Summary
In this episode of The Huberman Lab Podcast, host Andrew Huberman discusses chemical sensing, including the sense of smell, taste, and pheromones. He provides tools and protocols to enhance chemical sensing mechanisms, including improving cognition, learning, and memory. The episode also briefly summarizes the previous episode on vision and highlights two protocols, including spending two hours a day outside to offset myopia. The podcast is grounded in quality peer-reviewed studies and provides resources for further information.
The sense of smell is closely tied to memory and has both innate and learned pathways. The episode discusses how chemicals in our environment can affect our biology, including through the sense of smell. The olfactory bulb in the nose contains neurons that respond to different odorant compounds, which can modulate our internal state. The episode also mentions a study showing that male subjects had a reduction in testosterone levels and brain areas associated with sexual arousal when smelling tears from women who had cried in response to sadness.
The episode also discusses how the sense of smell can be enhanced through practices such as nasal breathing and sniffing exercises. The olfactory system is unique in that it continually replenishes throughout life through neurogenesis, and there are several ways to increase olfactory neuron neurogenesis, including exercise, blood flow, social interactions, and interacting with odorants.
The episode also delves into the sense of taste, explaining how taste receptors are expressed not only on the tongue but also in other tissues such as the gonads, digestive system, and respiratory system. The episode discusses how animals have different taste receptors based on their diets, and how a person's diet can affect their taste preferences and cravings. The episode also touches on the possible connection between the sensual nature of certain foods and the reproductive axis, and how taste receptors may play a role in this connection.
Finally, the episode discusses the concept of pheromones and their effects on humans. While pheromonal effects have been debated in humans, there is evidence of chemical signaling between individuals, such as the impact of tears on suppressing sexual desire and testosterone in males. Chemical-chemical signaling also occurs between females, potentially impacting the timing of menstrual cycles. Overall, the episode highlights the ways in which chemicals can control us and the fascinating aspects of human chemical sensing mechanisms.
