Robert Greene: A Process for Finding & Achieving Your Unique Purpose

In this episode, my guest is Robert Greene, multiple New York Times bestselling author and expert on human psychology and behavior both at the individual and group levels and in the context of relationships, careers, and society. We discuss how to find, pursue and achieve one’s unique life purpose, and how to best learn from good and hard experiences along that journey. We discuss power dynamics in relationships, the different types of human communication and the interplay between seduction and vulnerability. We discuss how to find the right romantic partner, improve healthy self-awareness, the link between anxiety and creativity, and pick ideal mentors and role models. Robert also discusses his recent stroke and what he has learned from his near-death experience about motivation, urgency and appreciation for life. Listeners of all ages will benefit from Robert’s insights on navigating the process of building a deeply purposeful life and enhancing one’s relationship with the self, others and society.  For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com. Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Robert Greene (00:02:15) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up (00:05:56) Mastery (The Book), Purpose (00:08:26) Finding Purpose, Childhood, Learning & Emotional Engagement (00:18:00) Early Interests, Delight & Discovery (00:22:50) Love vs. Hate Experiences & Learning (00:28:25) Self-Awareness, Frustration, Excitation (00:30:51) Sponsor: AG1 (00:33:18) Sublime Experiences, Real vs. False; Authenticity & Time (00:43:57) Power & Relationships; Purpose & Mastery (00:55:51) Seduction, Vulnerability, Childhood (01:08:05) Power Dynamics & Romance; Equality, Love Sublime & Connection (01:18:42) Vulnerability in Relationships, Creativity; Social Media, Justice (01:29:45) Outrage, Control, “Art of Ignore” (01:33:50) Masculinity & Femininity (01:42:16) Picking Role Models; Purpose & Mentor Relationship (01:51:07) “Alive” Thinking; Anxiety & Creativity (01:58:55) Convergent Interests & Romantic Relationships (02:07:19) Self-Awareness, Core Values & Romantic Relationships (02:15:27) Non-Verbal Communication & Relationships (02:24:58) Eyes, Voice, Intuition & Seduction (02:28:38) Virtual World, Social Skills, Non-Verbal Communication (02:32:19) Self-Awareness & Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Nuance (02:41:43) Human Brain, Plasticity (02:45:18) Stroke & Near-Death Experiences, Self, Time (02:55:49) Appreciation & Near-Death Experience, Urgency (03:01:36) “Death Ground” & Urgency (03:09:13) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer

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Huberman Lab discusses neuroscience — how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning.  Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. He also works on neural regeneration and directs a clinical trial to promote visual restoration in diseases that cause blindness. Huberman is also actively involved in developing tools now in use by the elite military in the U.S. and Canada, athletes, and technology industries to optimize performance in high stress environments, enhance neural plasticity, mitigate stress and optimize sleep.   Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals including Nature, Science and Cell and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover and other top media outlets.  In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 5 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.