In this episode, my guest is Dr. Kay Tye, PhD, Professor of Systems Neurobiology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator. We discuss the neural circuit basis of social interactions and loneliness. We also discuss how animals and people establish themselves in a group hierarchy by rank and how the brain responds to dominance and subordination. Much of our discussion relates to how social media impacts our sense of social connectedness or lack thereof. The topics covered in this episode are directly relevant to anyone interested in the neuroscience of mental health, work-life balance, abundance versus scarcity mindset, and interpersonal dynamics. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Levels: https://levels.link/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@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://www.hubermanlab.com/ Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter Dr. Kay Tye Academic profile: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/kay-tye Lab website: https://tyelab.org/ HHMI profile: https://www.hhmi.org/scientists/kay-tye Publications: https://tyelab.org/publications TED talk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/kay_tye X: https://twitter.com/kaymtye Journal Articles Input-specific control of reward and aversion in the ventral tegmental area: https://go.nature.com/3ubT3nT Extraneous factors in judicial decisions: https://bit.ly/3SLZiqL Total social isolation in monkeys: https://bit.ly/4bmL1Jo Dorsal Raphe Dopamine Neurons Represent the Experience of Social Isolation: https://bit.ly/4bAKtjk Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis: https://bit.ly/3OvNGXp The neural circuitry of social homeostasis: Consequences of acute versus chronic social isolation: https://bit.ly/48WjRYa Cortical ensembles orchestrate social competition through hypothalamic outputs: https://go.nature.com/4bmL73I Other Resources The Eisenhower Matrix: How to prioritize your to-do list: https://asana.com/resources/eisenhower-matrix Chimp Empire (Netflix series): https://www.netflix.com/title/81311783 Advice for a Young Investigator: https://amzn.to/3HO6tJU NIH Human Connectome Project (HCP): https://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/human-connectome/connectome-programs People Mentioned S.M.: patient with bilateral amygdala damage: https://w.wiki/5N3g Harry Harlow: Psychologist, known for his social isolation experiments in monkeys: https://w.wiki/9562 Markus Meister: Professor of Biological Science at Caltech: https://bit.ly/3Osn3Ta Ben Barres: Neuroscientist at Stanford: https://stan.md/3HMBxtl Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Kay Tye 00:02:39 Sponsors: Eight Sleep, Levels & LMNT 00:06:40 Amygdala; “Valence” 00:12:43 Novelty; Reward & Punishment Response 00:20:06 Amygdala & Hunger; Social Interaction 00:26:21 Social Media & Social Connection; Tool: Email & Time Management 00:35:03 Sponsor: AG1 00:36:30 Social Media; Friction & Feedback, Leadership 00:43:44 Social Isolation, Harlow Experiments, “Loneliness Neurons” 00:51:47 Social Homeostasis, COVID-19 Pandemic & Loneliness 01:01:29 Quality of Social Contact, Social Homeostasis, Social Media 01:08:40 Sponsor: InsideTracker 01:09:42 Social Media, Relationships; Social Isolation & Exclusion 01:18:26 Empathy: Friend vs. Foe 01:28:40 Background & Empathy, Diversity, Emotional Regulation 01:34:34 Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset 01:37:22 Social Rank & Hierarchy, Sibling Order, Development 01:45:54 Dynamic Hierarchy; Dominants vs. Subordinates; Mentors 01:55:32 Psychedelics: Research & Mechanisms; Psilocybin 02:06:28 Work-Life Balance, Fitness & Extracurriculars 02:11:56 Personal Life, Diversity, Happiness; Typical Day 02:15:42 Science & Academia; Future Directions 02:23:48 Research & Science Outreach 02:28:48 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #Science #Emotions Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com/ Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer