Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership There is an ocean of "neuro bullsh*t" out there — expensive supplements, questionable protocols, self-appointed neuroscience influencers with a promo code — and it can be genuinely hard to tell what actually protects your brain. Today's guest, a Stanford neuroscientist with a large online following, has spent years debunking the junk. His conclusion: the single most powerful, evidence-backed thing you can do for your brain is completely free, and most of us are doing far too little of it. Dr. Ben Rein is a neuroscientist at Stanford and the author of a new book called Why Brains Need Friends. In this episode we cover the state of neuro-misinformation, the actual data on which supplements do (and mostly don't) work, and then dig into the science of social connection — the single most protective intervention for brain health we've got. In this episode: – The "neuro bullshit" list — what to ignore online (and why "I'm a neuroscientist and…" is now a red flag) – What the actual evidence says about ashwagandha, magnesium, and (sorry) colostrum – Is sugar really "more addictive than cocaine"? (The short answer: absolutely not) – Why social interaction lights up the same brain pathways as MDMA – The dark side: how isolation drives cortisol, chronic inflammation, and worse outcomes for basically everything – Why isolated people have a 32–50% higher risk of mortality by any cause – Do pets count? (Yes, and there's a wild study on strokes in isolated mice) – What introverts specifically need to know (interaction is medicine — the dose is just lower) – Why we've built a society that quietly works against connection – The 36 more hours per month we're each spending alone since 2013 – The three fixes: level up your virtual interactions, fight your bad social predictions, and treat connection like a pool – The "liking gap" — people like you more than you think – Nicholas Epley's train-station study: 0% of strangers turned people down – What actually makes you likable (and why the instinct to talk less is wrong) – Mimicry, smiling, and the invisible micro-signals that make people want to be around you – What social media is doing to your empathy (and why comment sections are so vile) – Where to draw the line on social media use – Alcohol as social lubricant — what it does to your empathy on the way in Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ #10PercentHappier #BenRein #WhyBrainsNeedFriends This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. With over 30,000 therapists and an average live therapy session rating of 4.9 out of 5 based on more than 1.7 million client session reviews, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform. BetterHelp therapists have at least three years and 1,000 hours of hands-on experience, plus all required education, training, and certifications. See real customer reviews updated daily at https://www.betterhelp.com/reviews, and sign up and get 10% off at https://www.betterhelp.com/happier. This episode is brought to you by Quo. Quo is the business communication system built so you never miss a call — your entire team can handle calls and texts from one shared number, with the full thread visible to everyone. Quo's built-in AI agent handles after-hours calls, answers questions, and even books appointments. Rated #1 business phone system on G2, trusted by over 90,000 businesses. Try Quo for free and get 20% off your first six months at https://quo.com/happier. This episode is sponsored by Incogni by Ironwall. Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit https://www.ironwall.com/DANHARRIS and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.