Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain the neuroscience of grief, including how the brain maps relationships across three dimensions — space, time, and closeness — and why losing someone requires a remapping of those neural circuits. I describe how grief differs from depression, the role of oxytocin in driving yearning after a loss, and why people move through grief at different rates. I also discuss science-based tools for grieving adaptively, including how to access feelings of attachment while decoupling them from episodic memory. Finally, I explain how foundational biology — particularly sleep and cortisol rhythms — shapes our capacity to navigate the grieving process.
Show notes: go.hubermanlab.com/RtAnILi
Watch more Huberman Lab Essentials: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPNW_gerXa4OGNy1yE-W9IX-tPu-tJa7S&si=a1_sA7rUT-fE0OM5
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Timestamps
00:00:00 Grief
00:01:47 Myths of Grief, Kubler-Ross & fMRI
00:03:56 Brain Mapping Experiment, Proximity
00:07:05 Inferior Parietal Lobule; Space, Time & Closeness
00:09:20 Episodic Memory & Remapping After Loss
00:13:41 Tool: Dedicated Time, Counterfactual Thinking & Guilt
00:15:30 Oxytocin & Individual Differences in Grief
00:16:30 Prairie Voles, Monogamy & Nucleus Accumbens
00:21:58 Vagal Tone, Emotional Disclosure & Bereavement Writing Study
00:26:51 Cortisol Rhythms, Complicated Grief & Sunlight
00:30:57 Rational Grieving, Neuroplasticity & NSDR
#hubermanlab #science #health #grief
Disclaimer & Disclosures: hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain the neuroscience of grief, including how the brain maps relationships across three dimensions — space, time, and closeness — and why losing someone requires a remapping of those neural circuits. I describe how grief differs from depression, the role of oxytocin in driving yearning after a loss, and why people move through grief at different rates. I also discuss science-based tools for grieving adaptively, including how to access feelings of attachment while decoupling them from episodic memory. Finally, I explain how foundational biology — particularly sleep and cortisol rhythms — shapes our capacity to navigate the grieving process.
Show notes: go.hubermanlab.com/RtAnILi
Watch more Huberman Lab Essentials: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPNW_gerXa4OGNy1yE-W9IX-tPu-tJa7S&si=a1_sA7rUT-fE0OM5
Follow 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
Timestamps
00:00:00 Grief
00:01:47 Myths of Grief, Kubler-Ross & fMRI
00:03:56 Brain Mapping Experiment, Proximity
00:07:05 Inferior Parietal Lobule; Space, Time & Closeness
00:09:20 Episodic Memory & Remapping After Loss
00:13:41 Tool: Dedicated Time, Counterfactual Thinking & Guilt
00:15:30 Oxytocin & Individual Differences in Grief
00:16:30 Prairie Voles, Monogamy & Nucleus Accumbens
00:21:58 Vagal Tone, Emotional Disclosure & Bereavement Writing Study
00:26:51 Cortisol Rhythms, Complicated Grief & Sunlight
00:30:57 Rational Grieving, Neuroplasticity & NSDR
#hubermanlab #science #health #grief
Disclaimer & Disclosures: hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
