A Science-Supported Journaling Protocol to Improve Mental & Physical Health

**Andrew D. Huberman** (0:00)
Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.
I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. Today, we are discussing journaling for mental and physical health. I want to emphasize that today's discussion is not a general discussion about the value of journaling. Rather, it is a discussion about a particular form of journaling that the scientific peer-reviewed data says is especially powerful for improving our mental and physical health. In fact, what I will describe today is a journaling method that is supported by over 200 peer-reviewed studies in quality journals. And I frankly was not aware of this journaling practice prior to researching this episode. But in researching this episode, have come to discover that this practice should easily be placed among some of the other critical, so-called foundational pillar practices in terms of its impact on improving mental and physical health, including things like lowering anxiety, improving sleep, improving immunity to things like colds, flus, et cetera, as well as reducing the symptoms of autoimmune disorders, such as arthritis, lupus, and also providing some relief for fibromyalgia, which is a condition of excessive pain. The particular journaling method and protocol that I will describe has also been shown to improve various metrics of everyday living, including improved memory, decision-making, and on and on and on. So much so that, again, I was very surprised that I had not heard of this particular journaling method. One would think that if such a powerful method existed that everyone would know about it. But it turns out that this particular journaling method has been somewhat cloistered within the fields of psychology and psychiatry. It's not that nobody was aware of it. In fact, I learned about it for the first time from our Associate Chair of Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, my colleague and collaborator, Dr. David Spiegel, who, as some of you may know, has been featured as a guest on this podcast previously. And upon hearing about it, I decided to explore the primary research, that is, the studies that demonstrate the power of this particular journaling method, and was absolutely blown away by the positive impact this particular journaling method can have.
What's wonderful about it, you'll soon discover, is that it takes a relatively small amount of time. In fact, it's something that you could do during the course of one week or even across one month and then never do again. And the data say that it would still have lasting positive benefits, both for body and mind. So while it's rare to feature one particular protocol as an entire Huberman Lab podcast, that is indeed what I will do today. It is important that we go into some depth about the specific protocol, because there are some important details that everyone should know if they want to apply it and make it as effective as it can be. And in addition to that, we'll talk about some of the underlying science that's been published, explaining why and how this protocol is so effective for mental and physical health. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is, however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, I'd like to thank the sponsors of today's podcast. Our first sponsor is Element. Element is an electrolyte drink that has everything you need and nothing you don't. That means plenty of electrolytes, sodium, magnesium and potassium and no sugar. The electrolytes are absolutely essential for the functioning of every cell in your body and your neurons, your nerve cells rely on sodium, magnesium and potassium in order to communicate with one another electrically and chemically. Element contains the optimal ratio of electrolytes for the functioning of neurons and the other cells of your body. Every morning, I drink a packet of element dissolved in about 32 ounces of water. I do that just for general hydration and to make sure that I have adequate electrolytes for any activities that day. I'll often also have an element packet or even two packets in 32 to 60 ounces of water if I'm exercising very hard and certainly if I'm sweating a lot in order to make sure that I replace those electrolytes. If you'd like to try element, you can go to drinklmnt.com/huberman to get a free sample pack with your purchase. Again, that's drinklmnt.com/huberman.
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