The Science of Setting & Achieving Goals
Video Overview & Insights
In this episode, I discuss the science of setting, assessing, and pursuing goals. I explain the neural (brain) circuits that underlie goal setting and pursuit. Then I describe nine science-supported tools anyone can apply toward their goals. I explain when and how to use goal visualization, when to use multitasking and how to use specific rewards to improve the likelihood of reaching your goals. I also explain why envisioning failures and their consequences are effective and how to set goals of the appropriate level of challenge. I also explain how the molecule dopamine is used to gauge our progress toward milestones and long-term overarching goals and how to leverage dopamine for goal pursuit. Finally, I explain a unique tool called 'space-time bridging' that can be used to support all aspects of goal setting, assessment, and pursuit. This episode ought to be useful for anyone seeking to improve their performance in work, school, exercise, athletics, or personal development.
It would help to have the tool at 1:41 written out or as a short. I’ve been trying to find my way back to it for a long tube
#HubermanLab #Goals #Neuroscience
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Any explanation in neuroscience for people who have no goal in life?
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I just feel that i should write down everything, perfect episode✓✓
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Does it help if the visual point to stare at is related to the goal, or does it only matter that it’s a point?
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Don't set goals. Don't aim to reach them. Just live life. Appreciate your existence. Do what you want/what you're passionate about.
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This is the most informative and comprehensive dive into goals setting/ motivation I have come across. Thank you so much for the research summarise and referencing. Such amazing training for leaders in any organisation!
If anybody can recommend any books on this topic that bring together what has been outlined in this talk please do let me know.
Thank you so much - amazing public service!!
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1:04:52 foreshadowing failure would be a disaster for people with Anxiety, ADHD and so on... Please be more attentive to these issues!
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Links:
I’m blown away by the quality of this content!
The 85% Rule for Optimal Learning - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12552-4
Effects of Narrowing Visual Attention on Goal Pursuit Behavior - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167219861438
35:20 what is meant by the "cognitive fitness space?" in the context of mistakes people do which he is talking about??? He speaks abiut visualization and multi tasking and humans good ability evaluating goals across different time scales.... But I am not sure this part (mentioning cognitive fitness space) is clear!?
Timestamps:
00:00:00 The Neuroscience of Goals
what if animals don't plan for meals in advance is because they don't have refrigeration? Squirrels plan for food in advance by planting seeds.
00:01:56 Tool 1: Learn Fast(er) by the 85% Rule
00:06:04 LMNT, Athletic Greens, ROKA
everybody fails the jump the first time andrew-you just have to believe -Morpheus
00:13:55 Brain Circuits for Setting & Pursuing Goals
00:21:52 Determining the Value of Goals
Too much selling
00:24:33 Psychology of Goal Setting: Assessing Value, Action Steps
00:30:29 Peripersonal Space vs. Extrapersonal Space
01:15:25 definitely lot of things in our cognitive enviornment -> SOCIAL MEDIA. Do you guys agree?
00:35:39 Visually Focusing on a Goal Line Improves Performance
00:43:50 How Vision Improves Performance: Blood Pressure
Every step matters, no matter how small. Each tiny action adds up over time, building real progress. The secret is consistency: keep moving forward, even slowly, & you’ll build unstoppable momentum. Step by step, you go farther than you ever imagined. Don’t wait for perfect conditions, they’ll never arrive. What truly counts is showing up, taking action, & staying committed. Every day you move forward, you’re shaping real change in your life. The universal truth is this: small, steady steps create massive results, & persistence always leads you where you’re meant to go. I say this with certainty because I’ve lived it, seen it, & learned from it—it’s truth proven by experience.
00:51:55 Tool 2: Use Focal Vision to Initiate Goal Pursuit
00:54:40 Tool 3: Use Aged Self-Images to Self-Motivate
Set goals that are moderately difficult – Choose challenges that push you beyond comfort but are still achievable.
Plan concretely – Create a clear, step-by-step plan outlining exactly how you will reach each goal.
Foreshadow failure – Think ahead about WHAT IF things go wrong. Visualizing success is helpful only at the beginning of your goal pursuit, not throughout the entire process.
Train your focus – Improve concentration by fixing your gaze on a single visual point for 60 seconds before u sit down on a focussed task. .
00:59:33 Tool 4: Visualization of Goals is Only Helpful at the Start
01:02:05 Tool 5: Visualizing Failure is the Best Ongoing Motivator
Focusing on a external point for 30-60 seconds before taking action on a goal can help increase ability to focus on task at hand
01:07:26 Tool 6: Make Goals Moderately Lofty
01:13:05 Tool 7: Avoid Goal Distraction; Focus on 1-2 Major Goals Per Year
when you act like an illegal citizen in the jail even as a complete american. they let you out faster give you more protectoin in california, its pretty crazy
01:15:57 Tool 8: Ensure Specificity of Goals, Weekly Assessment
01:19:57 Dopamine, Motivation & Pleasure in Seeking Goals
I seriously need to leave Folsom asap I have been trying to leave this shithole Folsom for months, I hate it here so much.
01:22:43 Dopamine Reward Prediction Error, Controlling Dopamine
01:34:26 How Dopamine Influences Vision & Vice Versa
i am hella hella sober after smoking tobacco for days and drinking. I hate FOlsom so much
01:38:10 Interim Summary of Goal-Pursuit Steps
01:39:50 Tool 9: Space-Time Bridging
i want a tiny tattoo of andrew lol brother changes my life with every video- and then changes it again every time i rewatch! RIP Costello <3
01:49:59 Summary
01:51:50 Subscribe, Sponsors, Patreon, Supplements: Thorne, Instagram, Twitter, Newsletter
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Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com
if you're scrolling and feel off, read this. i was burnt out, low energy, not myself. found Testosterone Rewired by David Brooks, had zero expectations but man. chapter by chapter it rebuilt me. no hype bs, not fake motivation just stuff that grounds you and resets your system. this book really saved me. wish I found it sooner.🔥
More User Perspectives
5:12 So you're saying that the difficulty level of the task should be such that it can be achieved with above-average effort? I hope I understood that correctly.
@V.aralisThank you Andrew
@AbdullaNazirShaikh❤
@wihangachamikara6611Thanks for very useful podcasts
@Ahmad-q4i6xThinking about what it would be like to fail helps us to achieve that goal - foreshadowing and avoiding failure, what they will be like and feel like. This is the opposite of what the law of attraction teaches.
@AmeliaFeng-rd4ncIs it Andrew Advertisement?
@sulaimansherzad9223🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
06/06/2025
secret spots to relax
@BilalKhan-qb2lwFeels he's talking about a sniper who's waiting to hunt that prey😅
@AliAbbas-st5ojI do not buy this focus on failure to reach a goal. This may be information that is bought and paid for by «the authorities».
@gonorrheagasparini6074Doctor Huberman. It would be beneficial if you had an expanded video on the context and subject with the added effect of somebody with ADHD/ADD and AUADHD.
@kajiomoi1Love all the podcast❤
@ednamendez5398ABC method good one
@fehm-e-qurancentre8690THANKS!
@aaryanvipin2412I have ADHD and it took my 4 days to document and watch this. I belive i have a chance to reach my goals now because I accomplished to see this entire video and took notes! Thanks mate much love!
@Svenasoderberg3:23 hatalardan sonra gelen sinir plastikligi artiriyor ve daha iyi ogreniosun %85 dogru / %15 yanlis yapmalisin ogrenmek icin 18:30 amygdala goal ile iliskili ama normalde anxiety ve fear aslinda bir noktada hedefe ulasmada bir ceza ya da korkudan kacinmak var.
- hedefini belirlerken spesifij detaylar koymalisin ( bu aklima vision board olayinu getirid baglantili ya da mesela ders caliscagin zaman sunus unu caliscam diye spesiifk plan yapnam lazim
- hedefinin ne kadar valuable oldugunu gormek ya da deger bicmek onemli
- peripersonal space : yerimden erisebjldigim seyler ++ degerlendirme ( serotonin)
Extra personal space: kalkip da yapmam gereken seyler+ gedefe ulasmak ( dopamin
-visualisation o kadar da etkili degil
- multitasking dofru zamanda yapilirsa kotu bisi deil - during that adrenalin artar yavas yavas ve bu da isi yaparken daha iyi odaklanmani saglar
39:15 bir isi yaparken daha iyi odaklanmak icin visual alanini daraltmasi lazim, mesela bunu artirmak icin bir seyi yapmdan ince bir noktaya 1 dakika boyunca bak 40:55 damit beynini goal pursuing mode a sokuosun
Bu visual alani daraltmak manyak etkili deneyde %25 hizlanma gozlenmis. Mesela soyle eger sen bir cizhiye bakarak kosarsan daha hizli ve dahaz eforla bunu halllediosun
+ genis alana bakmak = relaxation( stres vidoesunda bahsetmisti)
Dar alana bakmak = alertness 45:55 daha dar bir alaba gozlerinle odaklanmak blood pressurei biraz artirio e bu da adrenalin falan demek yani genel olarak dar bri alana odaklanmak seni hedefe ulasmada hizlandiorp
Long termde kendini somut olarak o zamandaki haline bakarsan hedefe daha motive oluosun gibimsi ( mesela atiyorum para biriktircen yasli haline bakinca daha cok biriktiriosun gibi ) ( ama bana sunu getirdi aklima neden o zaman en basta visualasation o ladar da etkili deil dedi ki aslijda benzer mekanizma olmasini beklerim ( YANI GENEL OLARAK SOMUT OLARAK GOZLERIN HEDEF KONUSUNDA COK ETKILI
1:02:36 visualizing aslinda bi noktada geri atio eger iyiyi dusunursen ama eger rutin olarak failurei visualizelarsan neredeyse 2 kat iyi oluosun
1:09:53 hedef cok basit olursa sinir sistemi o kadar da aktive olmuo
1:14:16 cok fazla major goal olmadin max 2 3
1:19:22 action stepleri haftada bir updatelemek ve degerlendirmek haftada bir iyi olur
1:23:41 beklenti ve dopamin beklentide olursan olaydaki zevk azalio
Thank you, I teach life skills to young people, and I update my knowledge regularly to stay current with research. It was interesting to learn how the neuroscience is supporting the psychological approach to goal setting and achieving. I also work with young adults from very poor backgrounds with limited education. It is interesting that they generally have no forward vision or goals for their lives. I would like to try some of your suggestions with them at some point in time to see if we can help them move forward to make better choices in their lives.
@inbalanscoachingtraining9236Thank You very much for incredible information and practice!!!!
@virginiam9366Huberman is saving my life right now! He is a blessing on this earth! 👏👏👏👏
@philiplisondra254201:02:05 Tool 5: Visualizing Failure is the Best Ongoing Motivator
this has to be used very carefully ,if you are already lagging behind ,you don't have those habits ,this method can make your life worse ,you are more likely to get depressed and it will drain even more energy from you ,Andrew should have emphasized more on this tool it has more downside than upside
Thank you
@mlconsultantsmasteringlead377I will always support Andrew Huberman instead of siding with some pseudo exercise scientist cracking lewd jokes all the time.
@CelibeeeDoes someone found the papers of Dr. Emily Balcetis about x2 chance of achieving goal if you are imaging fail consequences?
@vasiliikhaninev2119this is mind blowing for me thank you
@dylanirelandlive50:09 target Fixation while riding motorcycle and driving cars
@7srinandanI didn’t click on it but I saw a video of you that seemed like a smear campaign, likely a pharma industry related thing
@ForrestDNudist