Addiction isn’t what you think it is.

Andrew Huberman just hosted Ryan Soave, the world’s top behavioral addiction expert.

What he said will flip your understanding of addiction (and recovery) on its head:

5 brutal truths about addiction and how to recover from any kind: 1. Addiction is actually the solution, not the problem.

It is a coping mechanism: A "solution" your brain found for a deeper pain, stress, or trauma.

A clumsy, destructive one, but a solution nonetheless.

Before you fix the behavior, ask: “What pain is this solving?”

Your stress isn't just from work, money, or relationships.

It's from abandoning "the present moment."

As philosopher Alan Watts said: "The future is an illusion."

Here's how to live in "the present" (and enjoy the little things): Alan Watts saw the core problem decades ago.

We postpone living like it's something that happens later.

After the promotion. After retirement. After we "make it."

But when you finally arrive, you feel cheated.

Because you never learned to actually be "here":

Social media broke Gen Z’s brains.

Jonathan Haidt sat down with Andrew Huberman to explain exactly how it happened—and what we can do before it's too late.

Here’s his 4-step plan to save the next generation (and yourself): 🧵 A mental health crisis quietly exploded around 2012.

Teen anxiety, depression, and self-harm spiked—especially for girls.

Dr. Haidt, psychologist and author of "The Anxious Generation" explains:

You are addicted to your phone.

It's not your fault—tech companies spent billions to get you hooked.

But it is your responsibility to break free.

Here’s how to flip the script (and reclaim your brain): The average person spends 5 hours scrolling each day.

That's 20 years of your life (and most of your free time).

Plus, 80% of us are unhappy with our phone habits.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Your child’s brain is shrinking from screen time.

Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, one of the world’s top addiction experts, calls it "digital heroin."

Brain scans reveal the same damage seen in cocaine addicts.

Here’s how it happens (and how to protect your kids): 1. Screen addiction shrinks your brain—just like heroin.

Brain scans show 2 changes:

1️⃣ Gray matter shrinks (prefrontal cortex):

• This controls decision-making and impulse control.
• It's the same damage as chronic heroin users.

This Stanford psychiatrist cracked the code on addiction.

Dr. Anna Lembke just dropped a masterclass on dopamine and how addiction really works.

Here are 7 harsh truths you need to know (& how to reset your brain): 1. You can be addicted to anything:

Your brain has a “drug of choice.”

Whatever gives you the biggest dopamine spike is what you’re most vulnerable to.

For some it’s alcohol.

For others: porn, food, sex, work, social media...

Your phone is destroying your child’s brain.

Experts call it "secondhand screen time."

And studies say it's as harmful as secondhand smoke.

Here's the disturbing reality (and how to protect your kids): The average adult checks their phone 96 times a day.

Each glance, each swipe, each “hang on” moment? Kids absorb it all.

And research shows this reshapes how their brain works.

Starting as early as 18 months...

We spend 90% of our free time scrolling.

And, most of us are unhappy with our phone habits.

But there's a secret weapon that can help.

Here's how to break free (and change your life): You can't beat your phone addiction on willpower alone.

We spend 4-5 hours scrolling each day—that's 20 years of our life.

The truth is, most of us need help.

We're scrolling our lives away.

You spend 90% of your free time staring at your phone.

That's 5-6 hours per day, or 20+ years of your life.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here's how to reclaim that time for what actually matters: We don't want to waste our free time on our phones.

Over 80% of us are unhappy with our habits.

The truth is, we need help.

Modern life is designed to steal your happiness.

Harvard's Arthur Brooks spent decades studying what actually works.

His findings shocked everyone: We've been chasing the wrong things entirely.

Here are his 4 pillars of lasting happiness: Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and behavioral scientist, says we’ve misunderstood happiness...

It’s not a feeling, it’s the cause behind the feeling.

Most people obsess over circumstances.

But lasting happiness comes from 4 core pillars you can build into your life:

The man who cracked the code of addiction:

Dr. Gabor Maté

He sat with Steven Bartlett and shared how addiction really works and how to target it at the root.

Here are 7 brutal truths about addiction (and how to break free): 1. Addiction isn't the problem. It's the attempted solution.

It's not a choice or moral failure.

It's an attempt to escape unbearable pain.

The substance or behavior is just the painkiller. The pain came first.

How Silicon Valley Broke Our Brains:

10 moments in tech history that rewired you for mindless scrolling:

1. The birth of Infinite Scroll (2010) Invented by Aza Raskin, this UI pattern removed natural stopping cues from apps.

No “next page,” no break, just endless feed.

It turned browsing into a slot machine.

Years later, he called it “behavioral cocaine”, and said he regretted it.

You can turn any iPhone into a "dumb phone".

Strip out distractions. Keep what matters. And switch back whenever you need.

Here’s how to do it (in under 5 minutes): First, the end result:

Once you complete this setup, you'll have a phone that works for you — instead of the other way around.

• Brick your phone in the morning and evening
• Daily limit on social media apps
• Automatically turn on grayscale at night

Your phone is destroying your child’s brain.

Not because they use it—
But because they watch you use it.

Experts call it "secondhand screen time."
And say it's as harmful as secondhand smoke.

Here's the disturbing reality (and how to protect your kids): The average adult checks their phone 96 times a day.

Each glance, each swipe, each “hang on” moment? Kids absorb it all.

And research shows this reshapes how their brain works.

Starting as early as 18 months...

UT Austin just exposed the true cost of phone addiction.

They paid 467 people to stop scrolling for 4 weeks.

The results were so powerful, they outperformed antidepressants.

Here's what happens when you escape your digital prison:🧵 467 people were made to install an app that blocked internet.

No Instagram, no Twitter, no browsers.

They could still text and call. And use computers at home or work.

They just weren't constantly "online" anymore...

I couldn't believe this.

In 2013, a Google insider discovered something so disturbing, he quit.

He found the terrifying truth behind how social media breaks our brains.

Here's exactly how it happens (and how to protect yourself): 1. The Slot machine

Every pull-to-refresh mimics a Vegas slot machine.

Sometimes you hit the jackpot (notifications)
Sometimes nothing...

This unpredictable reward system creates the same addictive pattern as gambling.

It’s 3 AM, and you're lying in bed restless.

That’s not just anxiety. That’s tech-induced insomnia.

And it’s not only stealing your sleep…

It’s fragmenting your focus and literally damaging your brain.

Here’s a 4-step fix to undo that: 🧵 Most people think they’re just “bad sleepers.”

But in reality?

They’re overstimulated. Their nervous system is misfiring.

And their sleep hormones are completely out of sync.

But what causes this?

Stanford paid 35,000 people to quit social media.

This was the largest study on emotional health in history.

The results were so shocking, scientists called it "comparable to therapy."

Here's what happens when you break free from the algorithm:
🧵 Over 35,000 people took part.

They were paid to deactivate either Instagram or Facebook for 6 weeks.

It was done right before the 2020 Presidential Election.

And the results were undeniable:

One simple decision is saving me 3+ hours a day.

I stopped doom scrolling.

That doesn't mean I don't use my phone, I just set better boundaries.

Here’s exactly how I do it (#5 is key). I was scrolling mindlessly 4+ hours a day.

Checking my phone every 5 minutes.

It was stealing my time, energy, and attention.

Here's how I set clear boundaries:

He deleted almost every app from his phone.

Then he wrote 4 bestsellers in 9 years.

Cal Newport's controversial take: Your phone is making you mediocre.

His science-backed system for getting your brain back (#3 is key): The mere presence of your phone reduces cognitive capacity.

Even when it's turned off, face down on your desk.

Your brain is working to resist picking it up.

This leaves fewer resources for thinking.

"Popcorn Brain" is the new digital epidemic.

It's why you:

• Can't finish a book anymore
• Constantly jump between tasks
• Feel mentally drained all the time

Here's how it fragments your focus (and how to get your brain back):🧵 "Popcorn Brain" is a term coined by researcher David Levy at the University of Washington in 2011.

It describes a mind that rapidly jumps from thought to thought, like popcorn kernels popping randomly.

This isn't just normal distraction...