed) to stress, food, and medicine. Understanding and adopting adaptive mindsets can lead to reduced suffering and improved performance.

THE PHYSIOLOGICAL IMPACT OF FOOD MINDSETS

The "milkshake study" demonstrated that beliefs about food's nutritional content can significantly alter physiological responses. Participants who believed they were drinking a high-calorie, indulgent milkshake showed a greater decrease in the hunger hormone ghrelin compared to those who believed they were consuming a low-calorie, sensible shake, even though the shake was identical. This highlights the body's physiological response being influenced by perception rather than just objective nutrients.

EXERCISE MINDSETS AND THEIR HEALTH CONSEQUENCES

The "hotel workers study" revealed the power of exercise mindsets. Housekeepers who were physically active but did not perceive their work as exercise showed no health benefits. After being informed that their work met exercise guidelines, they experienced significant weight loss and reduced blood pressure, despite no change in their actual behavior. This suggests that perceiving activity as beneficial enhances its positive health outcomes.

REFRAMING THE EXPERIENCE OF STRESS

Dr. Crum's research on stress mindsets indicates that viewing stress as enhancing, rather than debilitating, leads to more adaptive physiological responses and better performance. A study involving financial company employees showed that a nine-minute video promoting an enhancing stress mindset reduced physical symptoms and improved work performance compared to a debilitating stress mindset video.

THE INTERPLAY OF MINDSETS, PLACEBOS, AND NOCEBOS

Mindsets are closely related to placebo and nocebo effects. While placebo effects involve positive beliefs leading to beneficial outcomes, nocebo effects occur when negative beliefs cause negative consequences, such as expecting side effects leading to their manifestation. Research on food allergy treatments showed that reframing side effects as positive signals of the treatment working improved outcomes and reduced anxiety in children.

SOURCES OF MINDSETS AND FOSTERING CHANGE

Mindsets are shaped by upbringing, culture, media (including social media and influencers), and influential individuals, as well as conscious choice. Research indicates that media often promotes unhealthy foods with positive language, while healthy foods are associated with deprivation. Dr. Crum emphasizes the importance of developing "meta-mindsets"—the ability to be aware of, evaluate, and consciously change one's own mindsets—to cultivate more adaptive beliefs and improve well-being.

LEVERAGING STRESS AND CULTIVATING ADAPTIVE BELIEFS

Instead of merely coping with stress, Dr. Crum suggests leveraging it by acknowledging its presence, welcoming it as a signal of caring about something important, and then utilizing the stress response to achieve goals. This approach differs from the common public health message that frames stress solely as damaging. She also highlights the importance of parents focusing on instilling adaptive mindsets in children, such as viewing healthy foods as enjoyable and stress as a natural part of growth.

THE FACILITATING ROLE OF MINDSETS IN MEDICINE

Dr. Crum's current research focuses on integrating mindsets with active drug treatments to enhance their effectiveness and improve patient experience. This involves instilling beliefs that validate treatments and reframe symptoms or side effects. The goal is to move beyond a dichotomy of placebo versus drug, or mindset versus behavior, to a synergistic approach that maximizes the benefits of medical interventions.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Supplements

●Companies

●Organizations

●Books

●Drugs & Medications

●Concepts

●People Referenced

Mindset Shifts for Health & Performance

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

View stress as enhancing and an opportunity for growth, not debilitating.

Adopt an 'indulgent' mindset when eating healthy foods – focus on satisfaction and enjoyment.

Acknowledge and welcome stress as a sign that you care about something.

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

Be mindful of the true objective reality, but also cultivate a positive subjective reality for beneficial physiological responses.

Teach children adaptive mindsets about food, stress, and physical activity rather than enforcing strict behaviors.

Avoid This

View stress as inherently bad or to be avoided.

Maintain a mindset of restraint or deprivation when eating healthy foods, as it may counteract benefits.

Over-exacerbate stress by worrying about being stressed, or check out from it entirely.

Assume that the world or your beliefs are an unmitigated reflection of objective reality; be aware of filters and interpretations.

Become dogmatic about having the 'right' mindset; treat yourself like a scientist and observe what serves you.

Discount the physiological impact of your beliefs on exercise benefits or medication side effects.

Common Questions

A mindset is a core belief or assumption about a domain that shapes expectations, explanations, and goals, simplifying complex realities. Mindsets influence motivation, attention, and physiological responses, impacting areas like health, stress, and performance.

Topics

Health & Longevity Mental Health & Psychology Human Performance Cognitive Reframing Stress Management Placebo Effect Nutrition Psychology Exercise Motivation Mindset Science Behavioral Health Psychosomatic Medicine

Mentioned in this video

People

Hans Selye

Considered the 'father of stress,' who defined stress as a non-specific response, meaning its impact depends on how it is channeled.

Andrew Huberman

Host of the Huberman Lab Podcast and a professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.

Stanford Medicine

Andrew Huberman is a professor at Stanford School of Medicine.

Brad Turnwald

A former graduate student in Alia Crum's lab who researched how social media and movies influence mindsets about healthy foods.

Kari Nadeau

Head of the Stanford Allergy Center, who collaborated with Alia Crum on a study to improve treatment outcomes for children with food allergies by reframing mindsets about side effects.

Alia Crum

Guest on the podcast, a tenured professor of psychology at Stanford University and the founder/director of the Stanford Mind and Body Lab. Her work focuses on how beliefs shape physiological responses.

Lauren Howe

A graduate student in Dr. Crum's laboratory who conducted a study on how children's reactions to peanut allergy treatment are shaped by education about side effects.

Kelly Brownell

Worked with Alia Crum at Yale, conducting research on food and obesity.

Carol Dweck

Colleague of Andrew Huberman mentioned for her work on growth mindset, the belief that intelligence and abilities can grow and change.

Peter Salovey

Worked with Alia Crum at Yale, known for coining emotional intelligence and is now the president of Yale University.

Chris Evans

Collaborator with Alia Crum on research into 'meta mindsets', focusing on how to consciously and deliberately change mindsets.

Duncan French

A PhD scientist who runs the UFC Performance Training Institute, whose graduate work explored how adrenaline spikes can increase testosterone.

Anna Lembke

A colleague who runs the addiction clinic at Stanford, who has discussed how substance abuse provides a solution to stress but becomes its own stressor.

Products

Thesis

A sponsor that makes custom nootropics tailored to individual neurochemistry for desired brain states like creativity or focus.

COVID-19 vaccine

A medical treatment that Alia Crum's lab has studied concerning mindsets about symptoms and side effects.

Supplements

Alpha-GPC

An ingredient Andrew Huberman particularly likes and is included in his customized Thesis formulations.

DHA

An ingredient mentioned in Thesis nootropic formulations, often associated with cognitive benefits.

Phosphatidylserine

An ingredient mentioned in Thesis nootropic formulations.

Ghrelin

A hormone, dubbed the 'hunger hormone,' which rises to signal hunger and drops in proportion to calories consumed, signaling satiety and revving metabolism.

Companies

ROKA

A sponsor that manufactures high-quality eyeglasses and sunglasses designed for performance and crystal clarity in various environments.

InsideTracker

A personalized nutrition platform that analyzes blood and DNA data to help individuals meet health goals with actionable directives.

Organizations

Yale University

Where Alia Crum conducted her milkshake study as a graduate student.

Harvard University

Academic institution where Ellen Langer is a professor of psychology.

UFC Performance Training Institute

An institute run by Duncan French.