The Anti-Ageing Expert | Bryan Johnson | Diary of a CEO Podcast | Podcast Summary | The Pod Slice
Transcript
In this discussion, Steven Bartlett and Bryan Johnson delve into the deep secrets and practicalities of extending human life and enhancing overall wellness. Bryan Johnson, a billionaire entrepreneur, has dedicated a significant part of his wealth to facilitate his quest to defy the conventional expectancy and quality of human life. His approach incorporates algorithmic precision, a method that employs specific computations to optimize health outcomes. His rigorous yet effective routines have resulted in him extending his lifespan by over 30% and reducing his biological age by 12 years. He boasts impressive improvements in muscle strength and sleep quality.
Johnson emphasizes the importance of sleep to human performance. He claims to have achieved an unprecedented six months of perfect sleep, according to his health wearable, whoop. Noticed improvements include optimal cognitive and emotional performance. He correlates the state of persistent sleep deprivation, especially among hardworking individuals, with a form of intoxication that impairs judgment and overall productivity.
They also delve into the behavioral aspect of human life, discussing the possibility that we are creatures of certain ingrained narratives that shape our lives. Johnson talks about psychological biases that make humans believe we’re the masters of our reality. He mentions the concept of priming, where exposure to certain words can influence subsequent behavior, such as walking slower after hearing words associated with old age.
Johnson highlights the importance of self-awareness and challenges attached to it. He emphasizes the need to continually question the status quo, underlying biases, and understanding one’s limitations. He encourages an analytical, numeric, and objective approach to understanding life situations in contrast to storytelling.
For Johnson, one way to challenge these biases and narratives is to convert them into something measurable and quantifiable, like the scientific approach to his sleep routine. He also interestingly pointed out that the future is already here, but most people are stuck living in the past due to their inability to update their beliefs and ideas. In the context of life extension and wellness improvement, Johnson argues that the solutions are already available, but the majority are oblivious.
Lastly, the conversation highlighted the deleterious impact of societal norms and cultural identity on sleep, often depicted as heroic when one sacrifices sleep for work. Johnson urges for a paradigm shift, emphasizing that prioritizing sleep can potentially result in higher performance, lucidity, and better ideas. He concludes with the bold claim that the world is living in the past, with the future already here but unrecognized by many.
In their engaging discussion, Steven Bartlett and Bryan Johnson venture into the complexities of societal norms, set behaviors, and personal responsibilities when it comes to ensuring optimal health and extending the human lifespan.
Johnson explains that sleep, a key driver of overall health, often conflicts with societal norms. Being honest and challenging these norms, such as refusing to stay late at a social event to maintain your sleep routine, can be a positive step toward a healthier lifestyle. This approach, however, often meets resistance as it deviates from what is generally accepted. He further encourages people, particularly parents, to establish a ‘sleep culture’ at home, setting standards that uphold a healthier lifestyle.
Discussions on responsibility reveal Johnson’s perspective on humans as self-deception machines. Drawing from his personal experience, he shares that there are situations where he wouldn’t trust himself completely, such as leaving himself alone in a pantry full of junk food. His main goal is to continually confront and correct his errors in thought and action.
Bryan’s primary philosophy is to optimize every aspect of his life to reduce the chances of dying even more. He uses his blueprint to monitor every biological process in his body that contributes to aging or dying, and then attempts to eliminate those behaviors that are harmful. Consequently, he considers any excuse essentially a breach of his ‘don’t die’ philosophy.
One way to maximize life is to forego immediate sensorial pleasures like smoking or indulging in excessive food and drink. Johnson makes the case for considering the potential of an extended, unprecedented life span in the face of rapidly evolving artificial intelligence. It presents us with the opportunity to engineer our reality, with boundless possibilities, beyond our current comprehension.
Johnson launched his private Equity Fund, Flight Fund, in 2023. The fund invests in promising high-growth companies with the objective of cultivating the next European unicorns. Interestingly, he views the prospect of increasing wealth disparity due to people living longer as an engineering challenge that could potentially be addressed through public policy.
The conversation ventures into the philosophical realm when Johnson challenges the accepted thought that death is a natural part of life. He argues that the advent of biological engineering signifies our ownership of the process, allowing us to create life in ways that have never been done before.
In this context, Kernel, Bryan’s startup, uses science and data to optimize cognitive existence. Much like using a scale to monitor weight and maintain health, data and technology provide viable feedback mechanisms for cognitive health. This represents another layer of Johnson’s commitment to defy the expected limits of the human lifespan and wellness.
Johnson delves into the capabilities and benefits of his device, Kernel, that he likens to a bike helmet for the brain. This fascinating creation allows one to experience their brain patterns and activity in a way never before possible. Johnson relates his personal experience using Kernel, revealing a 15-person study on ketamine, a potent synthetic drug known for stimulating increased brain activity. By mapping his brain activity pre, during, and post ketamine, the resultant data offers groundbreaking insights into how our brain activity changes under different states.
Johnson found that his consistent brain patterns, likened to heavy air traffic between major cities were disrupted and “scrambled” after ketamine use. This allowed for new pattern creation, and a therapeutic period where he felt an openness to new experiences, something he demonstrated with an impulsive action of jumping over a wall.
Bartlett and Johnson further explore the potential of using Kernel to usher in a wider adoption of psychedelics, given their powerful capacity to change brain patterns and influence mental health. It’s worth noting that Johnson’s argument is not a promotion of recreational drug use but an exploration of the benefits posed by controlled and monitored intake in the context of mental wellness using devices like Kernel.
Johnson’s convictions about modifying human life are reaffirmed in his belief in artificial super intelligence, which he sees as a computational tool far superior to our form of intelligence. He believes that the speed at which technology is advancing is going to fast-track the possibilities that superintelligence can bring. He uses the analogy of communicating with Homo Erectus to illustrate how prematurely we, as Homo Sapiens, might perceive and understand the true capacity of superintelligence and genetic engineering.
While also discussing Crispr, a DNA sequence that is being heavily researched for its potential applications in genetic engineering, Johnson outlines his own experience with gene therapy. He explains this process involves injections to increase the expression of the protein follistatin in the body, which can potentially help us break through the genetic ceiling of our lifespan.
Johnson, thus, remains consistent in his views and actions towards optimizing human life and defying norms associated with human lifespan expectations. He continues to guide the conversation about and pursue strategies to extend human life through artificial superintelligence, lifestyle modifications, and genetic engineering.
In the pursuit of optimal human health and slowed aging, Johnson goes into detail about various therapies, supplements, and controlled measurements. For instance, he mentions his blood and body data measurements to keep track of his aging speed, as well as follistatin levels after gene therapy. However, pointing out the dubious benefits of popular health trends such as NAD+ drips, Johnson states that it is crucial to sustain the activity through administering agents like NMN and NR orally to maintain youthful NAD levels in the body.
Johnson also sheds light on anti-aging therapies and supplements that aren’t scientifically proven to work, steering consumers away from falling into misleading traps. Instead, he recommends simple and significantly impactful lifestyle practices like well-timed sleep, exercise, healthy diet, and extra virgin olive oil, with the latter particularly known for its historic health benefits. Johnson even supplies his specifically sourced olive oil online for verified quality and health benefits, since most of the world’s olive oil doesn’t meet necessary quality thresholds.
Additionally, Johnson introduces two tools that measure one’s speed of aging and duration of nighttime erections. By pricking his finger on a card, Johnson could send his blood sample to a processing center to determine his internal biological clock age. By knowing this, he paves the way to slow down aging. The other instrument is a device that logs one’s nighttime erections, providing indicators of psychological health, sexual health, and cardiovascular health. Johnson also explores a novel therapy called focused shockwave therapy, which could rejuvenate the penis when coupled with the use of the erection measurement device.
Overall, Johnson staunchly advocates for evidence-based methods for health optimisation. His personal experiments are a testament to this, as he consistently pushes physiological boundaries, with Kernel, Crispr, gene therapy or even the use of everyday health-boosting products like extra virgin olive oil. Johnson’s life is marked by a relentless desire to not only prolong human life, but to enhance its quality, shifting perceptions around aging, mental health, and bioengineering along the way.
If you thought a health venture like this would have had nothing on the erectile strength of a man or his head full of hair, think again. Johnson’s focus on sexual health, beginning with a detailed dive into the benefits of a device that measures nighttime erections, working alongside a therapy called focused shockwave therapy, solidifies his belief in innovative methods to address otherwise unspoken issues. Testimonials express significant lifts in self-confidence and partnership quality following improved erectile functionality, reiterating the significance of addressing such vital aspects of male psychology.
On a lighter note, Bartlett and Johnson proceed to examine a visually unimpressive, but functionally robust machine aimed at improving muscle mass. An application of electromagnetic frequency to Johnson’s abdomen had yielded a six-pack, putting to rest doubts about similar less-effective devices promising a remedy for a lack of muscle tone.
However, it’s not all smooth sailing. Despite successful interventions, certain hurdles persist. Hair loss, a predominantly male issue, continues to remain a challenge for Johnson owing to technological limitations. Current interventions focus on mitigation rather than cure. Johnson posits that the advancement of hair cloning could offer more permanent solutions in the future.
Air quality, another concern for Johnson, exemplifies his holistic approach towards maintaining optimal health. With air filters installed across his residence, he ensures a constant influx of clean, pollution-free air. Johnson also holds the opinion that air quality can directly affect physical health, particularly lung health, in an insidious, irreversible manner.
Intriguingly, Johnson’s rigorous health regimen is not exclusively followed by him. Kate, the chief marketing officer of Johnson’s company, has also adhered to this lifestyle. Kate, who joined Johnson with the vision of humans co-evolving with AI, has committed herself to follow the health-oriented blueprint protocol developed by Johnson. Despite having to alter her routine completely, Kate felt the benefits outweighed the changes she had to make in her lifestyle, reinforcing the potential and efficacy of Johnson’s protocol.
It is evident that Johnson’s ardent push for experimental methods of improving physical and psychological health extends beyond himself. It’s a collective journey and a vision that Bryan Johnson shares with a wider community, like his own employee Kate. This collective effort underscores the potential of blueprints for health enhancement, not only as a personal crusade but as a way to shift societal norms and break stigmas around critical aspects of human physiology and psychology.
Kate bravely embarked on the “blueprint” protocol journey and had to completely redefine her lifestyle to fit it in. With an approach where conscious decision-making was deprioritized in favor of objective data, Kate learned to understand her body better and work according to what it demands rather than her immediate desires.
An important aspect of this journey was achieving 100% sleep every night and perfect nutrition, eating identical meals as Bryan. Taking over 60 supplements a day was also part of her regimen as well as a committed exercise regime. Kate not only followed this protocol but she detailed her entire internal experience as she went through daily challenges, some of which led to existential crises.
Initial results showed that Kate’s physical fitness, restorative sleep, and strength improved significantly. Her Baseline Fitness testing score went from average to top 7% for her age and gender. Besides these improvements, Kate also had to confront several things that hindered her personal wellbeing. As she committed to taking care of herself perfectly, she found herself confronting her self-destructive tendencies.
A significant learning for Kate in this journey was the necessity of prioritizing her wellbeing over pleasing others. This transition wasn’t all warm and supportive. She had to make many sacrifices, the hardest and seemingly most inconsequential one being giving up oat milk lattes. This journey led her to realize that many small joys in life are baked into routine habits which she had to remap in order to fulfill her commitment to health perfection.
The blueprint protocol also made it clear to Kate that health should not be gauged from an external perspective. During the initial 30-day trial period, her body began to deteriorate despite her efforts to push through the intensity of the exercise regime. Kate realized that instead of prioritizing the viewpoints of others and conforming to their perceptions, she needed to listen to her body.
Throughout the transformation, Bryan Johnson has been firmly supportive, highlighting how Kate’s journey could inspire others. He assured that her decision to undertake, continue, or quit the blueprint protocol was entirely hers, without any external pressure. Bryan believes that Kate’s journey and the hurdles she overcame can provide valuable insights for those looking to shift from the “grind culture” to prioritizing their health. This journey and the changes Kate experienced underscore the value of understanding one’s body and health through objective data, transitioning from ingrained routines, and realizing the importance of self-care over people-pleasing.
During the conversation, the idea of living to the fullest while embracing the inevitability of death is discussed profoundly. With Bryan’s saying, “I don’t mind the idea of death…but I would love to be able to spend each minute living as much as possible…” the authenticity of this philosophy resonates with both hosts, showcasing their joint sentiment of living presently without fearing the unknown.
Bryan and Kate’s aligned view also allows unique insights. As they continue their journey, they’ve kept their approach philanthropic, with a free release of the “blueprint” protocol, furnished with all the elements of dietary routines, exercises, and supplements. This charitable endeavor facilitates humanity’s fitness transformation without monetary constraints, illuminating their dedication towards a larger cause.
However, Kate poses a critical concept of “Current Kate vs Past Kate”, critically analyzing her personal development on this journey. She argues about her improved sense of self-care, accepting the evidence that she’s doing a significantly better job now than before, indicating her elevated sense of well-being.
The discussion also uncovers exciting forthcoming projects. An ambitious plan to draw up the most nutritious supplement is underway, envisioned to be affordable and provide potentially the world’s most profound nutritional benefit. The provision of an efficient dietary blueprint pack is also part of their future endeavour suggesting another promising outlook in their evolving journey.
Lastly, tackling the issue of internet trolls or derogatory comments, Bryan’s intriguing perspective treats these as nuggets of happiness. Amusingly, he appreciates the efforts of those who take time to craft those wittily hostile comments. This perspective highlights his maturity, resilience, and an unconventional approach to criticism.
During the conversation, Steven Bartlett and Bryan Johnson focus significantly on the nuances and challenges of heightened intelligence and thoughtfulness, acknowledging the often solemn implications of such an existence. As Bryan states, “I certainly am familiar with torturing myself…of course, I know all of my uh, I know the underbelly of so I know how to make the most biting comment to myself…”
This revelation provides a critical look at the inherent self-criticism embedded within high-functioning, intellectually inclined individuals, partially fueled by their detailed understanding of personal shortcomings. Bryan discusses this in conjunction with his journey through the “blueprint,” detailing how he has learned to ease the self-inflicted torture he experienced in the past.
Bryan continues, delving into the realm of existential thought, discussing the notion of trust in our actions and responses. He underscores the impact of bad habits, lack of sleep, and poor diet on our overall cognitive function, emphasizing that our judgments are often clouded by these unfavorable factors. He elucidates with the statement: “do we are we actually of the right mind of clarity to say anything about our wants and desires and I think we’re all just drunk on addiction and we just can’t see our way through this thing…”
Their conversation ventures further as Bryan utilizes an evocative metaphor of humanity as a fleet commander, facing a lighthouse in the future that cannot be moved by coercion or force. This metaphor encapsulates the significance of critical thinking, adaptability, and revising old ways of functioning in navigating the future.
In rounding off their thought-provoking dialogue, Steven and Bryan also discuss the influence of societal norms, such as indulging children in sugar during Halloween. This critique of society’s widely accepted norms presents an ideological challenge that echoes the necessity for change.
Importantly, their conversation ends on an encouraging note, with Steven expressing hope as he considers the “slow but certain uprising in society.” This optimism reinforces a shared belief in the potential for positive change, aided by accessible communication platforms for enlightening and inspiring discourse.
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