On Sunday, I mentioned something Andrew Huberman said on Joe Rogan’s podcast and left his claim unresolved. Later, I listened to the episode again and looked into the research.
What?
I focused on two sentences from that same episode, which came out on September 14.
The first sentence is the one I quoted: “If I just keep doing really hard things, I’m going to stay in control of my impulses.” I stopped there, but he continues: “As long as I also touch the goodness that’s there every day.” This is a personal rule for him, and he doesn’t mention any study to back it up.
The second sentence comes a few minutes earlier, and he presents it as scientific fact. He says, “We know for certain” that putting yourself in a high-adrenaline state “gets you better at dealing with high stress states.” He mentions ice baths, tough workouts, or very hot saunas as examples.
So what?
“Certain” feels like a strong word for the evidence available.
Let’s look at impulses first. In the most direct study I found, 174 people practiced self-control tasks for six weeks, but the training didn’t improve any measure of self-control. A 2017 meta-analysis of 33 studies found a small-to-medium benefit, but that effect shrank after correcting for publication bias. The most common training lasted two weeks, such as using your non-dominant hand.
Now for stress. In a 2025 trial, 404 adults did 29 days of Wim Hof breathing with cold exposure, or meditation. After each session, the cold-exposure groups reported feeling better able to handle stress than the meditators, and this feeling grew over the month. However, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, sleep quality, and fatigue did not differ. Since breathing and cold exposure were combined, the study can’t tell which part made the difference.
People do feel more able to cope right after a session. I believe that, because I feel it myself. Still, that’s a long way from being “certain.”
I’m not here to lecture anyone. A year ago, I wrote that controlled discomfort “makes you more resilient,” but I didn’t have a study to back that up either.
The finding I would actually act on is less exciting. Researchers pinged 205 adults for a week on a beeper and collected 7,827 desire reports. Those with the most self-control reported weaker desires and didn’t have to resist as often. They simply had fewer temptations to fight. This is just an observation, so it doesn’t prove that removing temptation works, but that’s still where I’d put my money.
I still take very hot saunas because I enjoy them. But I no longer expect them to help me keep my phone in my pocket.
Now what?
Think of the one impulse that costs you the most. For me, it’s checking my phone when I’m with my kids. Consistent bedtime comes in second.
Remove the cue for that impulse. For example, put your phone in another room. Leave the charger outside your bedroom.
Write a simple if-then plan in one sentence. Mine is: “If I’m with the kids, then my phone is in another room or stays in the bag.” In 642 tests, plans like this worked, and they worked even better when people rehearsed them. So say your plan out loud twice.
Do the hard thing you enjoy. Then, put your phone somewhere else.
Stay healthy.
Andre