MIT Neuroscientist: The Ultimate Nootropic For Memory : 1326

The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance

Dave Asprey

Fat, Health & Fitness, Meditation, Biohacking, Lifestyle, Diet, Science, Self-improvement, Fasting, Nutrition, Hacking, Fitness, Brain, Wellness, Education

4.6 • 7.3K Ratings

🗓️ 11 September 2025

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Want to improve memory, unlock neuroplasticity, and achieve sharper brain optimization? This episode reveals how Transcendental Meditation (TM) functions as one of the most powerful nootropics for human performance, longevity, and resilience.

Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience:

https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR

Host Dave Asprey sits down with neuroscientist and physician Dr. Tony Nader, the global leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement. With an MD and PhD from MIT and Harvard, Dr. Nader bridges hard science with ancient wisdom, showing how TM measurably changes brainwaves, boosts mitochondria, and even slows biological aging. His research connects meditation to reduced stress, faster reaction time, and improved memory, giving listeners cutting-edge tools for smarter not harder living.

You’ll Learn:

• How Transcendental Meditation induces high-coherence alpha brain states that improve clarity, focus, and resilience

• Why TM increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex and supports memory, decision-making, and creativity

• How meditation measurably reduces biological age by 5–10 years through stress reduction and physiological balance

• Why reaction time and situational awareness improve immediately after meditation — even used by fighter pilots

• How TM differs from mindfulness or concentration practices at the brainwave level (alpha vs. theta vs. gamma)

Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade is the top podcast for people who want to take control of their biology, extend their longevity, and optimize every system in the body and mind. Each episode features cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, hacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living.

Episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (audio-only) where Dave asks the questions no one else dares, and brings you real tools to become more resilient, aware, and high performing.

Keywords: Transcendental Meditation benefits, Tony Nader MIT neuroscientist, TM brainwaves alpha coherence, Meditation and neuroplasticity, Default mode network meditation, Meditation and mitochondria, TM and biological age, Consciousness and quantum field theory, Meditation vs psychedelics, Meditation and intuition training, Meditation and dopamine, TM reaction time studies, Hippocampus meditation memory, TM and functional medicine, Meditation and metabolism, Meditation and PTSD recovery, TM for sleep optimization, Meditation and fasting stack, TM and human performance, Meditation and longevity research

Thank you to our sponsors!

Business of Biohacking Summit | Apply to The Business of Biohacking Summit https://businessofbiohacking.com/.
fatty15 | Go to https://fatty15.com/dave and save an extra $15 when you subscribe with code DAVE.
Zbiotics | Go to https://zbiotics.com/DAVE for 15% off your first order.

Resources:

• Tony’s Website: https://drtonynader.com/

• Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/DAVE15

• Dave Asprey’s BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com

• Dave Asprey’s New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated

• Upgrade Collective: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com

• Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com

• 40 Years of Zen: https://40yearsofzen.com

Timestamps:

0:00 — Trailer

1:47 — Intro

2:57 — Transcendental Meditation

3:56 — States of Consciousness

10:16 — Brainwaves & Practice

18:35 — Science Bias

38:07 — Mind & Reality

50:32 — Psychedelics & TM

54:29 — Brain & Body Effects

59:31 — Daily Practice

1:02:43 — Closing Thoughts

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	If you're a founder or product creator in the biohacking and longevity space, listen up.
0:04.6	Our industry will hit $100 billion in the next four years.
0:09.0	Innovation is accelerating and someone is going to own your market.
0:13.5	The question is, will it be you?
0:15.5	That's why I created the Business of Biohacking Summit, happening October 21st to 23rd in Austin.
0:21.7	It is exclusive, it's interactive.
0:23.9	We're talking hands-on workshops, expert-led mastermind tables, and real-time pitching.
0:29.1	You'll leave with an action plan because we want to see you succeed.
0:32.5	If you're serious about scaling smarter, not harder, and turning your mission into a movement the way I did,
0:39.3	go to Businessofbiohacking.com to apply to get in now. Let's hack your business to billions.
0:45.3	I want to teach you directly. I'll see you in Austin. When I talk about transcendental meditation,
0:52.0	I know that there are hundreds and hundreds of scientific research studies that have been published in the greatest journals that have demonstrated the importance of transcendental meditation.
1:04.0	When you fully transcend, your actual default system is going into a very high alpha wave activity. And that's how we get all the positive
1:13.1	results. Better health, balance of the physiology, reduction of stress, clarity of thinking,
1:19.2	and actually even the ability to focus even more. Tony Nader is a physician and neuroscientist
1:25.8	trained at MIT and Harvard, with expertise in
1:29.0	neurology and the biology of aging. As the global leader of the Transcendental Meditation
1:33.7	Organization, he has spent decades researching how consciousness impacts health and performance.
1:39.3	It's very well studied. Do we have evidence that TM can increase brain volume of any structures that have
1:46.8	maybe started to shrink because of toxins or trauma or other things like that?
1:51.1	We have seen an increased blood flow to the three frontal cortex.
1:54.7	What's the minimum effective dose of TM per day to start seeing results?
	...

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