Episode
How to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
2:15:29
Published: Mon Aug 09 2021
Description
This episode I discuss our sense of pain and pleasure: where and how they each arise in our mind and body and various ways to control their intensity. I discuss the science of behavioral tools like acupuncture and hypnosis and directed pressure, including the neural circuits they each activate to modulate our experience of pain or pleasure. I also discuss whole body pain, pain "syndromes" and novel pain relief compounds such as Acetyl-L-Carnitine, SAMe and Agmatine. I discuss neuroplasticity of the pain system and the key role that visual perception plays in pain modulation. Finally, I address the link between dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, with arousal, pleasure and pain. As always, both basic science and various protocols are described. Note: The description of the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) was intentionally simplified and does not include mention of dorsal horn spinal relay neurons, etc. For an excellent full text review of this anatomy and circuits for touch sensing, please see: https://bit.ly/3jH9CPf For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Skin, Pain, Pleasure (00:01:50) Protocol 1: Maximizing Motivation (with Dopamine & Pleasure) (00:07:29) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT, Thesis, Momentous (00:12:04) Pleasure & Pain, & Skin Sensors (00:18:13) Sensing Touch with Your Brain: Magnification of Feet, Hands, Lips, Face, Genitals (00:22:16) Two-Point Discrimination, Dermatomes (00:28:11) Thoughts & Genes That Make Physical Pain Worse (00:33:45) Expectations, Anxiety, & Pain Threshold (00:40:27) Protocol 2: Cold Sensing Is Relative; Getting Into Cold Water (00:45:22) Protocol 3: Heat Is Absolute (00:48:10) Injury & Pain (00:52:04) Protocol 4: Plasticity of Pain: Key Role of Vision (00:58:08) Sensing Disparate Body Parts As Merged (01:01:00) Pain “Syndromes”, Psychogenic Fever, “Psychosomatics” (01:04:40) Fibromyalgia, Naltrexone, Protocol 5: Acetyl-L-Carnitine (01:12:24) Protocol 6: Agmatine, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate* (01:17:27) Acupuncture: Mechanism, Non-Responders, Itch & Inflammation (01:28:20) Laser Photobiomodulation, Protocol 7: Hypnosis (reveri.com) (01:30:00) Protocol 8: Pressure-Based Pain Relief, “Gate Theory of Pain (Relief)” (01:37:53) Redheads & Pain Thresholds, Endogenous Opioids (01:44:02) Protocol 8: Love & Pain, Dopamine (01:49:23) Pleasure & Reproduction, Dopamine & Serotonin, Oxytocin (01:51:40) Protocol 9: PEA, L-Phenylalanine (Precursor to Tyrosine) (01:55:40) Contextual Control of Pleasure by Autonomic Arousal, Dopamine Baselines (01:59:40) Pleasure-Pain Balance (02:01:24) Protocol 10: Controlling Pleasure, Dopamine & Motivation Over Time (02:06:40) Protocol 11: Immediate, Non-Goal-Directed Pleasure, PAG (02:08:40) Direction of Touch: Pleasure Versus Pain, Arousal & Touch “Sensitivity” (02:13:00) Synthesis & How to Conceptualize Pain and Pleasure, Support Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer
Chapters
When we anticipate a reward, dopamine is released, which encourages us to put in work to achieve that reward.
00:00 - 07:00 (07:00)
Summary
When we anticipate a reward, dopamine is released, which encourages us to put in work to achieve that reward. However, if the reward arrives intermittently, almost randomly, we work harder and anticipate a reward as a maybe, which increases dopamine secretion levels.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
InsideTracker provides personalized recommendations on lifestyle and nutrition factors as well as single ingredient supplements to optimize your overall health.
07:00 - 12:27 (05:26)
Summary
InsideTracker provides personalized recommendations on lifestyle and nutrition factors as well as single ingredient supplements to optimize your overall health. This data-driven approach analyzes blood and DNA to help you better understand and achieve your health goals.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
An explanation of how the DRG neuron sends signals from different parts of the body, and the innate and experiential aspects of pain and pleasure sensing.
12:27 - 25:07 (12:40)
Summary
An explanation of how the DRG neuron sends signals from different parts of the body, and the innate and experiential aspects of pain and pleasure sensing.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
This podcast episode explores how expectation and anxiety can impact our perception of both pleasure and pain, and discusses whether certain individuals have different pain thresholds.
25:07 - 31:02 (05:55)
Summary
This podcast episode explores how expectation and anxiety can impact our perception of both pleasure and pain, and discusses whether certain individuals have different pain thresholds.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
The way that physicians react to their patients' reports of pain, as well as the expectations that patients set when going into a painful experience, can heavily influence the pain that is felt and the course of treatment that is pursued.
31:02 - 39:05 (08:02)
Summary
The way that physicians react to their patients' reports of pain, as well as the expectations that patients set when going into a painful experience, can heavily influence the pain that is felt and the course of treatment that is pursued. Treatment of pain is very subjective, and can vary greatly between physicians and patients.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
In this podcast, the speaker explains the science behind cold water immersion and how it affects the human body.
39:05 - 47:14 (08:09)
Summary
In this podcast, the speaker explains the science behind cold water immersion and how it affects the human body. He also mentions the benefits of cold water immersion for health and fitness.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
The correlation between the degree of damage to the body and our experience of pain is not always clear, as pain is a subjective experience.
47:14 - 55:54 (08:39)
Summary
The correlation between the degree of damage to the body and our experience of pain is not always clear, as pain is a subjective experience. This subjectivity has been leveraged to treat chronic pain, and it highlights the fact that we don't know what others are feeling, whether it be pain or pleasure.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
Scientist and pain specialist, Dr. Joel Saper, discusses the science behind pain and pleasure and how our visual system can impact these experiences.
55:54 - 1:10:29 (14:34)
Summary
Scientist and pain specialist, Dr. Joel Saper, discusses the science behind pain and pleasure and how our visual system can impact these experiences.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
ASE enzymes, like matrix metalloproteases, can help wounds and scarring by breaking down certain elements, but non-prescription drugs like agmatine and SAMe can also provide pain relief.
1:10:29 - 1:18:59 (08:30)
Summary
ASE enzymes, like matrix metalloproteases, can help wounds and scarring by breaking down certain elements, but non-prescription drugs like agmatine and SAMe can also provide pain relief.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
The lab of Chu Fu Ma has identified the pathway that causes itch, separate from the pathway that causes pain, although the two sensations can often coexist due to shared inflammatory responses in the body.
1:18:59 - 1:23:42 (04:42)
Summary
The lab of Chu Fu Ma has identified the pathway that causes itch, separate from the pathway that causes pain, although the two sensations can often coexist due to shared inflammatory responses in the body.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
Self-hypnosis for brief periods a few times a week can provide significant pain relief even in cases of chronic pain.
1:23:42 - 1:34:23 (10:41)
Summary
Self-hypnosis for brief periods a few times a week can provide significant pain relief even in cases of chronic pain. Studies have shown activations of different brain areas and neural circuits that can positively aid in long-term pain management.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
Pressure above or below an injury can provide real pain relief support for that location due to the way different neurons interact with each other; this principle is common in electroacupuncture and emerging techniques in sports medicine.
1:34:23 - 1:45:27 (11:04)
Summary
Pressure above or below an injury can provide real pain relief support for that location due to the way different neurons interact with each other; this principle is common in electroacupuncture and emerging techniques in sports medicine. The main source of pain relief is through A fiber inhibition of C fibers, as described in the Melzack and Wall-Gate theory of pain.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
The primary chemical systems associated with pleasure are the dopamine system, related to the anticipation of pleasure and the required effort to achieve that pleasure, and the serotonin system, related to the experience of pleasure.
1:45:27 - 1:52:03 (06:36)
Summary
The primary chemical systems associated with pleasure are the dopamine system, related to the anticipation of pleasure and the required effort to achieve that pleasure, and the serotonin system, related to the experience of pleasure. While dopamine's role in pair bonding is unknown, increased dopamine levels are associated with high levels of passion and can help buffer the pain response.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
The podcast discusses how certain drugs like antidepressants and PEA (phenylethylamine) can increase dopamine and serotonin levels respectively, leading to an increase in pleasure and happiness.
1:52:03 - 1:58:29 (06:25)
Summary
The podcast discusses how certain drugs like antidepressants and PEA (phenylethylamine) can increase dopamine and serotonin levels respectively, leading to an increase in pleasure and happiness. It also talks about how drugs of abuse like cocaine and amphetamines can offer tremendous increases in dopamine, but not so much serotonin.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
Excessive exposure to artificially induced high dopamine levels can lead to a decrease in dopamine response to naturally pleasurable experiences.
1:58:29 - 2:04:09 (05:39)
Summary
Excessive exposure to artificially induced high dopamine levels can lead to a decrease in dopamine response to naturally pleasurable experiences. Accessing pleasure repeatedly over time, without excessive chemical augmentation, can help maintain a well-tuned pleasure system.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
The way in which neurons innervate our hair sends information to the brain which can evoke a sense of pleasure or discomfort.
2:04:09 - 2:12:53 (08:44)
Summary
The way in which neurons innervate our hair sends information to the brain which can evoke a sense of pleasure or discomfort. While some people may enjoy having their hair styled against its natural direction, cats, for example, do not appreciate having their fur stroked in the opposite direction.
EpisodeHow to Control Your Sense of Pain & Pleasure
PodcastHuberman Lab
Learn about the tools you can use to modulate your sense of pleasure and pain, such as hypnosis, supplements, and electroacupuncture.
2:12:53 - 2:16:10 (03:17)
Summary
Learn about the tools you can use to modulate your sense of pleasure and pain, such as hypnosis, supplements, and electroacupuncture. The foundation of our arousal affects our ability to achieve pleasure and pain.