What Magic & Mind Reading Reveal About the Brain | Asi Wind

In this episode, my guest is Asi Wind. He's one of the world’s top magicians and mentalists.  We discuss what magic and mentalism reveal about the human mind, including how memories are made, how to erase them, and how and why we perceive things the way we do, all in the context of how he performs his astonishing tricks.  Asi explains that magic works because it involves storytelling, which is key to how we organize memories. He also explains how emotional connection allows people to co-create and believe a common narrative, even one that did not actually occur.  We also discuss how Asi's love of painting and photography and his specific daily routine allow him to access creativity. We also discuss fear, perfectionism, and how feeling emotions deeply serves his craft.  Whether you are interested in magic or not, this conversation with Asi will give you an incredible window into how you perceive, learn, and remember the world around you and how what you believe may or may not be based in reality.  For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com. Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Asi Wind (00:03:05) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up (00:07:07) “Jazzy Magic”, Tricks & Improvisation, Memory (00:14:57) Magic & Imagination (00:24:06) Memory “Experiments” (00:25:19) Sponsor: AG1 (00:30:46) Reality Augmentation, Free Will (00:35:31) Audience Interactions & Connection, Empathy, Tool: Breathing (00:41:20) Audience, Empathetic Attunement & Connection; Skeptics (00:49:10) Trick Explanation, Props (00:57:21) Exposing Magic, Misdirection, Storytelling (01:08:36) Delight, Hypnosis, Behavior Patterns (01:17:35) Hypnotists & Guiding Attention; Social Media (01:23:01) “Power of Pauses” & Memory; Tool: Gap Effects & Learning (01:30:14) Tension, Understanding Magic (01:36:16) Storytelling (01:43:00) Painting & Composition (01:51:08) Truths, Clean Slate, Art & Storytelling (01:59:03) Art & Motivation, Honesty (02:05:17) Inspiration & Creativity, “Sponge” (02:12:38) Morning Routine & Creativity (02:19:28) Memory & Fear, Power of Story; Tool: Walking & Creativity (02:29:53) Body Language (02:33:01) Perfectionism; Negative Emotions, Photography (02:40:19) Sensitivity, Empathy, Family (02:45:16) Incredibly Human Show (02:49:22) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Om Podcasten

The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Huberman has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills, and cognitive functioning. He is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017.  Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals, including Nature, Science, and Cell, and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover, and other top media outlets. In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.