Dave Asprey

A New Way To Protect Yourself From EMFs and Boost Your Energy Levels

September 1, 2022 by Dave Asprey

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are an inevitable part of modern life. Just about every electronic device releases electromagnetic radiation—your laptop, WiFi router, cell phone, TV. If you live in or near a city, everyone else’s electronics are also releasing EMFs, filling the air with radiation that saps your performance and makes you weak.

Modern technology comes at a cost. It sabotages your biology by emitting low-level radiation, and that radiation is here to stay. Technology use isn’t going to decline any time soon. If anything, it’s going to increase. Unfortunately, that means EMFs are part of your daily reality.

The good news is that you can minimize the number of EMFs that you absorb. Here’s why EMFs are damaging—and what you can do to protect yourself from electromagnetic radiation.

Reasons Why You Should Avoid EMFs

EMFs are a type of radiation that comes from electronic devices. For a long time, researchers thought EMFs were safe—and at low levels, they seem to be.

The problem is that EMF exposure has risen exponentially in the last few years. Everyone around you has a smartphone. Every home and business has a WiFi router. Laptops, TVs, cell towers, and power lines all release EMFs. Unless you live way out in the country and you barely use technology, your body is constantly bathing in electromagnetic radiation.

That hurts your performance in a few different ways. EMF exposure can:

Wreck your sleep. A 2019 study found that daily EMF exposure reduces sleep quality and makes people more likely to be depressed[*]. Another study found that EMF exposure decreases your melatonin—the hormone that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep[*].
Make you infertile. In a 2014 study, men who carried cell phones with an active signal (i.e. not in airplane mode) saw a significant drop in sperm quality[*]. It’s not just men, either. EMF exposure causes women to experience more miscarriages[*] and lose more viable eggs with each menstrual cycle[*].
Cause brain fog. EMFs increase inflammation and oxidative stress in your brain. Multiple studies have found that continuous oxidative stress from EMF exposure could cause memory issues and unclear thinking over time, and may even contribute to dementia[*][*].

EMFs are a hidden toxin, and they’re getting worse. If you want to optimize your body and brain, guarding against EMF exposure is one of the most important biohacks you can do.

There’s a New Way To Protect Yourself From EMFs

The most direct way to lower your EMF exposure is by reducing your time with wireless devices.

Of course, that may not be possible, especially if you work at a computer all day or live in a city, where everyone around you has EMF-emitting tech.

So if you can’t reduce exposure directly, what can you do to protect yourself from EMFs?

One of my favorite EMF shielding companies is Quantum Upgrade—the only quantum energy charging service that has randomized, double-blind studies backing its effectiveness.

Quantum Upgrade offers unique technology that repels electromagnetic radiation. It works by harnessing the power of quantum entanglement—the phenomenon where two particles become connected across space and change each other in real-time as they move around. When you turn on a Quantum Upgrade device, it will change the molecular structure of your surroundings, neutralizing any harmful effects of EMFs.

Why Quantum Upgrade Works for EMF Exposure

The payoff with Quantum Upgrade’s EMF protection is immediate. You’ll feel the results within minutes.

Double-blind research has found that Quantum Upgrade can improve blood markers of EMF exposure within minutes. It neutralizes all measurable harmful effects of EMFs on the blood[*].

Quantum Upgrade also improves cellular voltage, allowing your cells to communicate more efficiently with one another. The result is increased energy production, mental clarity, and overall vitality[*].

When I find a biohack that really works, I always negotiate to get a good deal for my readers. In this case, I’ve worked out a free trial for you. You can sign up for two free weeks of Quantum Upgrade with the code “DAVE”. Give it a try; you’ll notice a difference immediately.

Tap Into Your Brain’s Full Potential – Patrick Porter, Ph.D., with Dave Asprey – #869

October 21, 2021 by Dave Asprey

EPISODE #869

Tap Into Your Brain’s Full Potential

Patrick Porter, Ph.D., with Dave Asprey

Upgrade your focus, energy, performance and even sleep using guided visualizations that pair your brainwaves to specialized sounds.

In this Episode of BulletProof Radio..

You’ll find out how award-winning speaker and author Dr. Patrick Porter developed tools that help your brain access its optimum state through brainwave entrainment.

Brainwave entrainment means that different sounds, like Binaural Beats and Isochronic Tones, are pulsed into each of your ears to stimulate your brain into an altered state of consciousness. In a good way! This can improve your focus, energy, relaxation and deep sleep.

Using guided meditation, Dr. Porter’s BrainTap device uses a neuro-algorithm to synchronize your brainwaves to a specialized sound. That results in full-spectrum brainwave activity. Each session ensures the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, also known as neuroplasticity.

Dr. Porter has been a leader in brainwave entrainment tech for more than three decades years. He previously developed the world’s first personal sound and light brain-training machine, the mc2, and created a Behavior Repatterning device. He’s written several books about the brain, including: Awaken the Genius: Mind Technology for the 21st Century; Discover the Language of the Mind; Thrive in Overdrive: How to Navigate Your Overloaded Lifestyle; and Awaken Your Flourishing Brain.

"We’ve got this globally world-class brain that can do incredible things for us, but people often aren’t listening to it."

Patrick Porter, Ph.D.

Dr. Porter continues to widen the scope of what we know about brain capabilities and performance. He says,” We’ve got this globally world-class brain that can do incredible things for us,” but people often aren’t listening to it.

“Once we started being able to measure the brain, we could track how the brain changes,” he says. “We know that every three to five seconds, we need to make a change or interrupt the pattern. If not, the brain will go “bye-bye,” – it’s like advertising. The brain only has so much.”

BrainTap increases your production of neurotransmitters, leading to a more balanced brainwave state. Even if you can’t stay in that balanced brain state, the feeling of that optimal mode will stick with you and will be within reach at all times. It’s like a flow-state from meditation if you’ve experienced that. But you don’t have to be a meditation expert to experience benefits. BrainTap allows even complete beginners to see immediate progress

You can do the BrainTap sessions at different times of the day when you naturally lose energy, helping you with things like sleep, focus, concentration, mindfulness, memory, stress and anxiety. The sessions also have been shown to increase athletic performance and recovery, and even help with addictions.

In this episode, Dr. Porter explains the four elements of BrainTap, including Binaural Beats, Guided Visualization, 0-Cycle Holographic Music and Isochronic Tones. You’ll get to geek out on all the ways your brain affects your body (and vice-versa) and learn what you can do to reach your full brainiac potential.

“Our brain actually is always syncing to its environment,” Patrick says. “That’s why if it’s chaotic {that it’s] causing some disruption. You have to filter it out. You have to learn how to do that.”

Don’t miss Dr. Porter’s IG Live! Hacking Your Brain with Light and Sound.

Enjoy the show!

Got a comment, idea or Question for the podcast? Submit via this form!

Our Partners
Links & Resources
Key Notes

Nervous System Recovery:

Track Your Health:

Ozone for Healing, Cognition & Performance:

Use code UPGRADED10 to save 10% on Dave’s Bundle

Website	braintap.com
IG Live with Dave Asprey	“Hacking Your Brain with Light and Sound.”
Facebook	facebook.com/braintaptech
Instagram	instagram.com/braintaptech
Twitter	twitter.com/BrainTapTech
Pinterest	pinterest.com/braintaptech
Transcript	Download a Transcript

SPECIAL OFFER FOR BULLETPROOF RADIO LISTENERS:
Discover how to upgrade your brain fitness: https://braintap.com/dave

UPGRADE YOURSELF EVEN MORE:
Learn directly from Dave Asprey in his new membership group https://ourupgradecollective.com

DAVE ASPREY BOX:
This quarterly subscription box gives you access to biohacking resources that can support you in achieving your health goals and unlocking your potential. Go to https://daveaspreybox.com/

If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at daveasprey.com/apple and leave us a (hopefully) 5-star rating and a creative review.

Go check out my new book “Super Human: The Bulletproof Plan to Age Backward and Maybe Even Live Forever“ and also “Game Changers“, “Headstrong” and “The Bulletproof Diet” on Amazon and consider leaving a review!

Want to help others reach their full potential? Check out the incredible Human Potential Coach Training program I set up with Dr. Mark Atkinson.

You share the microbiome with your five favorite friends. So when they were saying you’re the sum total of your five favorite friends, it’s also your guts. – 2:43
When we talk about BrainTap, when you think about tapping into your brain’s full potential. – 4:30
There’s three brains, and when I’m talking about brain, I’m talking about all of them at the one time. Our real brain is the one in our heart, 40,000 neutrino cells, that controls the show. – 6:02
It’s got vibration sound, light and actually light through the normal light receptors plus light through acupuncture points on the ears. How’s it going to affect the gut though, or is there some crosstalk? What’s the connection? – 8:05
One of the functions of the brain is to predict the future of microsecond in advance, and then only notice what doesn’t match. Do you ascribe to that? – 11:09
The brain says, “Okay, these neurons are now Hebb’s law, those neurons that fire together wire together.” So we’re exercising it by sending energy across the brain. – 14:38
We had autistic children that weren’t able to respond to verbal conversations. So we’re actually broadcasting 197 Hz frequency which is a frequency that tells the body, “Turn off sympathetic overload. Turn on parasympathetics.” – 15:41
We know that sound, vibration and light are what our body needs besides the foods, we need good food. But all of that, once we have all of that, the synergy effect of our body is we have more energy. We have more ATP to heal, to recover, to enjoy life, to do the things we want to do with ourselves. – 24:01
Are there effects that happen for people’s perception of reality when they use BrainTap regularly? – 26:55
We have them visualize it because our brain doesn’t know the difference, but we have to be in the right physiological state. If you’re not relaxed, your visualization isn’t going to work so well, your ability to mimic, those mirror neurons are not going to turn on. – 28:20
The difference between this and neurofeedback, just to put that in perspective is neurofeedback is like going to the gym, you get a personal trainer. – 30:47
It’s not about 10 Hz frequency, it’s not about 11 Hz frequency, it’s not about 7.8 Hz frequency. It’s about training the brain to go to all those frequencies and giving your brain the chance. – 33:06
You’ve been able to use BrainTap on Corey Anderson and some others. What do combat athletes or martial artists get from BrainTap? – 41:09
When you have a brain injury, what happened with you and happens to a lot of people is that your brain will go into a high Delta mode, and that means that it wants to reboot because you have a lot of inflammation, a lot of damage. – 45:23
If we put on earphones and eyeglasses, we’re actually filtering out the reality that we’re in, we’re creating another reality which is our internal reality. – 50:34
So what’s happening in the right ear with sound is happening in left eye with light. So we’re doing binaurals with light. – 53:16
We need to get light into the brain as quickly as possible so that it can heal. The body knows how to heal, but if it doesn’t have light like Dr. Cousin said, it’s the most under prescribed nutrient on earth. So we need to get it into the brain so that’s why the eyes and the ears, but the sound sets it up. – 56:20
Do you think people should take charcoal or glutathione or something before or after a BrainTap session? – 59:06

1124. Gratitude & Grit: How To Grow in 2024

Podcast

1123. A Healthy Gut Can Reverse Disease

Podcast

1122. NAD+: A Quantum Leap in Biohacking

Podcast

1121. How to Relentlessly Prioritize Your Life

Podcast

1116. The Equinox Effect: Innovating Fitness

Podcast

1115. Reversing Age: The Quest for Immortality

Podcast

1114. From Michelin Stars to Mental Clarity: The Nootropic Revolution

Podcast

1112. Beyond the Bedroom: Hacking Your Erotic Blueprint

Listen and Subscribe using your favorite podcast provider

Be Your Own Hero: Take Risks, Face Your Fears and Choose Courage – Ryan Holiday with Dave Asprey – #868

October 19, 2021 by Dave Asprey

Photo credit: Dawson Carroll

IN THIS EPISODE OF BULLETPROOF RADIO… you’ll discover what it takes to be courageous and heroic in your own life.

The Spartans used to build temples to fear. They did so to keep fear close, see its power and ward it off. Modern-day philosopher Ryan Holiday is here to tell you how to do that in your own modern life by using courage to overcome fear.

“You can have that reaction [to fear], but then you also realize, if you don’t act on it, if you push through, there’s often something on the other side of it,” Ryan says. “Or you realize that the more you expose yourself to it, the less scary it is each time and the less perhaps even that you feel that thing.”

Everyone experiences fear, but those who can learn to go beyond it will find room for courage. His most recent book, Fear is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave is compelling and empowering. It breaks down what it means to confront fear, courage and heroism in order to discover your own grace and wisdom.

We talk about how to transform fear into courage and the power of choosing the relationship you have with fear.

“Man, people get really uncomfortable when something that they were told by their parents, or their church, or their society, or their social media, and all of a sudden, they face profound evidence that it’s not true,” Ryan says.

Pulling stories from some of the greatest humans in history he talks about how heroism can change the world, and how history can help guide you through contemporary phenomena rooted in fear, like cancel culture and government mandates.

This is the first book in Ryan’s new series on the four virtues of the ancient world: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom.

Don’t miss Ryan’s previous visit to Bulletproof Radio and the discussion about stoicism and ego: Modern Stoicism & Crushing your Ego: Ryan Holiday #527

Enjoy! Got a comment, idea or question for the podcast? Submit via this form.

WE APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERS. CHECK THEM OUT!
Solve Sitting: https://us.harmonidesk.com/, use code DAVE20 and get $20 off any standing desk
Infrared Sauna Benefits: https://www.sunlighten.com/DAVE. Call the number on the website and mention “Dave Asprey” to get $200 off a cabin sauna, $100 off a Solo system, and free shipping
Non-Tobacco Nicotine Alternative: https://lucy.co, use code DAVE20 to get 20% off your first order of pouches, gums, or lozenges

UPGRADE YOURSELF EVEN MORE: Learn directly from Dave Asprey in his new membership group https://ourupgradecollective.com

DAVE ASPREY BOX: This quarterly subscription box gives you access to biohacking resources that can support you in achieving your health goals and unlocking your potential. Go to https://daveaspreybox.com/

Follow Along with the Transcript

Be Your Own Hero: Take Risks, Face Your Fears and Choose Courage – Ryan Holiday with Dave Asprey – #868

Links/Resources

Website: ryanholiday.net/
Book: “Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave”
Facebook:facebook.com/ryanholiday
Instagram: instagram.com/ryanholiday/
Twitter: twitter.com/ryanholiday
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryanholiday/
Bulletproof Radio: Modern Stoicism & Crushing your Ego: Ryan Holiday #527

Key Notes

You’ve written so many cool books. And one of my favorites is about what it takes to create a great book or a great work of art. – 1:43
Fear is a constant of the human experience. We’re afraid of what other people think. We’re afraid of losing our lives. – 8:59
Half a million people don’t die every year of speaking in front of crowds. That is the good news. So we’ve always had this tendency to be really scared of things that pose very little danger to us that if we couldn’t master, would allow us to get closer to whatever it is that we wanted to do in life. – 13:06
The Stoics say events are objective, then we tell ourselves a story about them. And this story often determines what we’re going to be able to do. – 16:36
In the Stoic teachings, there’s courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom, four big things. Are you planning the next book is temperance, and then justice, and then wisdom? – 22:55
To pursue ideas, whether it’s history or science, is inherently a scary pursuit because you’re going to find things you don’t like, whether it’s about human beings or about our biology. – 27:05
How do we encourage scientists to have courage? Did you come up with a special recipe for that? Because we need more scientific courage right now. – 29:57
Can you describe courage and what it looks like, what it feels like, how you would write about it? – 32:52
Talk to me about bravery versus sacrifice. And there’s so many aspects to courage as a big bucket, and you go into those in the book. – 38:32
It’s both an existential and a practical question of, where does one person’s freedom begin to impede on another person’s freedom? – 47:55
There’s a great line in Lincoln’s second inaugural address where he basically goes, this has been a horrible civil war that we’ve just engaged in. – 55:38
I would love to live in a world where responsible people did the responsible thing because they saw it as part of their values. – 1:02:17
I would say almost everything that we’re experiencing today has some historical antecedent. – 1:08:33

If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at daveasprey.com/apple and leave us a (hopefully) 5-star rating and a creative review.

Go check out my new book “Super Human: The Bulletproof Plan to Age Backward and Maybe Even Live Forever“ and also “Game Changers“, “Headstrong” and “The Bulletproof Diet” on Amazon and consider leaving a review!

Want to help others reach their full potential? Check out the incredible Human Potential Coach Training program I set up with Dr. Mark Atkinson.

How Measuring Brain Function Leads to Performance Upgrades – David Oakley, Ph.D., with Dave Asprey – #867

October 15, 2021 by Dave Asprey

IN THIS EPISODE OF BULLETPROOF RADIO…

I talked to the co-founder of WAVi at the 7^th Annual Biohacking Conference in Orlando, Florida. Physicist David Oakley created a device that’s used to directly measure brain function and gives you a 360-degree assessment of your brain performance.

WAVi is an all-in-one measurement platform. Users get objective information about brain function through EEG, visual ERP, auditory ERP, heart rate variability (HRV), Trail Making, standard assessments and more. This full FDA-regulated Class II device measures biomarkers of your brain with detail and precision in under 15 minutes.

“People measure their weight every day, right?” David says. “Step on the scale, “Where am I at today?” So, we should be measuring our brains regularly. Someday there will be WAVi in doctors’ offices and you’ll check your brain like you check your weight.”

For an introduction to WAVi, listen to Bulletproof Radio episode #619: Your Brain Voltage: Measure It, Raise It, Control It.

In this interview, David and I go really deep into the science behind WAVi’s development. We get into physics, neuroscience, brain data, scientific inquiry and what’s exciting about the future of brain performance research.

David comes from a long family line of inventors and creators. His own career as a physicist includes research and teaching at universities. He was also a researcher at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and has analyzed data within neutrino astrophysics, a branch of astronomy that observes astronomical objects with neutrino detectors in special observatories.

He has published research and articles in the areas of physics, medicine, and art. At mid-life he turned to brain data and created WAVi: a mix of art, science, commerce, and public service.

He made the move to study the brain when he met a fellow scientist David Joffee. “He started showing all the [brain] patterns, and I thought, “This is beautiful,” David says. “It’s beautiful waves. You can do a lot with it. You can help people. It’s about the same as physics, though. It’s the same, just voltage versus time series data.”

David’s now exploring multiple brain topics, including concussions, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and mental health.

You’ll also find out why P300 continues to be an important signature of cognitive processes. It’s a 300 millisecond time frame that measures brain activity. This includes attention, working memory and dysfunction in neurologic and mental disorders. Ongoing research sees it as a potential genetic marker of mental disorders.

“As you age this performance drops and the speed drops,” David explains.

And then there’s voltage activity that’s happening in the brain. And if you can assess and measure what’s going on in your brain, you can do something about it.

So, this is a really big thing. And I want you guys to think about this. Right now you might be saying, “I’m not a brain scientist, I’m just listening to this.” But there’s, how fast does the brain respond? And how strongly does the brain respond? Because those are different things. And the reason my brain does what it does, I would say is clearly nutrition and mitochondrial enhancement and supplements and all that kind of stuff.

It’s a fascinating time to be upgrading your brain!

“So, 10 years from now, the happy path is that with the brain scan, the artificial intelligence will know you and know what you need to optimize your brain,” David says. “There won’t be a question of, in the ideal world, it’s not a question of your brain is slowing down. It will know you on day one and say, “This is what you need to do. As long as you stay with this program, you’re going to have an optimized brain. It’s not going to slow.” That’s my 10-year future.”

Enjoy! Got a comment, idea or question for the podcast? Submit via this form.

SPECIAL OFFERS FOR BULLETPROOF RADIO LISTENERS
Measure Brain Function: Learn more and get a special discounted package at https://wavimed.com/, use code DAVE

WE APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERS. CHECK THEM OUT!
Non-Tobacco Nicotine Alternative: https://lucy.co, use code DAVE20 to get 20% off your first order of pouches, gums, or lozenges
Revitalize Your Mitochondria: https://www.timelinenutrition.com, use code ASPREY10 to get 10% off the plan of your choice
Eat Good Keto Bread: https://www.uprisingfood.com/DAVE, use code DAVE to get $10 off the starter bundle. That includes two superfood cubes and a four pack of freedom chips!

UPGRADE YOURSELF EVEN MORE: Learn directly from Dave Asprey in his new membership group https://ourupgradecollective.com

DAVE ASPREY BOX: This quarterly subscription box gives you access to biohacking resources that can support you in achieving your health goals and unlocking your potential. Go to https://daveaspreybox.com/

Follow Along with the Transcript

How Measuring Brain Function Leads to Performance Upgrades – David Oakley, Ph.D., with Dave Asprey – #867

Links/Resources

Website: wavimed.com
Facebook: facebook.com/wavimedical
Instagram: instagram.com/wavimedical/
Twitter: twitter.com/wavimedical
Bulletproof Radio: Your Brain Voltage: Measure It, Raise It, Control It – Paul Sorbo #619

Key Notes

Coming Soon!

If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at daveasprey.com/apple and leave us a (hopefully) 5-star rating and a creative review.

Want to help others reach their full potential? Check out the incredible Human Potential Coach Training program I set up with Dr. Mark Atkinson.

Clean Up Your Mouth! Saliva, Gums & Kissing Bad Bacteria Goodbye – Trina Felber with Dave Asprey – #866

October 12, 2021 by Dave Asprey

IN THIS EPISODE OF BULLETPROOF RADIO… you’re going to find out how your oral health and gut microbiome are connected.

My guest today is Trina Felber, RN, BSN, MSN, CRNA, the creator and CEO of Primal Life Organics, an all-natural health product company that specializes in oral health and skin care.

After more than 25 years as a registered nurse and nurse anesthetist, Trina turned her attention to the mouth microbiome and how it influences all your body systems–whether you know it or not.

She focuses on oral health as the gateway to internal health, so discuss topics that could give you clues about your own biology:

Saliva is the “lifeblood” of the mouth;
Red light (and blue!) can improve gum tissue; and
What you must stop doing when brushing your teeth and why it matters so much to your oral health.

Your Saliva: “Saliva is a secretion no one’s talking about,” Trina says. “And it’s one of, if not the most important secretion in your body, because it does so many things, including nitric oxide production. If you have an imbalance in the microbiome inside your mouth and inside your gut, nitric oxide declines and your body can’t produce nitric oxide. … Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, it’s related to internal health, it’s anti-inflammatory, it creates better sleep and better brain function.”

Your Gums: “Red light therapy is going to help with the condition of your gums, it’s going to improve the overall environment inside your mouth, and it’s going to help with the right environment to grow the right bacteria that in the long-term is going to help with nitric oxide production,” Trina says. “Red light therapy actually penetrates your gum tissue and will increase blood flow and reduce inflammation of the gum tissue.”

Your Brushing Habits: “Brushing too hard, we don’t think about it, but it’s common sense, but we still do it because you feel like you need to scrub to get your teeth clean and your gums,” Trina says. “But a lot of people just brush way too hard. It’s really a soft motion. The softer you brush, the more you actually stimulate detoxification and increase blood flow. It’s like a massage. Sometimes when you massage too hard, you create inflammation, you create more problems. And the softer that you massage, like lymphatic massages, are extremely, there’s no depth to them. It’s very light touch.” (Even with a sonic toothbrush!)

Enjoy! And get more resources at Dave.Asprey/podcasts. Got a comment, idea or question for the podcast? Submit via this form.

SPECIAL OFFERS FOR BULLETPROOF RADIO #866 LISTENERS

Dental Detox Kit: davesdentalkit.com
LED Teeth Whitener: naturalteethwhiteners.com/dave

WE APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERS. CHECK THEM OUT!

Kratom for Energy & Pain Relief: https://superspeciosa.com, use code DAVE to get 20% off

High-Performance Leadership: https://www.humanpotentialinstitute.com/coach-training/

Support Immune & Digestive Health: https://justthrivehealth.com, use code ASPREY to get 15% off

UPGRADE YOURSELF EVEN MORE: Learn directly from Dave Asprey in his new membership group https://ourupgradecollective.com

DAVE ASPREY BOX: This quarterly subscription box gives you access to biohacking resources that can support you in achieving your health goals and unlocking your potential. Go to https://daveaspreybox.com/

Follow Along with the Transcript

Clean Up Your Mouth! Saliva, Gums & Kissing Bad Bacteria Goodbye – Trina Felber with Dave Asprey – #866

Links/Resources

Website: primallifeorganics.com
Facebook: facebook.com/PrimalLifeOrganics/
Twitter: twitter.com/primallifeorg
Instagram: instagram.com/primallifeorg/
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2czth0NmXWn8BEQes6GouA
Pinterest: pinterest.com/PrimalLifeOrg/
Book: Book: “Beauty’s Dirty Secret: 3 Simple Steps To Super Power Your Skin”

Bulletproof Radio:

Key Notes

Coming Soon!

If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at daveasprey.com/apple and leave us a (hopefully) 5-star rating and a creative review.

Want to help others reach their full potential? Check out the incredible Human Potential Coach Training program I set up with Dr. Mark Atkinson.

Mimetic Desire Shatters the Myth of Why You Want – Luke Burgis with Dave Asprey – #865

October 7, 2021 by Dave Asprey

IN THIS EPISODE OF BULLETPROOF RADIO…

Do you know why you make choices that are bad for you? Or why you end up with burnout, bad diets and other things that cause you harm, when you know you’d be better off choosing something else?

This episode cuts through the noise, everything you’re sold and told to want, and helps you answer those very questions.

Luke Burgis researched and studied the theory that underlies your tendency to follow other peoples’ wants, called mimetic desire. Explored by prominent French thinker René Girard, mimetic theory of desire says humans don’t want anything autonomously and independently.

“Girard discovered that we come to desire certain things not through biological drives or pure reason, nor as the longing of our deepest, most authentic selves, but through imitation,” Luke says in his book, “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life.” Desire, as Girard used the word, does not mean the drive for food or sex or shelter or security. But after meeting those needs, we enter the domain of desire. And knowing what to want is much harder than knowing what to need.”

In studying the work of Gerard, Luke realized that his goals and dreams were a product of other people’s expectations of him and he was actually following the desire of what he was seeing in others (that’s why he was miserable, burnt out, in poor physical health and felt horrible).

“The truth is that desires are derivative, contagious, and therefore competitive, and that’s why they often lead to conflict,” Luke explains. “The lie is that I want things entirely on my own, uninfluenced by others. By rejecting the truth, I deny the consequences of my desires on other people, and theirs on me.”

Luke and I dive into how to get past the innate desires of success and wealth that most of us are taught to value and really move into your own individual dreams and self-desires.

“Mimetic desire exists on a spectrum,” he says. “And that there are some things that can’t be explained medically at all. Something beautiful like a sunset, or like a beautiful woman that I’m attracted to. There are very clear scientific sort of physiological things going on there. So, let’s make a distinction. Mimetic desire exists on a spectrum where those hardwired physiological things like thirst and hunger, those have been met, right? And we’re sort of now in a more abstract world.”

Armed with this knowledge, you can make better choices about who you trust and build self-awareness around your choices to empower your own life. You can find holistic models that work for you in all areas of your life (not just at your job), and why those models are important to find sooner rather than later.

“The constant looking to what other people are doing or saying or wanting, or achieving, is just the fastest way to be miserable for one thing, but also the fastest way to miss opportunities, because we’re just constantly looking to our right and our left rather than forward or up,” Luke says.

Enjoy! And get more resources at Dave.Asprey/podcasts.Got a comment, idea or question for the podcast? Submit via this form.

WE APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERS. CHECK THEM OUT!
Find Out Your Biological Age: https://glycanage.com, use code DAVE to get 20% off testing packages
Get Salty AF: https://drinklmnt.com/dave, from unflavored to classy combos like mango chili to the new watermelon
Control Blood Glucose: https://pendulumlife.com, sign up for membership to get monthly supply delivery, use code DAVE20 to save $20 on your first shipment

DAVE ASPREY BOX; This quarterly subscription box gives you access to biohacking resources that can support you in achieving your health goals and unlocking your potential. Go to https://daveaspreybox.com/

UPGRADE YOURSELF EVEN MORE: Learn directly from Dave Asprey in his new membership group https://ourupgradecollective.com

Follow Along with the Transcript

Mimetic Desire Shatters the Myth of Why You Want – Luke Burgis with Dave Asprey – #865

Links/Resources

Website: lukeburgis.com
Book: “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life”
Facebook: facebook.com/LukeBurgis/
Instagram: instagram.com/lukeburgis/
Twitter: twitter.com/lukeburgis

Key Notes

When did you know that, oh, gee, being a successful entrepreneur with tons of money and all that kind of stuff, that that wasn’t what you wanted? – 2:59
Girard had this fundamental insight into the nature of human desire by reading classic literature. – 6:37
I just convinced myself that it was the product of my own individual sort of decision making, when in fact, I was like a puppet with a puppeteer, meaning the social forces in my life that were pulling me in all different kinds of directions. – 10:58
How do you reconcile, I want it because I was taught to want it? Which is a mimetic desire. Because I see others wanting it, therefore I want it, and I just want it because I want it? – 17:45
I try to help them think about the things that they can cultivate in themselves, things like just basic virtues. – 29:40
What is the role of laziness in mimetic desire? The desire to not waste time doing stuff that you’d have to do? – 32:56
The fastest way to miss opportunities, because we’re just constantly looking to our right and our left rather than forward or up. And it’s destroyed more companies than I know. – 39:20
You talk in Wanting about the mesmerization of Steve Jobs. And of course, he’s one of the most worshiped entrepreneurs of the recent history times. Tell me about mesmerization. What is that? – 49:50
It seems like people are very sort of confused about authority and who to trust. And there’s been a loss of trust, right, and credibility. – 55:34
Some people don’t need any facts to make a decision. Some people just naturally have to have everything. – 1:03:48

If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at daveasprey.com/apple and leave us a (hopefully) 5-star rating and a creative review.

Want to help others reach their full potential? Check out the incredible Human Potential Coach Training program I set up with Dr. Mark Atkinson.