Rick Rubin & Elon Musk Hack Their Brain Like This - Andrew Huberman

Summary

In this wide-ranging conversation, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman discusses insights he gained while spending time with producer Rick Rubin. He noticed Rubin's habit of sitting still and thinking deeply, similar to practices by other accomplished thinkers. Huberman hypothesizes that deliberately calming the body while activating the mind can access the 'supercomputer' of our unconscious and yield creative insights. He contrasts this stillness with active movement like long runs, which also facilitate creative thought. Whether still or active, limiting external inputs allows internal ideas to emerge. Huberman shares his curiosity about how practices probing the unconscious mind may gain traction alongside meditation and rest as means of boosting creativity.

Takeaways

• 😀 Rick Rubin has a practice of spending time sitting/lying still and thinking
• 😯 Andrew Hickey's podcast provides very contextual history of rock music
• 🧠 Combining psychedelic therapy with stillness allows the mind to be very active
• 🏃‍♂️ Long runs/walks allow the body to be active while the mind wanders
• 💆‍♂️ Deliberately pairing stillness and mental activity provides unique access to creativity
• 😌 Musicians like drummers have constant inner rhythms providing creative substrate
• 📱 Overuse of phones provides sensory input that limits internal creativity
• 👂 Great ideas come from limiting external inputs and generating internal thoughts
• 🧑‍🔬 Combining body stillness and mental activity may access the unconscious mind
• 😴 REM sleep paralyzes the body while the mind remains very active

Q & A

What practice does Rick Rubin regularly engage in to generate ideas?

Rick Rubin has a practice where he spends a good amount of time just sitting and thinking or lying down and thinking. This allows him to access his unconscious mind and come up with creative ideas.

What podcast does Huberman recommend for learning about the history of rock music?

Huberman recommends the podcast 'A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs' by Andrew Hickey which provides context about what was happening in society and culture during different music eras.

What is the concept Huberman raises about divorcing mind and body function?

Huberman talks about two contrasting states - body completely still while the mind is very active versus body being very active while the mind is more passive. He hypothesizes that deliberately entering these states can access different aspects of cognition and creativity.

What other accomplished thinkers practiced forms of divorcing mind and body function?

According to Huberman, people like Elon Musk, physicist Richard Feynman, Einstein and psychiatrist Carl Hart also practiced forms of body stillness while the mind was active to generate ideas.

What role does Huberman believe the unconscious mind plays in creative thinking?

Huberman cites psychiatrist Paul Conti's concept of the unconscious as the 'supercomputer of the brain'. He believes these mind/body separation practices allow greater access between the conscious and unconscious, allowing more creative ideas to emerge.

What critique does Huberman make regarding phone/computer use and creativity?

Huberman argues that while phone use keeps the body still and mind active, all the input is coming from external sources. True creativity requires self-generating ideas internally and limiting outside sensory inputs.

What example does Huberman give of rhythmic activities aiding creative thinking?

Huberman discusses how his friend, musician Tim Armstrong, is constantly tuned into rhythms which allows him to always noodle on song ideas in his head. Rhythmic activities like this free up mental space for creativity.

What practice is Huberman now personally engaging in?

Huberman has started a daily practice of sitting still for 20 minutes with eyes closed, letting his mind think linearly about topics or generate ideas more spontaneously to access his unconscious.

What is the potential Huberman sees for using psychedelics therapeutically?

Huberman believes psychedelics like psilocybin could be a reliable avenue for entering these mind/body separation states and accessing unconscious creative cognition, but only in an approved clinical context.

What is Huberman's main hypothesis about these practices?

The key hypothesis is finding ways to deliberately limit sensory input while keeping the mind active allows accessing deeper levels of cognition and creativity from one's own unconscious.