Andrew Huberman
Stanford neuroscientist, host of the Huberman Lab podcast.
Across Huberman's episodes, the position is critical of phone and social media design, their effects on young brains, and the compulsive, effort-free reward loops they create. Huberman is more positive about the tools themselves, describing constant use, teaching on the platforms, and a belief that online connection can be real, so the advice is about regulation and friction rather than elimination.
617 verified quotes 458 episodes & articles scanned 109 passages rejected Every quote matched word for word to its source ↓In their own words
Likes and responses, in some cases fighting is what people want. They want to fight because they like that emotion.
Huberman compares social media to a casino where algorithms use intermittent rewards and personalization to shorten users' temporal focus.
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The random intermittent reward schedule that's there is designed to keep you playing. And I would argue that a lot of social media is like that. […] Not all of it, but a lot of it is like that. Likes and responses, in some cases fighting is what people want. They want to fight because they like that emotion. The algorithms figure you out so that they shorten up your temporal window. […] And so when people say, "Oh, we're walking around with a little slot machine in our pocket all day long with our smartphone," I actually think that's right. […] I think it's right. It's more like a casino, however, where that casino harbors all sorts of different games, and they're going to find the one that you like.
TL;DR
- Andrew Huberman argues that smartphone use is eroding attention, and that the phone is designed to capture attention in ways that make it very easy to anchor attention. ↗
- Huberman insists he is not anti-phone, says he uses a smartphone from waking till sleep, and says he spends a fair amount of time on Instagram and Twitter posting about the podcast. ↗
- He reframes phone use less as dopamine addiction and more as a reflexive, obsessive-compulsive loop. ↗
- His personal toolkit includes a separate phone for social media and getting outside to see sunlight before looking at the phone in the morning. ↗
- He advises limits: 60 minutes a day for adolescents, two hours for adults, and keeping the phone out of the room if one can. ↗
The most surprising things Andrew Huberman has said
Huberman admits he reflexively picks up his phone without deciding to, compares himself to a baby with the phone, and asks Anna whether he needs a full 30 days.
Huberman also describes his own reflexive phone picking in the same reflexive terms he applies to phone behavior generally.
I don't eat baby food, but I'm acting like a baby with the phone, all right.
Huberman reflects on his reflexive phone use, compares it to infantile behavior, and asks Anna Lembke if he needs a 30-day break.
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I look at my own behavior with the phone sometimes, and I think I'm a grown man. What is the problem here? I don't eat baby food, but I'm acting like a baby with the phone, all right. In the sense that I'm reflexively picking it up. I'm not being intentioned and deliberate with it. Do I need a full 30 days, Anna?
More evidence (1)
I also have to admit that I've experienced not feeling like I want to pick up my phone because it's so rewarding, but just finding myself doing it.
Discussing how addictive behaviors can become reflexive, using the example of unconsciously picking up a phone.
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I also have to admit that I've experienced not feeling like I want to pick up my phone because it's so rewarding, but just finding myself doing it. […] Like, "I'm not going to use this thing, I'm not going to use this thing," and then just finding myself doing it. Like, "What am I doing here? How did I get back here again?" And I know enough about brain function to understand that we have circuits that generate deliberate behavior, and we have circuits that generate reflexive behavior. And one of the goals of the nervous system is to make the deliberate stuff reflexive so you don't have to make the decision, because decision-making is a very costly thing to do. Decision making of any kind.
Huberman explicitly refuses to demonize smartphones, says he is not one of those who thinks smartphones are terrible, and says he uses a smartphone from waking till sleep.
Huberman's warning that the phone is destructive coexists with his self-described pattern of using his phones very often, all day, and with his deliberate rejection of the anti-phone stance.
I will never ask you to demonize technology. I certainly use a smartphone from waking till sleep, generally not in the middle of the night if I can avoid it, and I generally avoid it.
Huberman discusses his own smartphone usage from waking until sleep and his avoidance of it in the middle of the night.
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I am not one of these people that thinks that smartphones are terrible.
Andrew Huberman discusses the detrimental effect of using a phone during transition periods between tasks, while also stating he uses phones regularly himself.
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This is what's so destructive about the phone. And keep in mind, I am not one of these people that thinks that smartphones are terrible. In fact, I use mine, plural, very often, all day, often. Not necessarily during deep cognitive focus, but in between those bouts of focus, I have to text-message people. I do work on there. I'm on social media. So certainly, not demonizing the smartphone.
Huberman challenges the popular dopamine hit explanation for phone use, arguing the behavior looks more like a compulsive, obsessive loop than reward seeking.
It shifts the problem from pleasure and addiction to compulsion and reflex, which changes what kind of solution makes sense.
The behavior with social media, but phones generally […] is a lot more akin to true clinical grade obsessive compulsive disorder.
Andrew Huberman responded to a discussion about phone use by reframing it as more akin to obsessive compulsive disorder than addiction.
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One thing that I don't think I've emphasized enough on this podcast, certainly not this, but other episodes as well, is a kind of reframe around the dopamine and phones. […] We need to move our minds away from the idea that the phone is providing these dopamine hits, because it's not. The behavior with social media, but phones generally […] is a lot more akin to true clinical grade obsessive compulsive disorder. […] What defines obsessive compulsive disorder is that the engagement in the behavior The compulsion doesn't relieve the obsession. […] That, to me, more closely mimics what I see in terms of phone use […] than the idea that it's like, "No way, this amazing thing on the phone." […] But I think if we started to look at our relationship to the phone as more of an induced obsessive compulsive disorder […] than an addiction, I actually think that's one of the potential ways out. […] Look, I'm not addicted to my phone, but I will tell you, there are days when I feel like I pick up that thing even though I don't want to. […] And that's different than addiction. I know what addiction feels like. That's not addiction. That's happening just reflexively.
More evidence (1)
often it's the case that the behavior associated with that thing, in this case social media, is more of the compulsive nature rather than an active seeking of something with positive anticipation.
Andrew Huberman explains that the popular concept of 'dopamine hits' is often misapplied to social media, which he views as more compulsive than anticipatory.
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To be honest, the concept of dopamine hits is not one that I favor because, in general, whenever people talk about dopamine hits, typically they're talking about activities such as social media, which dopamine may be involved at some level, but often it's the case that the behavior associated with that thing, in this case social media, is more of the compulsive nature rather than an active seeking of something with positive anticipation.
Huberman calls the common habit of waking up and looking at the phone terrible, while also saying he spends a fair amount of time on Instagram and Twitter and enjoys it.
Huberman pairs that warning with a self-described pattern of regular Instagram and Twitter use.
what most people are doing is terrible. They're waking up and they're looking at their phone, which isn't triggering activation of these cells in the eye and the central circadian clock.
Andrew Huberman criticizes the common habit of looking at one's phone first thing in the morning as ineffective for setting the circadian clock.
I spend a fair amount of time on Instagram and Twitter…
Andrew Huberman says he spends time on Instagram and Twitter posting about the podcast and agrees with Tim Ferriss's criticisms of social media.
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I spend a fair amount of time on Instagram and Twitter, posting things related to the podcast, but I don't have someone to do that for me, and I actually enjoy doing it, and it challenges me in certain ways. But I completely agree with everything you're saying.
What Andrew Huberman thinks about phones and social media
What Andrew talks about most
Share of Andrew's 617 verified quotes on each topic. Each quote is counted once, under its main topic.
View as table
| Topic | Quotes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Social media's effects | 160 | 25.9% |
| Their own phone habits | 143 | 23.2% |
| Attention & focus | 131 | 21.2% |
| Screens & sleep | 45 | 7.3% |
| Dopamine & compulsion | 30 | 4.9% |
| Email & notifications | 22 | 3.6% |
| Kids & teens | 22 | 3.6% |
| Willpower vs engineered tech | 15 | 2.4% |
| Friction & tools | 15 | 2.4% |
| Information diet & news | 14 | 2.3% |
| Boredom & presence | 11 | 1.8% |
| Upsides of tech | 7 | 1.1% |
| Detoxes & breaks | 2 | 0.3% |
Phone use induces ADHD-like attention deficits
Huberman argues that frequent smartphone use can induce adult ADHD and says the interaction leads to deficits in the types of attention needed for work and school.
We are inducing a sort of ADHD.
Answering whether frequent smartphone use leads to attentional deficits, stating that it does.
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And so the question is, does that sort of interaction on a regular basis lead to deficits in the types of attention that we need in order to perform well in work and school relationships, et cetera? And the short answer is yes. It does appear so. We are inducing a sort of ADHD.
If you're struggling with focus nowadays, as a lot of people are because of stress, because of smartphone use, which turns out can induce adult ADHD — we'll talk about that
Discussing why many people struggle with focus nowadays, including the role of smartphone use in potentially inducing adult ADHD.
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If you're struggling with focus nowadays, as a lot of people are because of stress, because of smartphone use, which turns out can induce adult ADHD — we'll talk about that — well, then pay attention to the symptomology.
Phones are designed to capture attention
Huberman says the phone's small size makes it easy to anchor attention, and that the device starts calling to the user the moment the user tries to work. Huberman compares the feed to a casino that finds the game the user likes.
It's actually very easy to anchor your attention to your phone for the following reason.
He explains why phones are so effective at capturing attention due to their design and motion content.
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It's actually very easy to anchor your attention to your phone for the following reason. First of all, it's very restricted in size, so it's very easy to limit your visual attention to something about this big. It's one of the design features of the phone.
the moment you sit down to do some serious work and you flip off the Internet, all of a sudden it's as if the phone has a voice.
He personifies the phone as calling to him when he tries to work.
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the moment you sit down to do some serious work and you flip off the Internet, all of a sudden it's as if the phone has a voice. […] It starts calling you.
Effort-free dopamine is dangerous
Huberman warns that any fast dopamine that does not require effort puts people in a trough and on a lever-pressing cycle. Huberman argues that smartphones layer dopamine into everyday activities and can lower baseline motivation.
I'll say it again now that I think everyone should beware any dopamine that is not preceded by effort in order to achieve it.
Discussing that dopamine not preceded by effort leads to a trough and a cycle that drives the trough deeper.
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Well, I try my best not to speak in tweets, which I guess they now call X posts, but I've been saying a lot, and I'll say it again now that I think everyone should beware any dopamine that is not preceded by effort in order to achieve it. In other words, any fast, high inflection of dopamine that does not require effort to achieve it is going to put you in a trough and on a metaphorical lever-pressing cycle that will drive your trough deeper and deeper over time.
it's no surprise that levels of depression and lack of motivation are really on the increase.
Discussing how smartphones layer dopamine and can lower baseline dopamine levels.
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Now, the smartphone is a very interesting tool for dopamine, in light of all this. It's extremely common nowadays to see people texting and doing selfies, and communicating in various ways, listening to podcasts, listening to music, doing all sorts of things while they engage in other activities, or going to dinner and texting other people, or making plans, sharing information. […] That's all wonderful, it gives depth and richness and color to life, but it isn't just about our distracted nature when we're engaging with the phone, it's also a way of layering in dopamine. And it's no surprise that levels of depression and lack of motivation are really on the increase. Everything that we've talked about until now sets up an explanation, or an interpretation, of why interacting with digital technology can potentially lead to disruptions or lowering in baseline levels of dopamine.
Social media is a compulsive loop
Huberman rejects the dopamine hit framing for social media, saying the behavior is more like an obsessive-compulsive loop or an automatic itch-scratching reflex than a pleasure-seeking addiction.
smartphone use, and social media use in particular, is an OCD of sorts. It's not just a habit, it's not just an addiction, it's an obsessive-compulsive loop.
Huberman shares his own experience of scrolling on his first smartphone late at night and compares smartphone/social media use to an obsessive-compulsive loop.
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I can recall in 2010, I was actually in New York City visiting friends. I got my first smartphone, and I recall I was up at 1:30 in the morning […] scrolling on this thing and thinking, "This is unbelievably addicting." […] Nowadays, I think of it less as addicting, but almost like an OCD of sorts. […] And here I'm not talking about clinically diagnosed OCD, but […] the interesting thing about OCD is that the compulsions, the behaviors, don't serve to reduce the obsessions. Rather, they exacerbate them or reinforce them. […] And in many ways, I feel like smartphone use, and social media use in particular, is an OCD of sorts. It's not just a habit, it's not just an addiction, it's an obsessive-compulsive loop.
people are just living in the reflex or the habit of picking up their phone and looking at it and scrolling it.
Challenging the idea that phone use is primarily dopamine-driven, instead characterizing it as a reflex or habit.
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I do think the phone thing, people talk about the dopamine hits, et cetera, from the phone. I actually don't think it's as dopamine-driven as we would like to believe. […] I think that's a convenient heuristic with... […] The behavior itself looks a lot more like a reflex, or one person picks up their phone at dinner, and then suddenly everyone does it. I don't think people are as conscious of what they're doing. It could also be called a habit, right? […] And the cues are so many, and so low-level, but powerful that I think people are just living in the reflex or the habit of picking up their phone and looking at it and scrolling it.
Screen light breaks circadian rhythms
Huberman says the retina becomes more sensitive to light late in the day, so even a dimmed screen at night triggers an activation. Screens give people light at times of day and night that would not naturally occur, and a phone will not trigger the morning cortisol response that sunlight provides.
being up late looking at phones, even if you dim that screen, you're triggering this activation because your retinal sensitivity and the sensitivity of these neurons has gone up late in the day.
Andrew Huberman explains that looking at phones late at night, even with dimmed screens, still triggers circadian disruption due to increased retinal sensitivity.
nowadays, because of screens and artificial light, we have access to light at times of day and night that normally we wouldn't.
Andrew Huberman notes that screens and artificial light give us light exposure at unnatural times, disrupting circadian rhythms.
Online connection is real and valuable
Huberman argues that the same bonding mechanisms that operate in person also operate in online interaction, and that social media can be a source of learning and support. The platforms are places where Huberman both teaches and learns.
there's an entire generation or several generations of people that are coming up who much of their social interaction has been online.
Acknowledging the importance of in-person interaction, Andrew Huberman argues that the same left-brain and autonomic bonding mechanisms occur in online social interactions, which are now central for several generations.
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While I'm certainly a believer in the idea that face-to-face communication and common interactions with people standing in the same space or playing sports together, enjoying music together, enjoying meals together is vitally important, there's an entire generation or several generations of people that are coming up who much of their social interaction has been online. And if you think about it, all of the things that we've spelled out earlier about common mental narrative, this left brain system, ala Allan Schore, or autonomic bonding, or synchronization of heartbeats according to common stories, all that is happening in online social interactions.
I love that I have the opportunity to both send out ideas and information, and also receive feedback.
Expressing his positive experience with social media, particularly the comment section and learning from feedback.
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I love that I have the opportunity to both send out ideas and information, and also receive feedback. I really love the comment section, and always encourage comments. I learn from it, frankly.
What Andrew Huberman actually does
Separate social media phone Huberman keeps Instagram and X on a dedicated older phone so that links and posts sent to the main phone cannot be opened. See Andrew say it ▸
It's remarkable to me how I can pick up the phone, and I have a specific phone with Instagram and X on it, and those apps are not on any other phones.
Discussing his personal strategy for reducing social media distraction by keeping apps on a separate phone.
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It's remarkable to me how I can pick up the phone, and I have a specific phone with Instagram and X on it, and those apps are not on any other phones. […] So that it's segregated from […] if somebody sends me a tweet or sends me an Instagram post, I'm not going to open it. I can't open it on those phones. […] And that's helped a lot.
I've made it a point to put social media on an old phone. So those apps are only on that phone. I don't even know the number to that phone.
Huberman describes his personal habit of putting social media apps on a separate old phone to limit access.
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I've made it a point to put social media on an old phone. So those apps are only on that phone. I don't even know the number to that phone. If I need to post something, I AirDrop it onto that phone, and this has helped tremendously in segregating that activity and limiting it. It also means that if people send me something, which would otherwise direct me to social media, it's much more difficult for me to go look it up. It's helped tremendously. I just pass that on because it's one of the things that's really allowed me to restrict my social media time, and yet still be in keeping with the fact that I think social media has its uses, I post there, et cetera.
Lockbox for the phone Huberman locks the social media phone in a timed box that cannot be opened early, sometimes for 19 hours or more. See Andrew say it ▸
I found great benefit to taking an old phone when I upgraded my phone…
Huberman describes his personal strategy of using a lockbox for an old phone containing social media apps to resist the impulse to check them.
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Yeah, I see a lot of adults addicted to social media. I don't know if I'm addicted. I don't think so. Because if I say I'm not, it sounds like an addict, right? So I'm just going to say I don't think so. But I found great benefit to taking an old phone when I upgraded my phone, which I do far too seldom. But I finally upgraded my phone, and I took my old phone, and I put X and Instagram on that phone. And it remains, much of the time, in a supermax prison lockbox that you can't code out of. […] So you put like one day or 19 hours or something, and you click that, and you'd have to saw it open, and that wouldn't even work. And it's very helpful because once it's locked away and there's no opportunity to look at it, if people send me things, I can't open it on my other phone, and the impulse to pick it up is blocked. It's very useful. It's a portable box, and it doesn't require... […] I mean, the box costs 30 bucks. I'm sure I recovered more than that in work output and recreation output, and just hanging out with my girlfriend and not looking at my phone.
I have what I call a supermax prison lockbox, which you can't code out of.
Andrew Huberman describes using a timed lockbox to physically prevent himself from accessing his phone, and the psychological game of adding extra time.
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No, and if I do, if I find myself doing that reflexively, I have what I call a supermax prison lockbox, which you can't code out of. And the fun for me, and get this, this is really weird, I don't know what this says about my psychology. I'll put it in there, and I'll dial in like four hours. […] And then I hit the supermax button, and then there's this 15-second countdown, and then I'll go, "Five, six, seven, eight, nine hours." Then I go, "Okay, cool, like nine hours." So there's this weird thing where you don't want to let it go.
No phone in the gym Huberman made a rule not to allow a phone into workouts, and says the workouts became more efficient and enjoyable without it. See Andrew say it ▸
at least for this calendar year, I've made a rule for myself, which is I don't allow my phone into my workouts at all.
His rule of not allowing phone during workouts.
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So at least for this calendar year, I've made a rule for myself, which is I don't allow my phone into my workouts at all. […] No music, at least not from the phone. It can be in the room. I might listen to a podcast in the room, but I don't listen to anything or engage in anything on my phone, no texting whatsoever, and most of the time I just don't even bring it with me for that period of time.
I stopped bringing my phone into the gym […] because of the urge to take my mind off of the workout, and I just started enjoying my workouts a lot more.
Huberman shares his personal habit of leaving his phone out of the gym to improve focus, enjoyment, and efficiency during workouts.
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Well, I confess I stopped bringing my phone into the gym […] because of the urge to take my mind off of the workout, and I just started enjoying my workouts a lot more. […] And the workouts go far better that way. […] And they're just much more efficient for me. I realize that some people, their careers take place in the gym, and so I don't look down upon anyone using their phone at the gym. But that really tends to help me.
Phone off during deep work Huberman turns the phone completely off during deep work, not just on airplane mode, and keeps it in another room. See Andrew say it ▸
My phone is absolutely off. It's not on airplane mode. It's absolutely off during this time.
Describing his 90-minute focused work block, he explains how he eliminates distractions from his phone.
I put my phone in the other room.
Huberman describes how he eliminates distractions, such as turning off Wi-Fi and putting his phone in another room, to stay immersed in focused work.
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That means turning off the Wi-Fi. I put my phone in the other room. I encourage you to try experiencing what it is to be completely immersed in an activity where you feel the agitation that your attention is drifting, but you continually bring it back.
Morning sunlight before phone Huberman tries to get outside and see sunlight before ever looking at the phone in the morning. See Andrew say it ▸
I try and get outside and see sunlight first before ever looking at the phone.
Andrew Huberman describes his habit of going outside and seeing sunlight before looking at his phone in the morning.
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But I do experience, for instance, when I wake up in the morning, if I look at my phone, which by the way, folks, I try and get outside and see sunlight first before ever looking at the phone.
I try and get the sunlight in my eyes before I look at my phone.
Huberman explains that he prioritizes morning sunlight before looking at his phone.
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And then in the morning, when I wake up-- click, click, click-- I turn it on, although I try and get the sunlight in my eyes before I look at my phone.
No phone for first 30 minutes Huberman has tried for a while now not to look at a phone for at least the first 30 minutes after waking, to let ideas from sleep percolate up. See Andrew say it ▸
I think there's a really strong don't.
Andrew Huberman discusses his personal practice of avoiding his phone for the first 30 minutes after waking to preserve creative insights that may have arisen during sleep.
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But I think there's a really strong don't. If one subscribes to the idea that during sleep, there is substantial reorganization of neural circuitry, AKA learning, but also expansion of creative opportunity, as you've clearly pointed out, and there are data to support that statement, then it stands to reason that upon waking, there's a key opportunity to capture some of that information that is now in your mind that was created the night before. But that if you immediately look at your phone, that you eclipse that process with sensory input from somebody else's ideas […] and what's going on in the world. And it's not to say that looking at your phone first thing in the morning is a cardinal sin or a violation of any kind of neural circuit requirement. But I, in an attempt to try and capture some of the learning and creativity that occurs during sleep, have tried for a while now to not look at my phone for at least the first 30 minutes after waking. It's very challenging to do […] But rather to let some of the ideas from sleep percolate up, and I will often go be making a morning cup of tea or something, and then go running to my office to write something down that suddenly springs to mind.
Red screen at night In the evening Huberman triple-clicks the phone to switch the display to red only, a trick Huberman says improved sleep. See Andrew say it ▸
when I go to sleep at night or in the evening, what I'll do is I'll triple-click, and I'll switch my phone over to red only.
Huberman shares his personal habit of switching his phone to a red-only display for evening use.
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And so when I go to sleep at night or in the evening, what I'll do is I'll triple-click, and I'll switch my phone over to red only.
You just triple click. We'll provide a link to that explanation.
Explaining his personal use of a red-screen setting on his phone at night, Huberman shares the benefit he experiences and the scientific mechanism behind reducing bright artificial light exposure in the evening.
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I've switched my phone, thanks to your input, and we will have released a clip on this by the time this episode airs, on the triple-click approach to the phone that you can put in very easily to allow it to go from regular screen to red screen at night, so that you don't have to go into the settings each time. You just triple click. We'll provide a link to that explanation. And Rick taught me that when I was over in Italy. Everyone in his home turned to me and said, "Wait, your phone is so bright. You got to do the red light thing." I said, "I don't know how." And he taught me that, so it's a very useful trick. […] I sleep better. There are great data now because, of course, I go then find the data that […] for shift workers, people that have to be up at night working, if they put them under red light, the amount of cortisol at that time is suppressed, which is great, as compared to when they're under bright artificial lights without red lens glasses, or if they're in red lights, it's far more beneficial.
Andrew Huberman's top tips
Ranked by how often, and how strongly, Andrew pushes each one. Every tip traces to something Andrew recommends or does.
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Keep the phone out of the bedroom at night
Leave the phone in another room while you sleep, with exceptions only for emergencies, and turn off phones and iPads in the middle of the night.
People say, oh, it's because of the EMFs, nobody really knows for sure, but it's because your brain is anticipating picking up the phone even while you're sleeping.
The Science & Art of Comedy & Creativity | Tom Segura, May 2025 Podcast transcript Huberman explains why keeping a phone outside the bedroom improves sleep and why having a phone in the room during a test impairs performance.
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This is why taking the phone and putting it outside the room while you sleep, people sleep better. People say, oh, it's because of the EMFs, nobody really knows for sure, but it's because your brain is anticipating picking up the phone even while you're sleeping. […] So there's-- I'm hitting with a lot of data here, but it's well known now that if you give students a test and their phone is in their bag in the room, they perform less well than if their phone is in their bag in another room.
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Limit daily smartphone use to protect focus
Aim for 60 minutes or less per day for adolescents and two hours or less for adults, based on the attention research Huberman cites.
I'm not here to tell you what to do…
ADHD & How Anyone Can Improve Their Focus, Sep 2021 Podcast transcript Giving personal advice on smartphone usage limits to maintain focus.
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I'm not here to tell you what to do, but I think whether or not you have ADHD or not, if you're an adolescent, limiting your smartphone use to 60 minutes per day or less, and if you are an adult to two hours per day or less, is going to be among the very best ways to maintain. Just to maintain your ability to focus at whatever level you can now.
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Put the phone in another room to do real work
For focused cognitive work, put the phone in another room.
For focus, the best tool I know is to put the phone in another room.
Dr. Mark D'Esposito: How to Optimize Cognitive Function & Brain Health, Feb 2024 Podcast transcript Huberman says that for focus, the best tool he knows is to put the phone in another room.
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Get real sunlight early instead of phone light
Within 30 minutes of waking, go outside for 2 to 10 minutes without sunglasses, since even cloudy daylight is far brighter than a screen.
The simple thing to do is within 30 minutes of waking up, get bright light exposure in your eyes, and not from a phone or from a screen because it won’t be sufficiently bright.
Dr. Andrew Huberman — A Neurobiologist on Optimizing Sleep, Performance, and Testosterone (#521), Jul 2021 Podcast transcript Andrew advises on the best way to get morning light exposure, explicitly stating not to use a phone or screen because they are not bright enough.
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The simple thing to do is within 30 minutes of waking up, get bright light exposure in your eyes, and not from a phone or from a screen because it won’t be sufficiently bright. Get it from sunlight.
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Dim screens and cut blue light at night
If you must look at your phone in the middle of the night, really dim it down or use a triple-click shortcut to eliminate all the blue light, and do not scroll social media if you wake in the middle of the night.
If you absolutely have to look at your phone in the middle of the night, really dim it down or get rid of all the blue light.
AMA #11: Improve Task Switching & Productivity and Reduce Brain Fog, Sep 2023 Podcast transcript Huberman discusses strategies for avoiding bright light at night to improve sleep, and advises that if one must look at their phone during the night, they should dim the screen or remove blue light.
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Take deliberate decompression breaks without the phone
Stay off the phone while walking down the hall or in the restroom, and give yourself idle periods to let mental states settle.
you're doing yourself and everybody else a favor by staying off your phone in the restroom, staying off your phone while walking down the hall.
Focus Toolkit: Tools to Improve Your Focus & Concentration, Sep 2022 Podcast transcript Advising to stay off phone and deliberately decompress to improve focus after work bouts.
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So, you're doing yourself and everybody else a favor by staying off your phone in the restroom, staying off your phone while walking down the hall. Try and give yourself some time to deliberately decompress, to let your mental states idle, to not be focused on any one thing. That period of idling is essential for your ability to focus, much in the same way that rest between sets of resistance training or rest between exercise is vital to being able to focus and perform during the actual sets or during the actual bouts of running or cycling or whatever your particular form of exercise might be.
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Use blocking tools to cut off the internet
Lock yourself out of the internet with an app like Freedom or turn off Wi-Fi when you need uninterrupted focus.
One is to use the program Freedom. The other would be to simply turn off the Wi-Fi.
Optimizing Workspace for Productivity, Focus, & Creativity, Jan 2022 Podcast transcript Andrew Huberman lists digital interruption strategies, including using Freedom software or turning off Wi-Fi.
Over time
How often it comes up
Verified quotes per 10 transcripts and articles scanned, by year — a rate, so a year with more episodes doesn't automatically look louder.
View as table
| Year | Quotes | Pages scanned | Per 10 pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 81 | 53 | 15.3 |
| 2022 | 52 | 55 | 9.5 |
| 2023 | 68 | 75 | 9.1 |
| 2024 | 153 | 70 | 21.9 |
| 2025 | 133 | 105 | 12.7 |
| 2026 (so far) | 130 | 99 | 13.1 |
Compared with peers
How Andrew compares
Share of each person's verified quotes tagged with a topic — the topics where they differ most.
View as table
| Topic | Andrew Huberman | Tim Ferriss |
|---|---|---|
| Social media's effects | 25.9% | 19.7% |
| Screens & sleep | 7.3% | 1.6% |
| Dopamine & compulsion | 4.9% | 0.8% |
| Email & notifications | 3.6% | 15.6% |
| Information diet & news | 2.3% | 5.5% |
| Detoxes & breaks | 0.3% | 4.1% |
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