Top Tech Voices Podcast S2 E4: Biohacking & Human Enhancement

I was not expecting this episode to hit the way it did. I've started and quit so many healthy habits over the years and honestly just assumed I was lazy. But hearing Dr. Jones talk about long term potentiation and how brain cells literally need to physically change their structure over months of repetition before a habit sticks, that completely changed how I see myself. It's not laziness, it's just biology, and nobody ever tells about that.

The escalator thing made me laugh because I do exactly that. I stand on the right every single time without even thinking about it. It's such a small thing but it really gets you thinking about how many little automated choices are quietly shaping your health without you even noticing.

I also really appreciated the honesty around the wellness industry. The point about creators needing to constantly feed an algorithm and ending up contradicting themselves makes so much sense. I've felt confused and guilty for years trying to keep up with all the advice and it was just really refreshing to hear someone call that out.

If I could ask for anything in a future episode, it would be to go a bit deeper on some of the science. For example, does long term potentiation happen faster for some habits than others? And I would have loved to hear more about how sleep connects to habit formation specifically, because Dr. Jones mentioned it as the top priority but it felt a little separate from the neuroscience conversation earlier. Tying those two things together would be really interesting.

veluv01 said:

If I could ask for anything in a future episode, it would be to go a bit deeper on some of the science.

You would likely end up with very long podcasts if you did ! 

Perhaps including some links to 'further reading' on the topics being discussed, may be helpful though.   

Currently reading a book on neuroscience and sound (first chapter in and I've already ended up down more rabbit holes than the Easter Bunny...), so the '...the measurable benefits of listening to music...' in the preamble text piqued my interest.

Speaking of music, is that you Dr Rock ? 

I grew up on a farm. Happy cows make more milk. 
100+ plus studies to all say the same thing. Folks perform better when they are happy. 
like its some genius revelation folks don't like stuff that sucks. 

Like veluv01 , I also appreciated Dr. Jones calling out the fitness/wellness industry for churning out "content".  Unfortunately, this is another thing in our lives where the "experts" cannot be trusted.  It reminds me of a YouTube from 2017.   The Time Travelling Dietician.  I liked Dr. Jones' more moderate approach as "moderation" seems to be the only lasting recommendation with any success or longevity.  If it has hype... don't trust it.  I like the "pick one habit" and the truth that it takes months to develop the habit.  We were all told that it takes 21 days to create a habit.  This is clearly wrong - but this myth does get you to the second billing cycles at the gym.

Dr. Jones also mentions "app overload".  Yup.  I am definitely there.  I'm also tired of entering my life story into someone's database to get a slight benefit.  I'm more apt to pass than continue joining.  And I make sure to delete what information I may have entered up to that point.  There are already too many algorithms tracking my life.

Finally, I really don't like the phrase "biohacking".  It just sounds nefarious to me - regardless of how it is marketed.

I enjoyed the chat between Dr Julia Jones and Ms. Anderson.  The amount of information was truly overwhelming, and I will certainly have to revisit the video as I digest the content. 

Although I must admit at the end of the discussion, I’m still not sure what biohacking and human enhancements are.  It seems that when we try to explore something that has already been discovered or investigated, to make it sound fresh, we must rename it.  Although Dr. Jones ideas have merit, they also sound a lot like psychology 101 (or maybe 102). 

She mentioned the connection between music and dementia.  I’m not a psychologist but noticed 40 years ago while visiting friends in nursing homes that a great bridge to awaking their minds was familiar songs.  Their eyes would light up like a Christmas tree, and they started to remember things.  Dr. Jones mentioned that some of our best ideas come about by accident and this was one of mind, but only because I learned from it and applied it to others.  An accident is only an accident unless we apply what we have learned from it.  We must be willing to adapt to the change.

Dr. Jones initially mentioned 3 essentials for life; 1) sleep, 2) water and 3) healthy food, but missed the most important, community until later in the discussion.  She used the example of a coach for community and didn’t’ mention family, church or neighborhood, etc.  The old Frank Sinatra song, “I Did It My Way” sounds great, but rarely works out in the end.

She mentioned repeatedly that it can take many months to change a habit (good or bad).  I agree and was told many years ago that to break a habit takes at least a month, but it depends on your motivation.  I found this is where the community comes in to encourage.  Also, I agree that A.I. is not there yet and may not for a long while.  And again, nothing new under the Sun.

Again, the discussion covered a great deal of topics and I will have to revisit it again, but that is enough for now.  Let me know what you think?

Gordon

kmikemoo said:

I like the "pick one habit" and the truth that it takes months to develop the habit.

Perhaps first need to be clear here about what a habit actually is though.

I'd suggest that with some 'habits' you can start or end them instantly. You can wake up one morning, decide you are going to start or stop doing something and then carry on with that for the rest of your life. It just requires a realisation for change and a motivation to do it.

Subconscious habits are likely to be a different story however. That's where the brain likely has to make or break the  connections to allow the habit to become almost autonomous, and that is likely to take time.

There is also perhaps the question of what duration or number of instances are actually required in order for something to officially qualify as a habit. Also when does a habit transition to an obsessive behaviour or an addiction.

I recall that there was a study done in the mid 80's in relation to the brain and aging where it suggested that use of language could affect cognitive decline. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3TXBkZtyNRPpCCknlVpTnV4/what-can-nuns-reveal-about-the-secrets-of-ageing

( Link to downloadable podcast )

So in-between pumping iron in the gym, growing your fresh veg on the allotment and rocking out on stage, don't forget to make some time to update your memoirs before you crawl into bed and pass-out.

 beacon_dave Ah... you provoke thought...  

I agree that the term "habit" can be subjective.  I chose to accept "habit" as a very loose term for an action or activity that I wanted to change more so than a more exact definition.  When Dr. Jones referenced riding the escalator up versus walking up the escalator, I figured that "habit" was more like "propensity".  It may be intentional that the term can be ambiguous.  Not every habit is either good or bad - or needs to be changed.  I still prefer to put two spaces after a period when typing - although that is now considered improper form by modern writing standards.

I also agree that there is no magic number of repetitions or length of time required to "change a habit".  As you state, some unconscious decisions can be changed just by acknowledging that we have a propensity to do them.  Salt on food is one that comes to mind.  I used to add salt to french fries (chips) before even tasting them.  Then i read an article (on interviewing) that said that action inferred that I jump to conclusions without any information.  It doesn't matter if that inference is right or wrong, I started to at least take a bite before salting.  After my heart attack, I do more than take a bite.  I actually taste the food - and usually forego the salt.  The "habit" changed by moving it from a back-brain activity (almost autonomous) to a more front-brain activity.
Maybe it's like memory.  It depends on the value you assign to the change or event.

And... I'm with you 100% on asking where is the dividing line or breakover point.  I should be doing daily cardio.  I don't really enjoy exercise.  I have "fallen off the wagon" a few times in the past - even though I had months of prior repeated behavior.  Exercise should have been a habit by then - but it wasn't.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have quit doing it.  There is definitely a breakover point where it's not as much of a mental effort to exercise - even a bit of anxiousness if I don't.  But... I don't think it will ever get to the realm of "almost autonomous" (no matter how much I'd like it to).  If riding the escalator counts, why doesn't riding the exercise bike?
Always more questions than answers, this one.

kmikemoo said:

Salt on food is one that comes to mind.  I used to add salt to french fries (chips) before even tasting them.

Even that can sometimes be questionable. I already know my chips are unseasoned before I add any salt. Just like I don't taste raw meat before cooking it and I don't taste dry breakfast cereal before pouring milk on it.

I think it is still a conscious decision however, as sometimes I might go for tomato ketchup instead of the salt. I also cut out the chips altogether for a while and managed to resist the urge to pour salt on the table.

kmikemoo said:

I should be doing daily cardio.  I don't really enjoy exercise.

I don't think a lot of people do, unless they are the ones that get an endorphin rush out of it, in which case it can be borderline addiction.

I treat cardio as podcast time. I have several 100 podcasts lined up to listen to, so it's an ideal time to work through them, and audio is quite an easy format to work with when you are moving around on the machine.

Like-wise, I watched the above video podcast (and this week's e14 Presents) whilst doing some dance practice stood in front of the screen.
(Top Tip - don't try this whilst watching the car chase scene in the 1968 movie Bullitt, as it can induce some pretty trippy vertigo type effects)