This article/ excerpt that I have written here is inspired by the YouTube video, posted on the channel Chris Williamson. In the video, Dr. Andrew Huberman narrates his experience of being with the high-tolerance performer, the American runner, and Guinness record holder David Goggins.
You can read the excerpt below.
David Goggins, America's toughest runner, once held the Guinness record for the highest number of pull-ups at 4030 in 17 hours. According to Andrew Huberman, what one sees on social media is actually what one gets from David Goggins in real-life interactions with him. Everything you read and hear about David Goggins is exactly how he shows up in real life.
Andrew Huberman mentioned that he has a virtual version of sharks set up in his lab. Even though it's not exactly the same as a real experience, people who are afraid of sharks can have a scary experience, allowing Dr. Huberman to study fear. David Goggins showed interest in experiencing the virtual reality of sharks, despite being afraid of them due to his past as a Navy SEAL for the US. He found the experience very scary but constantly wanted to experience it more, despite the fear.
According to Andrew Huberman, David was constantly pushing the friction lever. David Goggins was observed to have the power to push himself forward when circumstances are unfavorable, and both spiritual and mechanical energy are low. Andrew Huberman has coined a term for this, which he calls limbic friction. This is the friction that one has to overcome to get up and take action when lying on the bed totally exhausted; to lean into action in a calm and controlled way when the situation is stressful. For example, facing a public audience and delivering a talk in a calm and composed way when you know you are stressed out.
According to Andrew Huberman, limbic friction is the ability to tolerate high adrenaline. Adrenaline is an epinephrine that prepares us for a fight-or-flight response. Physiologically, adrenaline is produced from the adrenal gland above the kidneys. This adrenaline is in the blood and can't cross the so-called blood-brain barrier, which is a high restriction fence. Small molecules of adrenaline are produced within the brain from a cluster of neurons called the Locus ceruleus.
In stressful situations, adrenaline is produced in the body and the brain. This hijacks the body and certain organ systems - for example, you breathe faster, your heartbeats go faster, your vision narrows, etc. Looking at stress inoculation protocols like the ice bath challenge, cold shower, and cyclic hyperventilation process, lots of adrenaline is produced in the body. What if it is you who evoked the adrenaline in your body and brain; let's say by challenging yourself with an ice-cold bath, cold shower, or purposefully being in a stressful situation, and then you try to solve a math problem or try to relax?
Stressful situations can arise when you are in a relationship, in situations while delivering a public lecture, while performing a crucial part of your high-risk project, or in a near-accident situation, etc. Let's say while driving, you almost hit another vehicle, and this is a high-adrenaline situation. Chances are higher for you to freak out or engage in road rage. But if you are someone who is aware of this adrenaline rush or someone who is conditioned to behave calm and composed in a high-adrenaline situation, you will behave calm and composed in a real-life situation, as just mentioned above, and will have better consequences too.
Adrenaline is a generic hormone, and there is no specific adrenaline for the "car crash," "the heights," or the "relationship situations," etc. If you are someone who has trained and conditioned the body and the brain to think and act thoughtfully and calmly in a high-adrenaline situation, by evoking high adrenaline during stress-inoculation protocols like cold showers, and hyper cyclic-ventilation, then it raises the stress threshold. A person like David Goggins is trained to tolerate high-stress situations. So by being in situations that stimulate or trigger adrenaline, for example, in a hot or cold environment, or in a low-oxygen environment, one slowly raises the tolerance threshold or stress threshold. A hot environment can cause a burn, and a low-oxygen environment can cause suffocation. So, people trained in Navy SEALs are often presented with cold showers and ice baths as part of training.