Unlocking the Power of Mindsets: Insights from Dr. Aaliyah Crum
In recent episodes of the Huberman Lab, Dr. Andrew Huberman has tapped into the profound influence of mindsets on health, performance, and overall well-being through an enlightening discussion with Dr. Aaliyah Crum, a leading researcher in the field of psychology and behavioral science. Their conversation uncovers how our core beliefs shape not only our thoughts and motivation but also our physiological responses, opening doors to reprogramming ourselves for better health and resilience.
Dr. Crum defines mindsets as fundamental beliefs or assumptions innately held about particular domains—such as stress, food, exercise, or illness—that guide expectations, explanations, and goals. These mental frameworks act as filters, simplifying complex realities and influencing how we interpret experiences, motivate actions, and respond physically.
For instance, one’s core belief about stress—seeing it as either harmful or beneficial—significantly alters how the body and mind react to stressful circumstances. If stress is perceived as a threat, it triggers maladaptive responses. Conversely, viewing stress as a challenge or growth opportunity can activate adaptive responses that foster resilience and health.
People often develop their mindsets early in life—shaped by parents, culture, media, and personal experiences—and these beliefs persist unless consciously reexamined. Dr. Crum highlights familiar examples such as Carol Dweck’s growth mindset, which regards abilities as malleable, versus a fixed mindset, which sees them as static. Such core beliefs influence motivation and perseverance.
Beyond academic abilities, mindsets extend across all areas: attitudes toward food (delicious versus depriving), exercise (enough versus insufficient), illness (manageable versus catastrophic), and even perceptions of symptoms like side effects. These beliefs, whether true or false, can physiologically prime the body to respond in ways consistent with them.
The Mind-Body Connection: A Pioneering Milkshake Study
One of the most compelling revelations from Dr. Crum's research is how beliefs alone can alter physiological responses. She recounts a groundbreaking study at Yale that investigated whether perceptions about food influence bodily reactions, independent of actual nutrient content.
Participants consumed the same milkshake twice—once believing it was a decadent high-calorie treat, and once thinking it was a healthy low-calorie diet shake. Despite identical drinks, their ghrelin levels—the hunger hormone—responded differently. When told it was indulgent, ghrelin levels dropped significantly more, as if they had consumed a larger meal. Intriguingly, the opposite was true when participants believed they were eating healthily; their bodies still signaled hunger, possibly impeding weight loss efforts.
This study demonstrates that beliefs fundamentally shape physiological processes, challenging traditional views of nutrition and health. Furthermore, the findings suggest that adopting a mindset of indulgence and sufficiency might promote better satiety and metabolic health.
Implications for Diet, Exercise, and Health
The influence of mindset isn't limited to eating habits. Crum's work extends to perceptions about exercise, illness, and symptoms. She notes that individuals who believe their activity levels meet health guidelines—regardless of actual behavior—show improvements in weight, blood pressure, and other markers.
Moreover, Crum emphasizes that how people interpret symptoms or side effects can influence their experience and recovery. Viewing side effects as signs that treatment is effective can potentially enhance outcomes, whereas perceiving them as dangerous may hinder progress.
Rethinking Stress: From Enemy to Ally
A significant portion of the discussion centers on re-conceptualizing stress. Traditionally portrayed as harmful, recent research acknowledges its paradoxical nature: stress can enhance focus, accelerate learning, and even promote physiological growth when properly understood.
Dr. Crum's studies reveal that mindsets about stress—whether viewing it as debilitating or empowering—affect health outcomes and performance. Participants who adopted a stress-is-enhancing perspective experienced less physical discomfort, better emotional well-being, and improved performance under pressure.
For example, during a 2008 financial crisis, employees who believed stress could boost their performance showed fewer physical symptoms and higher productivity after watching empowering videos about stress’s benefits. This highlights how mindset shifts can translate into real physiological and behavioral benefits.
How to Manage and Leverage Stress
Dr. Crum advocates a three-step approach to harness stress effectively:
Welcome the stress, recognizing it as an expression of caring about a goal.
Utilize the stress response to propel action towards meaningful outcomes.
This mindset transforms stress from a foe into an ally, motivating adaptive behaviors like problem-solving, perseverance, and connection, rather than avoidance or despair.
The Biology of Mindsets
Beyond psychological effects, Crum points out that mindsets influence physiology. For example, inspired to adopt an enhancing stress mindset, individuals show more balanced cortisol responses and higher levels of DHEA—a hormone associated with resilience and recovery.
Stress-related hormones, such as dopamine and adrenaline, are biochemically linked to anabolic (growth-promoting) hormones like testosterone. The surprising evidence that intense stress can temporarily boost these hormones suggests a biological basis for leveraging stress as a catalyst for growth—challenging the oversimplified narrative that all stress is harmful.
Practical Strategies: Reprogramming Your Mindset
Crum encourages conscious self-awareness: identify your current beliefs about stress, diet, exercise, or illness, and actively reprogram them using tools like multimedia stories, visualizations, and reflection. She recommends a simple three-step process:
Actively incorporate this new belief into your daily life and decision-making.
This approach, she notes, can have profound effects on both mental and physical health, even without changing external circumstances.
The Broader Potential of Mindset Work
Dr. Crum emphasizes that current scientific understanding is just the beginning—there is vast untapped potential in applying mindset science across medicine, performance, and personal growth. For example, health guidelines on exercise often fail to motivate because they neglect the importance of belief systems.
She advocates for a more nuanced view, integrating behavioral belief modification with traditional approaches, thereby unlocking the full power of the human mind to promote resilience, health, and excellence.
This conversation underscores a profound truth: our beliefs are portals between consciousness and subconsciousness, influencing not only our mental state but also our physiology and outcomes. By becoming aware of our stress and health mindsets, and deliberately cultivating empowering beliefs, we can transform stress from a limiting force into an engine of growth.
Dr. Crum’s work invites us to live intentionally, viewing stress and health challenges as opportunities—key steps toward a more resilient, vibrant life.
For further insights and practical tools, visit Dr. Crum's resources at mbl.stanford.edu, including toolkits on rethinking stress and other health-related mindsets.
Part 1/12:
Unlocking the Power of Mindsets: Insights from Dr. Aaliyah Crum
In recent episodes of the Huberman Lab, Dr. Andrew Huberman has tapped into the profound influence of mindsets on health, performance, and overall well-being through an enlightening discussion with Dr. Aaliyah Crum, a leading researcher in the field of psychology and behavioral science. Their conversation uncovers how our core beliefs shape not only our thoughts and motivation but also our physiological responses, opening doors to reprogramming ourselves for better health and resilience.
What Are Mindsets and Why Do They Matter?
Part 2/12:
Dr. Crum defines mindsets as fundamental beliefs or assumptions innately held about particular domains—such as stress, food, exercise, or illness—that guide expectations, explanations, and goals. These mental frameworks act as filters, simplifying complex realities and influencing how we interpret experiences, motivate actions, and respond physically.
For instance, one’s core belief about stress—seeing it as either harmful or beneficial—significantly alters how the body and mind react to stressful circumstances. If stress is perceived as a threat, it triggers maladaptive responses. Conversely, viewing stress as a challenge or growth opportunity can activate adaptive responses that foster resilience and health.
Early Formation and Daily Impact
Part 3/12:
People often develop their mindsets early in life—shaped by parents, culture, media, and personal experiences—and these beliefs persist unless consciously reexamined. Dr. Crum highlights familiar examples such as Carol Dweck’s growth mindset, which regards abilities as malleable, versus a fixed mindset, which sees them as static. Such core beliefs influence motivation and perseverance.
Beyond academic abilities, mindsets extend across all areas: attitudes toward food (delicious versus depriving), exercise (enough versus insufficient), illness (manageable versus catastrophic), and even perceptions of symptoms like side effects. These beliefs, whether true or false, can physiologically prime the body to respond in ways consistent with them.
Part 4/12:
The Mind-Body Connection: A Pioneering Milkshake Study
One of the most compelling revelations from Dr. Crum's research is how beliefs alone can alter physiological responses. She recounts a groundbreaking study at Yale that investigated whether perceptions about food influence bodily reactions, independent of actual nutrient content.
Part 5/12:
Participants consumed the same milkshake twice—once believing it was a decadent high-calorie treat, and once thinking it was a healthy low-calorie diet shake. Despite identical drinks, their ghrelin levels—the hunger hormone—responded differently. When told it was indulgent, ghrelin levels dropped significantly more, as if they had consumed a larger meal. Intriguingly, the opposite was true when participants believed they were eating healthily; their bodies still signaled hunger, possibly impeding weight loss efforts.
Part 6/12:
This study demonstrates that beliefs fundamentally shape physiological processes, challenging traditional views of nutrition and health. Furthermore, the findings suggest that adopting a mindset of indulgence and sufficiency might promote better satiety and metabolic health.
Implications for Diet, Exercise, and Health
The influence of mindset isn't limited to eating habits. Crum's work extends to perceptions about exercise, illness, and symptoms. She notes that individuals who believe their activity levels meet health guidelines—regardless of actual behavior—show improvements in weight, blood pressure, and other markers.
Part 7/12:
Moreover, Crum emphasizes that how people interpret symptoms or side effects can influence their experience and recovery. Viewing side effects as signs that treatment is effective can potentially enhance outcomes, whereas perceiving them as dangerous may hinder progress.
Rethinking Stress: From Enemy to Ally
A significant portion of the discussion centers on re-conceptualizing stress. Traditionally portrayed as harmful, recent research acknowledges its paradoxical nature: stress can enhance focus, accelerate learning, and even promote physiological growth when properly understood.
Part 8/12:
Dr. Crum's studies reveal that mindsets about stress—whether viewing it as debilitating or empowering—affect health outcomes and performance. Participants who adopted a stress-is-enhancing perspective experienced less physical discomfort, better emotional well-being, and improved performance under pressure.
For example, during a 2008 financial crisis, employees who believed stress could boost their performance showed fewer physical symptoms and higher productivity after watching empowering videos about stress’s benefits. This highlights how mindset shifts can translate into real physiological and behavioral benefits.
How to Manage and Leverage Stress
Dr. Crum advocates a three-step approach to harness stress effectively:
Part 9/12:
Welcome the stress, recognizing it as an expression of caring about a goal.
Utilize the stress response to propel action towards meaningful outcomes.
This mindset transforms stress from a foe into an ally, motivating adaptive behaviors like problem-solving, perseverance, and connection, rather than avoidance or despair.
The Biology of Mindsets
Beyond psychological effects, Crum points out that mindsets influence physiology. For example, inspired to adopt an enhancing stress mindset, individuals show more balanced cortisol responses and higher levels of DHEA—a hormone associated with resilience and recovery.
Part 10/12:
Stress-related hormones, such as dopamine and adrenaline, are biochemically linked to anabolic (growth-promoting) hormones like testosterone. The surprising evidence that intense stress can temporarily boost these hormones suggests a biological basis for leveraging stress as a catalyst for growth—challenging the oversimplified narrative that all stress is harmful.
Practical Strategies: Reprogramming Your Mindset
Crum encourages conscious self-awareness: identify your current beliefs about stress, diet, exercise, or illness, and actively reprogram them using tools like multimedia stories, visualizations, and reflection. She recommends a simple three-step process:
Recognize your existing mindset.
Embrace a more empowering perspective.
Part 11/12:
This approach, she notes, can have profound effects on both mental and physical health, even without changing external circumstances.
The Broader Potential of Mindset Work
Dr. Crum emphasizes that current scientific understanding is just the beginning—there is vast untapped potential in applying mindset science across medicine, performance, and personal growth. For example, health guidelines on exercise often fail to motivate because they neglect the importance of belief systems.
She advocates for a more nuanced view, integrating behavioral belief modification with traditional approaches, thereby unlocking the full power of the human mind to promote resilience, health, and excellence.
Part 12/12:
Final Thoughts
This conversation underscores a profound truth: our beliefs are portals between consciousness and subconsciousness, influencing not only our mental state but also our physiology and outcomes. By becoming aware of our stress and health mindsets, and deliberately cultivating empowering beliefs, we can transform stress from a limiting force into an engine of growth.
Dr. Crum’s work invites us to live intentionally, viewing stress and health challenges as opportunities—key steps toward a more resilient, vibrant life.
For further insights and practical tools, visit Dr. Crum's resources at mbl.stanford.edu, including toolkits on rethinking stress and other health-related mindsets.