Dr. David Anderson: The Biology of Aggression, Mating, & Arousal | Huberman Lab Podcast #89

My guest is David Anderson, PhD, a world expert in the science of sexual behavior, violent aggression, fear and other motivated states. Dr. Anderson is a Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), a member of the National Academy of Sciences and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). We discuss how states of mind (and body) arise and persist and how they probably better explain human behavior than emotions per se. We also discuss the many kinds of arousal that create varying levels of pressure for certain behaviors to emerge. We discuss different types of violent aggression and how they are impacted by biological sex, gender, context, prior experience, and hormones, and the neural interconnectedness of fear, aggression and sexual behavior. We also discuss peptides and their role in social isolation-induced anxiety and aggression. Dr. Anderson also describes novel, potentially powerful therapeutics for mental health. This episode should interest anyone wanting to learn more about mental health, human emotions, sexual and/or violent behavior. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Levels: https://levels.link/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Dr. David Anderson Dr. David Anderson: https://davidandersonlab.caltech.edu/davidanderson The Nature of the Beast: https://amzn.to/3qsrdOH Dr. David Anderson’s Lab: https://davidandersonlab.caltech.edu Dr. Anderson’s publications: https://bit.ly/3L5uGMl Articles Two Different Forms of Arousal in Drosophila Are Oppositely Regulated by the Dopamine D1 Receptor Ortholog DopR via Distinct Neural Circuits: https://bit.ly/3Dmyh7b Resources Mouse switching from mating behavior to aggressive behaviors upon stimulation of VMH: https://youtu.be/AIlp69kfqjw?t=882 VMH stimulation causes mouse to display aggressive behaviors toward an inanimate object (e.g., glove): https://youtu.be/AIlp69kfqjw?t=689 Picture of Periaqueductal Gray (PAG): https://neuroscientificallychallenged.com/posts/know-your-brain-periaqueductal-gray Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. David Anderson, Emotions & Aggression 00:03:33 Momentous Supplements 00:04:27 Levels, Helix Sleep, LMNT 00:08:10 Emotions vs. States 00:10:36 Dimensions of States: Persistence, Intensity & Generalization 00:14:38 Arousal & Valence 00:18:11 Aggression, Optogenetics & Stimulating Aggression in Mice, VMH 00:24:42 Aggression Types: Offensive, Defensive & Predatory 00:29:20 Evolution & Development of Defensive vs. Offensive Behaviors, Fear 00:35:38 Hydraulic Pressures for States & Homeostasis 00:38:33 AG1 (Athletic Greens) 00:39:46 Hydraulic Pressure & Aggression 00:44:50 Balancing Fear & Aggression 00:48:31 Aggression & Hormones: Estrogen, Progesterone & Testosterone 00:52:33 Female Aggression, Motherhood 00:59:48 Mating & Aggressive Behaviors 01:05:10 Neurobiology of Sexual Fetishes 01:10:06 Temperature, Mating Behavior & Aggression 01:15:25 Mounting: Sexual Behavior or Dominance? 01:20:59 Females & Male-Type Mounting Behavior 01:24:40 PAG (Periaqueductal Gray) Brain Region: Pain Modulation & Fear 01:30:38 Tachykinins & Social Isolation: Anxiety, Fear & Aggression 01:43:49 Brain, Body & Emotions; Somatic Marker Hypothesis & Vagus Nerve 01:52:52 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, AG1 (Athletic Greens), Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter, Huberman Lab Clips The Huberman Lab Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com