Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Dr. Ralph Adolphs, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Biology at Caltech and a leading expert on the science of human emotions. We discuss how emotions shape our attention and decision-making, whether emotions are truly “stored” in the body, and whether facial expressions are truly reliable signals of emotion. We also cover tools for improving emotional regulation, including cognitive reappraisal and deliberate cold exposure. This episode provides a modern scientific explanation of how emotions are created and regulated in the brain and body, their many impacts on other aspects of brain function, and practical tools for improving emotional wellbeing and processing.
Show notes: go.hubermanlab.com/aUJzvwy
Get tickets to Huberman Lab live events: hubermanlab.com/events
Pre-order Andrew's book Protocols: protocolsbook.com
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Dr. Ralph Adolphs
Academic Profile: https://www.hss.caltech.edu/people/ralph-adolphs
Lab Website: https://emotion.caltech.edu
Books & Recent Publications: https://emotion.caltech.edu/publications
Publications: scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=NgQCzOwAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
Timestamps
00:00:00 Ralph Adolphs
00:02:54 Emotions; Qualities of Emotions: Priority, Valence
00:10:00 Qualities of Emotions: Scalability, Persistence
00:15:25 Sponsors: Helix Sleep & Rorra
00:18:17 Do Animals Have Emotions?, Conscious Experience
00:22:58 Monitoring & Regulating Emotions; Emotional Granularity
00:31:22 Emotional Regulation, Tools: Situational Avoidance, Ice Baths
00:37:11 Ultramarathons, Perseverance, Adversity; Awe
00:45:04 Sponsor: AG1
00:46:17 Perception of Emotions, Amygdala & Fear, Facial Expressions
00:51:59 Interpreting Others' Emotions, Prediction
00:57:52 Emotions as Adaptations to the Environment, Types of Fear
01:00:13 Feeling Emotions in the Body, Pain, Insula
01:08:05 Brain & Body Connection; Marketing & Emotion
01:12:34 Sponsor: Function
01:14:11 Art, Music & Emotion
01:17:43 Interpreting Facial Expressions, Developing Emotions, Flexibility vs Reflexes
01:25:11 Emotional Intelligence, Context-Dependent Social Intelligence; Autism
01:33:31 Sponsor: LMNT
01:34:51 Autism & Social Dynamics, Eye Contact
01:42:01 Change Your Personality?, Body Movement & Thought, Social Interaction
01:47:18 Emotion Regulation, Tool: Training Mental Stillness
01:53:46 Task Switching, Tool: Meditation, Breathing Techniques
02:02:07 Illness, Diagnosis & Emotions, Gratitude & Awe
02:06:52 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter
#hubermanlab #hubermanlabpodcast
Disclaimer & Disclosures: hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
Dr. Ralph Adolphs, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Biology at Caltech and a leading expert on the science of human emotions. We discuss how emotions shape our attention and decision-making, whether emotions are truly “stored” in the body, and whether facial expressions are truly reliable signals of emotion. We also cover tools for improving emotional regulation, including cognitive reappraisal and deliberate cold exposure. This episode provides a modern scientific explanation of how emotions are created and regulated in the brain and body, their many impacts on other aspects of brain function, and practical tools for improving emotional wellbeing and processing.
Show notes: go.hubermanlab.com/aUJzvwy
Get tickets to Huberman Lab live events: hubermanlab.com/events
Pre-order Andrew's book Protocols: protocolsbook.com
Thank you to our sponsors
AG1: drinkag1.com/huberman
Function: functionhealth.com/huberman
Helix Sleep: helixsleep.com/huberman
LMNT: drinklmnt.com/huberman
Rorra: rorra.com/huberman
Huberman Lab
Instagram: instagram.com/hubermanlab
Threads: threads.net/@hubermanlab
X: https://x.com/hubermanlab
Facebook: facebook.com/hubermanlab
TikTok: tiktok.com/@hubermanlab
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman
Website: hubermanlab.com
Newsletter: hubermanlab.com/newsletter
Dr. Ralph Adolphs
Academic Profile: https://www.hss.caltech.edu/people/ralph-adolphs
Lab Website: https://emotion.caltech.edu
Books & Recent Publications: https://emotion.caltech.edu/publications
Publications: scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=NgQCzOwAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
Timestamps
00:00:00 Ralph Adolphs
00:02:54 Emotions; Qualities of Emotions: Priority, Valence
00:10:00 Qualities of Emotions: Scalability, Persistence
00:15:25 Sponsors: Helix Sleep & Rorra
00:18:17 Do Animals Have Emotions?, Conscious Experience
00:22:58 Monitoring & Regulating Emotions; Emotional Granularity
00:31:22 Emotional Regulation, Tools: Situational Avoidance, Ice Baths
00:37:11 Ultramarathons, Perseverance, Adversity; Awe
00:45:04 Sponsor: AG1
00:46:17 Perception of Emotions, Amygdala & Fear, Facial Expressions
00:51:59 Interpreting Others' Emotions, Prediction
00:57:52 Emotions as Adaptations to the Environment, Types of Fear
01:00:13 Feeling Emotions in the Body, Pain, Insula
01:08:05 Brain & Body Connection; Marketing & Emotion
01:12:34 Sponsor: Function
01:14:11 Art, Music & Emotion
01:17:43 Interpreting Facial Expressions, Developing Emotions, Flexibility vs Reflexes
01:25:11 Emotional Intelligence, Context-Dependent Social Intelligence; Autism
01:33:31 Sponsor: LMNT
01:34:51 Autism & Social Dynamics, Eye Contact
01:42:01 Change Your Personality?, Body Movement & Thought, Social Interaction
01:47:18 Emotion Regulation, Tool: Training Mental Stillness
01:53:46 Task Switching, Tool: Meditation, Breathing Techniques
02:02:07 Illness, Diagnosis & Emotions, Gratitude & Awe
02:06:52 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter
#hubermanlab #hubermanlabpodcast
Disclaimer & Disclosures: hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
