Key takeaway 1 : Salutogenesis or seeing half-full rather than half-empty

Salutogenesis is the opposite side of the pathogenic model. In the pathogenic model, one exhibits a particular behavior because it will keep him from being sick, … Salutogenesis is considering this same behavior but with the mindset that it will draw him toward a healthy state.

And it's not just semantic. Remember in a previous episode, if people were told that this or that behavior was good for them, analysis showed that they would get increased benefits compared to a people that were not told that.

And apparently, the best approach is to combine both models when undertaking a behavior.

Key takeaway 2 : Testosterone and estrogen ratios are important

Testosterone and estrogen are sex steroids. They are produce by everyone. And it's their ratios that is important and that will drive many things like well-being, optimism, anxiety, sexual behavior, …

Therefore, optimizing hormones comes to optimizing ratios of testosterone and estrogen.

Key takeway 3 : Competition promotes testosterone releases

Sex steroids hormones (testosterone and estrogen) are released from the adrenals. And competition promotes the releases of testosterone and its derivates. And it's a two-way streets like many things in the human body i.e. testosterone influences competition.

Key takeaway 4 : Testosterone fights anxiety, promotes novelty seeking and competitive interactions

Key takeaway 5 : Amygdala as the center of threat detection and testosterone as its modulator

The amygdala if often refer to as the center of fear. According to Huberman, it's more like a center of threat detection. It's what what sets one's threshold about what is too much or scary.

And testosterone binds to the amygdala and is able to change that threshold.

Key takeaway 6 : Testosterone and estrogen are both needed for libido

High levels of testosterone promotes sex seeking behavior in both males and females. But estrogen levels will promote receptivity to mating in females. And in males, estrogen are necessary for libido. Without estrogen, males lose all libido. So again it's the ratio that is important.

Key takeaway 7 : Does the act of sex increase testosterone ? A nuanced answer

Watching sex increases testosterone slightly (10%). The act of sex increases testosterone significanly (70%). Abstinence during a week or sex without ejaculation increases testosterone tremendously (400%).

Key takeaway 8 : New (or expecting) father ? Congrats! You are 50% lower in testosterone

Some bevhiors lower testosterone and estrogen. For example, becoming (or expecting to become) a father significantly lowers testosterone. While there will be an increase in prolactin.

And this has for consequence e.g. that fathers usually put more body fat.

Also, again, two-way streets. Parenting more, being closer to the child will reinforce this decrease in testosterone/increase in prolactin. And the oppositve (being away from the child) will reduce the time-window during which the testosterone is decreased (and prolactin decreased) and the male will therefore be able to resume to sex seeking behavior sooner.

Key takeaway 9 : Human pheromones

Hormone = chemical that impacts things within the host. Pheromone = chemical that impacts things outside the host (e.g. female from the same species).

Pheronomones in human are controversial because the organ still hasn't been clearly identified. But there are experiences pointing to such phenomenon. For example, women being able to find the t-shirt of their loved one among hundreds of others and t-shirts having been washed a hundred times.

Key takeaway 10 : Apnea changes hormonal levels

Studies have shown that apnea changes hormonal levels i.e. testosterone and estrogen. Probably because there are testosterone and estrogen receptors in the viscera and the lungs in particular. But the directionality of the chanes is not clear.

The most effective way to avoid apnea is to nose breath, both during the day and during sleep. Nose breathing therefore promotes healthy hormonal levels through healty sleep and healthy sleep patterns.

Key takeaway 11 : Nose breath all the time

Even during exercise, aerobic exercise.

Key takeaway 12 : Viewing sunlight, here we go again

Viewing sunlight is important for sleep, we know that. But it's also important for setting correct hormonal levels. Because getting sunlight patterns correct, getting enough sunlight promotes dopamine production and therefore promotes sex steroids production.

And correct sunlight patterns also involve not getting bright light during the night.

Key takeaway 13 : Increase of testosterone with Exercise … Unclear

Heavy weight training without failure seems to raise testosterone. With failure seems to lower it (probably due to increase in cortisol). High intensity intervals or sprinting seems to raise testosterone. Now high intensity for a long time or longer runs (75mins+) seem to decrease testoserone. Again probably due to cortisol.

But data are scarce. Also, apparnetly performing weight training before endurance increases testosterone while the opposite is true.