Huberman LabWhat Humans, Animals and Plants Tell Us About Consciousness | Michael Pollan
Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- September 28, 2026
- Duration
- 2h 2m
- Channel
- Huberman Lab
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Michael Pollan is a renowned author, journalist and professor at UC Berkeley. He is best known for his influential works on how humans and plants have shaped each other at the level of food, medicine, health, and culture. In this episode we discuss consciousness—what it is and how the recognition between our self vs others contributes to-- but also can impair, certain aspects of conscious experience. We discuss psychedelics, the microbiome, caffeine, and how the unconscious dialogue between our body and brain impacts our thoughts and feelings. Pollan offers a hopeful perspective on how our relationship with plants and animals – including other humans, can lead us to a healthier, and far richer experience of life. Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/XLRVeiP Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Mateina: https://drinkmateina.com Rorra: https://rorra.com/huberman Huberman Lab Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab X: https://x.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Michael Pollan Website: https://michaelpollan.com Books: https://amzn.to/4rAG20g Newsletter: https://michaelpollan.substack.com Academic Profile: https://journalism.berkeley.edu/person/pollan X: https://x.com/michaelpollan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Pollan/100044521082777 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael.pollan Threads: https://www.threads.com/@michael.pollan Timestamps 00:00:00 Michael Pollan 00:02:50 Wendell Berry, Nature 00:06:30 Consciousness; Sentience 00:10:04 Environmental Response, Plant Intelligence; Self-Recognition 00:13:52 Sponsors: Eight Sleep & Rorra 00:20:49 Plants, Communication, Sentience, Symbiosis 00:27:37 Self-Awareness, Time; Xenobots, Instinct 00:34:32 Microbiome, Influence & Symbiosis 00:40:28 Meaning; Cortex vs Brain Stem, Homeostatic Feelings 00:47:17 Sponsor: AG1 00:48:36 Body & Brain Communication, Vagus Nerve 00:57:21 Collective Consciousness, Psychedelics, Ego, Awe 01:08:14 Filter Theories of Consciousness 01:13:28 Sponsor: Function 01:15:06 AI, Consciousness, Feelings; Memory; Quantum Effects 01:21:27 Childhood, Gardening, Interacting with Nature 01:27:08 Hope, Nature & Agency, Food Industry 01:32:21 Advocacy, Psychedelics, Food Industry 01:39:50 Sponsor: Mateina 01:44:52 Psychedelics, Ibogaine, Veterans, Politics; MDMA, Psilocybin; Risk 01:52:18 Caffeine, Caffeine Fast, Health Benefits 02:00:21 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
SPEAKERS
Michael Pollan
guestAuthor and journalist known for books on food systems, plants, and psychedelics including The Omnivore’s Dilemma, How to Change Your Mind, and This Is Your Mind on Plants.
Andrew Huberman
hostProfessor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Michael Pollan and Andrew Huberman, What Humans, Animals and Plants Tell Us About Consciousness | Michael Pollan explores pollan on consciousness: plants, feelings, ego, psychedelics, and open questions Michael Pollan and Andrew Huberman examine why consciousness remains scientifically elusive, proposing workable definitions like “subjective experience” while questioning human-centered assumptions about what counts as awareness.
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