Lifestyle Gurus

 I consider myself a natural adversary of Dr Andrew Huberman, the neuroscientist and lifestyle guru...

I will never ingest exotic collations of dietary supplements before breakfast, nor do I plan to manipulate my circadian rhythms by confining myself to a room illuminated by red lightbulbs. I bristle at Huberman's view of human beings as little more than organic machines requiring carefully calibrated inputs to attain maximum efficiency.

My favourite Hubermanism is his advice to watch the sunset every evening, not because it is beautiful but because when the sun is "at a low solar angle, blue and yellow wavelength contrast is enhanced... activating the biological circuits that support mental and physical health."

Sunset
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)
Photo Credit: Tate Britain [CC BY-NC-ND]

Huberman's mechanistic view of our bodies and minds appeals to an age that is insecure about the human condition and its limitations. As machines become ever more frighteningly capable we envy their relentlessness and perfection. Mere flawed humanity seems a paltry thing. It is no coincidence that philosophies of "self-optimisation" thrive in Silicon Valley (Huberman works at Stanford University) where the cult of the machine is at its most credulous...

The tech billionaire Bryan Johnson hopes to cheat death with the aid of a strict exercise programme and a diet of 111 pills every day. After all machines do not die...

Memento Mori
Edwaert Collier (c. 1640-c.1707) (follower of)
Photo Credit: Rochdale Arts & Heritage Service [CC BY-NC] 

We are learning to value ourselves best when we most closely imitate machines. We have become accustomed to seek out "life hacks" as if  existence was software capable of being exploited. We purchase electronic watches that track our sleep, stress, exercise and heart rates as if the body were merely a highly functioning piece of factory equipment. Most disturbingly, we treat others as machines, monitoring, rating and reviewing our human taxi drivers and deliverymen as if they are not people but gadgets...

The human inferiority complex is only destined to grow. The past few months have brought the advent of artificial intelligence systems capable of making art, writing poems and telling jokes. Only a year ago most of us imagined that these were essential and unreproducible virtues of human nature - among the important justifications for the value of our species. Well, no longer...

(James Marriott, The Times, 2023)

Is there rigorous scientific evidence available that shows the benefits of  dietary supplements? If not why do people take them? And the tech billionaire - maybe he would be better off reading philosophical books? And James, not all of us buy watches that track our sleep, stress, exercise and heart rates. I prefer to spend my money on good food and wine perhaps whilst watching beautiful sunsets in different countries! As for "self optimisation" I smell a commercial rat here.