In this episode, my guest is Dr. Kay Tye, PhD, Professor of Systems Neurobiology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator. We discuss the neural circuit basis of social interactions and loneliness. We also discuss how animals and people establish themselves in a group hierarchy by rank and how the brain responds to dominance and subordination.

Much of our discussion relates to how social media impacts our sense of social connectedness or lack thereof. The topics covered in this episode are directly relevant to anyone interested in the neuroscience of mental health, work-life balance, abundance versus scarcity mindset, and interpersonal dynamics.

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Dr. Kay Tye
Academic profile: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/kay-tye
Lab website: https://tyelab.org
HHMI profile: https://www.hhmi.org/scientists/kay-tye
Publications: https://tyelab.org/publications
TED talk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/kay_tye
X:   / kaymtye  

Journal Articles
Input-specific control of reward and aversion in the ventral tegmental area: https://go.nature.com/3ubT3nT
Extraneous factors in judicial decisions: https://bit.ly/3SLZiqL
Total social isolation in monkeys: https://bit.ly/4bmL1Jo
Dorsal Raphe Dopamine Neurons Represent the Experience of Social Isolation: https://bit.ly/4bAKtjk
Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis: https://bit.ly/3OvNGXp
The neural circuitry of social homeostasis: Consequences of acute versus chronic social isolation: https://bit.ly/48WjRYa
Cortical ensembles orchestrate social competition through hypothalamic outputs: https://go.nature.com/4bmL73I

Other Resources
The Eisenhower Matrix: How to prioritize your to-do list: https://asana.com/resources/eisenhowe...
Chimp Empire (Netflix series): https://www.netflix.com/title/81311783
Advice for a Young Investigator: https://amzn.to/3HO6tJU
NIH Human Connectome Project (HCP): https://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov...

People Mentioned
S.M.: patient with bilateral amygdala damage: https://w.wiki/5N3g
Harry Harlow: Psychologist, known for his social isolation experiments in monkeys: https://w.wiki/9562
Markus Meister: Professor of Biological Science at Caltech: https://bit.ly/3Osn3Ta
Ben Barres: Neuroscientist at Stanford: https://stan.md/3HMBxtl

Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. Kay Tye
00:02:39 Sponsors: Eight Sleep, Levels & LMNT
00:06:40 Amygdala; “Valence”
00:12:43 Novelty; Reward & Punishment Response
00:20:06 Amygdala & Hunger; Social Interaction
00:26:21 Social Media & Social Connection; Tool: Email & Time Management
00:35:03 Sponsor: AG1
00:36:30 Social Media; Friction & Feedback, Leadership
00:43:44 Social Isolation, Harlow Experiments, “Loneliness Neurons”
00:51:47 Social Homeostasis, COVID-19 Pandemic & Loneliness
01:01:29 Quality of Social Contact, Social Homeostasis, Social Media
01:08:40 Sponsor: InsideTracker
01:09:42 Social Media, Relationships; Social Isolation & Exclusion
01:18:26 Empathy: Friend vs. Foe
01:28:40 Background & Empathy, Diversity, Emotional Regulation
01:34:34 Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset
01:37:22 Social Rank & Hierarchy, Sibling Order, Development
01:45:54 Dynamic Hierarchy; Dominants vs. Subordinates; Mentors
01:55:32 Psychedelics: Research & Mechanisms; Psilocybin
02:06:28 Work-Life Balance, Fitness & Extracurriculars
02:11:56 Personal Life, Diversity, Happiness; Typical Day
02:15:42 Science & Academia; Future Directions
02:23:48 Research & Science Outreach
02:28:48 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

#HubermanLab #Science #Emotions

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com

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