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Lewis HowesDO THIS First Thing In The Morning To COMPLETELY HEAL Your Body & Mind | Dr. Daniel Amen
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Chapter summaries
Positivity-bias training: bookending the day with “great day” and “what went well”
Dr. Daniel Amen explains a simple morning and nighttime habit: start the day by declaring it will be great, and end by deliberately reviewing what went well. He says this trains the brain to look for what’s right, even on painful days, and builds a more disciplined mind.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says you can train your brain by choosing what it searches for.
- •He describes saying “Today’s going to be a great day” to cue the brain toward what’s right.
- •He recommends ending every day by asking “What went well today?” and scanning from morning onward.
- •He shares doing this even the day his father died, despite an inner critic pushing back.
- •He frames this as part of living in a culture of “undisciplined minds” and learning a science of discipline.
Negativity vs. positivity bias—and why some anxiety is useful
Lewis Howes asks what this strategy is called, and Dr. Amen describes negativity bias versus positivity bias. He argues that a complete absence of worry can be dangerous, while too much anxiety can be harmful—so the goal is an appropriate dose.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen defines negativity bias as quickly focusing on fear and what’s wrong, often amplified by news.
- •He defines positivity bias as focusing on what’s right and calls the practice “positivity bias training.”
- •He says low anxiety can correlate with risk-taking and even criminal behavior, while some anxiety helps people do the right things.
- •He warns that excessive anxiety and cortisol can damage the brain, describing a dose-response idea.
- •He says his job as a psychiatrist isn’t always to lower anxiety; for some people it may need to be raised.
Dementia risk factors: weight, blood sugar, and protecting blood flow
Lewis asks about causes of dementia, and Dr. Amen highlights weight and metabolic issues as major risks. He emphasizes blood flow as central to brain health, describing how various habits reduce blood flow and how improving it can improve life, including sexual function.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says his Bright Minds approach includes 11 factors, and he highlights being overweight as a key risk.
- •He describes “diabesity” (overweight plus high blood sugar) and says increasing weight correlates with decreasing brain size and function.
- •He says obesity lowers blood flow to the brain, increases inflammation, stores toxins, and alters hormones.
- •He argues blood vessels are a major driver of aging effects on the brain, and decreased blood flow harms brain cells.
- •He lists factors he says reduce brain blood flow (including caffeine, nicotine, sedentary lifestyle, heart disease, high blood pressure) and connects blood flow to sexual function.
Accurate thinking with a positive bias: defining and spotting toxic positivity
Lewis asks about “toxic positivity,” and Dr. Amen clarifies he’s not a fan of blanket positive thinking. He argues for accuracy with a positive bias—considering consequences—while calling “don’t worry, be happy” a form of toxic positivity when it ignores real outcomes.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen distinguishes “positive thinking” from “accurate thinking with a positive bias.”
- •He gives examples of unrealistic positive thinking that ignores consequences (food, risky driving, impulsive decisions).
- •He connects poor decision-making to sadness and says being “in the moment” without “all of the moments” can be harmful.
- •He labels “no matter what I do today won’t impact tomorrow” as toxic positivity.
- •Lewis reflects on loving and protecting the brain as the foundation for a better life.
Brain types and happiness: five primary types based on imaging
After the sponsor segment, Dr. Amen says happiness strategies depend on brain type. He outlines five primary brain types and describes what tends to make each type happy or unhappy, emphasizing that people can have combinations of types.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says common happiness advice varies in effectiveness depending on brain type.
- •He describes Amen Clinics’ use of brain imaging and his interest in identifying subtypes rather than one-size-fits-all labels.
- •He lists five primary types: balanced, spontaneous, persistent, sensitive, and cautious.
- •He describes each type’s tendencies (e.g., novelty-seeking vs routine-loving; connection-craving; peace-seeking).
- •He notes there are combinations, leading to more types, and mentions a link in the book to find one’s type.
Applying your brain type: goals, routines, and team-building for strengths and weaknesses
Lewis asks what to do once you know your type, and Dr. Amen offers practical direction tailored to types. He focuses especially on spontaneous types, stressing clear goals and daily self-checks, and he connects these patterns to how people build businesses and teams.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says balanced types should focus on maintaining what’s working.
- •He says spontaneous types need detailed goals and to ask “Does it fit?” when making daily choices.
- •He describes spontaneous types as vulnerable to distraction and drawn to novelty, often seen in entrepreneurs.
- •He says spontaneous leaders may be strong at starting businesses but need persistent types to help organize and grow them.
- •He shares his own type as balanced with cautious and sensitive features, noting relationships strongly influence his happiness.
Falling in love with the brain: personal wake-up call, scanning, and relationship implications
Dr. Amen recounts scanning his mother and then himself, realizing his brain looked older and less healthy due to lifestyle and history. He describes shifting to a “Is this good for my brain or bad for it?” mindset, and discusses how brain function underpins empathy and relationship skills.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says he once neglected sleep, ate fast food, was overweight, and was chronically stressed.
- •He describes scanning his mother (healthy brain) and then scanning himself and being alarmed by the difference.
- •He attributes issues to factors including football head impacts and meningitis, alongside lifestyle choices.
- •He says he built a daily decision filter: “Is this good for my brain or bad for it?” including avoiding red-eye flights for sleep reasons.
- •He links brain function to empathy, cooperation, listening, and relationship success beyond the initial “cocaine phase” of romance.
Thoughts, attachment, and mental noise: naming the mind and creating distance
Lewis asks about negative self-talk and whether scans show differences between toxic thinking and substances. Dr. Amen explains that thoughts can activate emotional circuits, and he introduces techniques to detach from thoughts, including naming the mind and treating thoughts as events rather than identity.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says toxic thinking often shows up as an overactive emotional brain, while substances can relate to “shriveling” patterns he describes.
- •He recommends naming your mind to create psychological distance from inner dialogue.
- •He tells a story about naming his mind after a troublemaking pet raccoon, illustrating how thoughts can be disruptive but not authoritative.
- •He emphasizes: it’s not the thoughts you have that cause suffering, it’s the thoughts you attach to or believe.
- •He notes people can have intrusive thoughts without them being true and urges care around disclosure and support when thoughts are distressing.
How thoughts shape the body: questioning beliefs and using Byron Katie’s framework
Dr. Amen connects thoughts to immediate physiological changes and frames thoughts as influenced by genetics, family, and environment—and often deceptive. He walks Lewis through a structured method of evaluating thoughts, including the “turnaround,” to return to accurate thinking with a positive bias.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says thoughts come from genes, family history, parents’ voices, friends, enemies, news, and music.
- •He says thoughts trigger chemical and physiological shifts immediately (warmth, tension, breathing, HRV).
- •He states “Every thought you have impacts every cell in your body” and reiterates that thoughts often lie.
- •He recommends writing down thoughts when emotionally activated and asking whether they’re true.
- •He demonstrates Byron Katie-style questioning with Lewis’ thought “I’m behind,” including “Is it absolutely true?” and the “turnaround.”
Happiness as a moral obligation—and the dopamine trap of fame and hedonism
Dr. Amen argues happiness affects everyone around you, making it an ethical issue rather than selfish “fluff.” He contrasts meaningful happiness with hedonism and explains how dopamine-driven rewards—like fame—can wear out pleasure systems and lead to depression, shifting focus toward connection and respect.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says raising the question of happiness as a moral obligation changes how people see its impact on others.
- •He compares chronic unhappiness to “bad breath” that affects everyone nearby.
- •He calls hedonism (pleasure for pleasure’s sake) the enemy of happiness and says it wears out pleasure centers.
- •He explains dopamine dynamics in the nucleus accumbens and describes how repeated “hits” lead to needing more to feel anything.
- •He contrasts dopamine goals with serotonin (respect) and oxytocin (connection), and describes fame as potentially disorienting.
Service, hippocampus growth, and skill-first mental health (before pills)
Lewis asks about service versus self-focus, and Dr. Amen cites a volunteering intervention linked to hippocampus growth. He uses this to argue for skill-building approaches—breathing, thought management, diet—before defaulting to medications or substances.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen describes a study where weekly volunteering for a year was followed by hippocampus growth on MRI.
- •He explains the hippocampus’ roles in memory, mood, and spatial orientation, and notes it produces stem cells daily.
- •He emphasizes teaching skills rather than starting with pills, listing diaphragmatic breathing and not believing every thought.
- •He claims diet changes can address a significant portion of mental health problems and stresses individualized fit.
- •He reinforces the theme: loving your brain leads to a better life.
Addiction and behavior change: defining what you want, “does it fit?”, and daily micro-moments
Lewis asks how to get to the root of addiction, and Dr. Amen outlines a neuroscience-informed reframing of step work. He emphasizes getting clear on what you want, checking if behavior fits, and building daily happiness through small, personally meaningful moments.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says step one is clarifying what you want in relationships, work, money, and health.
- •He frames step two as recognizing life is out of control when behavior isn’t getting you what you want.
- •He says many people don’t actually know what they want, even after years of asking patients as a psychiatrist.
- •He introduces daily questions from his book, including whether you did something that makes you uniquely happy today.
- •He encourages “micro moments of happiness” and gives an example of creating a yard environment to attract hummingbirds.
Seven neuroscience “secrets”: brain optimization, food, supplements, mind mastery, and giving happiness away
Dr. Amen walks through several of his book’s core “secrets,” supported by clinic comparisons and examples. He discusses frontal lobe function and happiness, a transformation story with a former athlete, specific supplement ideas, food choices, managing criticism, and shaping relationships by noticing what you like in others.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen describes a clinic study comparing high vs low happiness groups, linking low happiness with lower frontal lobe function.
- •He shares an example of Troy Glaus improving after stopping drinking, changing diet, losing weight, exercising, and using supplements, with improved scans in two months.
- •He discusses saffron-based supplementation and contrasts it with antidepressants’ sexual side effects while noting he isn’t opposed to medication.
- •He uses “love food that loves you back” to describe choosing foods that support you rather than harm you.
- •He explains giving happiness away by noticing what you like about others, illustrated by the “penguin” story and the power of reinforcing desired behavior.
Values, grief, and protecting yourself while processing loss
Dr. Amen’s final “secret” centers on living by clearly defined values, purpose, and goals, so you aren’t pushed around by external forces. Lewis then asks about grief after losing his father; Dr. Amen describes grief as normal, encourages feeling it honestly with balanced memories, and warns against using grief as an excuse for self-harming habits.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says without clear values and goals, you’re tossed by news, weather, and others’ agendas.
- •He highlights the “One Page Miracle” exercise: define what you want and ask daily if you’re getting it.
- •On grief, he says to feel it, spend time with memories, and process emotions rather than avoid them.
- •He describes writing his father’s eulogy as healing and recommends balanced remembering, not idealizing or demonizing.
- •He shares a story of a grieving mother who said: never let grief be your excuse to hurt yourself, and notes prolonged grief often involves unhelpful habits.
Extended Q&A: blood sugar, sleep and oxygen, dopamine dumping, substances, trauma tools, and memory training
In a wide-ranging closing segment, Dr. Amen returns to metabolic health and its impact on brain structures, then expands into sleep, oxygen debt, dopamine overload from modern life, and substance effects. He also discusses trauma treatments like EMDR and havening, the importance of new learning for memory, and closes with “three truths” about brain health and behavior fit.
- •Dr. Daniel Amen says high blood sugar/diabetes is widespread and describes it as harming brain size and the hippocampus.
- •He emphasizes sleep as essential for brain cleaning via the glymphatic system, and warns about sleep apnea as an oxygen-debt state.
- •He explains “drip dopamine, don’t dump it,” describing how intense dopamine hits can wear out pleasure centers and contribute to depression and addiction cycles.
- •He shares concerns about marijuana’s impact on brain blood flow and aging in his imaging work, while supporting legalization without calling it healthy.
- •He discusses non-drug trauma tools (EMDR, havening), then stresses memory and cognition benefits from new learning (like languages) and ends with his “three truths”: love your brain, don’t believe every thought, know what you want and ask if your behavior fits.
