In this episode my guest is Dr. David Linden, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and author of many popular books about the brain. We discuss individual differences between people, focusing on how they sense the world around them and the roles that chance, heredity and life experiences (even in utero) play in determining physical and cognitive traits. We examine the bidirectional connection between the mind and body and how thoughts and mental practices (e.g., meditation and breathwork) impact health. We also explore the link between inflammation and depression. Dr. Linden shares his terminal illness diagnosis, his mindset during chemotherapy and what the diagnosis has taught him about the mind, gratitude, time perception and life. This episode also covers sensual touch, cerebellar function and epigenetic inheritance and will interest anyone in neuroscience, genetics, psychology and human development. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman ROKA: https://roka.com/huberman Levels: https://levels.link/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab X (formerly 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://hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Dr. David Linden Academic Profile: https://bit.ly/3YP6yVm Publications: https://bit.ly/3YGzi2u Dr. Linden’s Books: https://amzn.to/44giqAH Website: http://davidlinden.org X (formerly Twitter): www.twitter.com/david_j_linden Articles Ben Barres (1954–2017): https://bit.ly/45E5oyb A Neuroscientist Prepares for Death: https://bit.ly/3seVsfT Can a Neuroscientist Fight Cancer With Mere Thought?: https://nyti.ms/45jHqs8 Books The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist: https://amzn.to/3slCpRl Other Resources Dr. Leslie Vosshall: https://bit.ly/3OHcF9l Dr. Catherine Dulac: https://bit.ly/3OB0w5W Dr. Rachel Herz: https://bit.ly/44izshH Dr. Karl Deisseroth: https://stan.md/3P3S3JX Dr. Gloria Choi: https://bit.ly/3soND7o Dr. Irving Zucker’s Publications: https://bit.ly/3OKi1k7 Dr. Rena Malik: Improving Sexual & Urological Health in Males and Females: https://hubermanlab.com/dr-rena-improving-sexual-and-urological-health-in-males-and-females Dr. Oded Rechavi: Genes & the Inheritance of Memories Across Generations: https://hubermanlab.com/dr-oded-rechavi-genes-and-the-inheritance-of-memories-across-generations/ Dr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages: https://hubermanlab.com/dr-eddie-chang-the-science-of-learning-and-speaking-languages/ Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris: The Science of Psychedelics for Mental Health: https://hubermanlab.com/dr-robin-carhart-harris-the-science-of-psychedelics-for-mental-health/ Dr. Matthew Johnson: Psychedelic Medicine: https://hubermanlab.com/dr-matthew-johnson-psychedelic-medicine Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com Disclaimer: https://hubermanlab.com/disclaimer