20 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
American neuroscientist — Stanford School of Medicine (associate professor) — host of Huberman Lab podcast — who became the most widely listened-to science communicator in the US by 2023 through translating neuroscience research into daily protocols.
Stuart McGill's 2015 practical guide to diagnosing and eliminating back pain — based on his decades of spine biomechanics research at the University of Waterloo — providing specific exercises and movement corrections.
James Nestor's 2020 book on breathing science — arguing that chronic mouth breathing causes health and structural problems, that nasal breathing has documented health benefits, and that ancient breathing practices (pranayama, Sufi breathing) have a rigorous scientific basis.
Vani Hari's account of food industry deception — arguing that corporations systematically mislead consumers about the safety and nutritional value of processed foods.
Dr Rangan Chatterjee's UK health and lifestyle medicine podcast — one of the most downloaded health podcasts in Europe — covering sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress, and relationships from an accessible medical perspective.
Andrew Huberman's podcast — translating neuroscience and physiology research into actionable health protocols — which became the most listened-to science podcast in 2022–23 — known for long-form episodes on sleep, light, exercise, and supplementation.
British journalist — author of Chasing the Scream (on the drug war), Lost Connections (on depression), and Stolen Focus (on attention) — who writes contrarian popular psychology that challenges official narratives on addiction, depression, and focus.
American journalist and professor — author of The Comfort Crisis — who argues that modern comfort-seeking leads to physical and mental health decline, and that intentional exposure to discomfort is essential for wellbeing.
Chris Williamson's interview podcast — covering psychology, philosophy, business, health, and self-improvement through conversations with academics and practitioners — one of the fastest-growing podcasts in its genre in the 2020s.
Peter Attia's 2023 longevity medicine guide — arguing that medicine should focus on delaying the four chronic disease 'Horsemen' (cardiovascular, cancer, metabolic, neurodegenerative) through exercise, sleep, nutrition, and emotional health — the most rigorous popular longevity book.
Andrew Huberman's 2024 book — compiling the actionable health and performance protocols from Huberman Lab podcast episodes — covering sleep, exercise, stress, nutrition, and cognitive performance.
Tim Ferriss's account of applying the 4-hour work week philosophy to the body — using minimum effective dose, self-experimentation, and unusual protocols to achieve maximum results.
Satchin Panda's 2019 guide to aligning behavior with circadian rhythms — explaining the science of circadian clocks in every body cell and providing protocols for timing eating, light exposure, exercise, and sleep to optimize health.
Michael Easter's 2021 book — arguing that modern humans' elimination of discomfort has created an epidemic of physical and mental fragility — structured around a 33-day Arctic hunting expedition and evolutionary health research.
Vani Hari's ('Food Babe') guide to eliminating additives and processed ingredients from diet — a popular manual of her food activism philosophy.
Daniel Lieberman and Michael Long's 2018 book — arguing that dopamine governs desire for future rewards while 'Here and Now' chemicals (serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins) govern present satisfaction — a framework for understanding ambition, addiction, and creativity.
American natural and organic food supermarket chain co-founded by John Mackey in 1980 — which built the premium organic grocery category — and which Amazon acquired in 2017 for $13.7B as its entry into physical retail.
Matthew Walker's 2017 book on sleep science — arguing that insufficient sleep causes cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental illness, and obesity — the book that made sleep a mainstream health priority but which has been criticized by sleep researchers for overstating evidence.
Co-author (with Gabriel Weinberg) of Traction — the most widely used framework for startup customer acquisition — and serial entrepreneur in the health tech space.
The Genius Life is a health and wellness podcast hosted by Max Lugavere that interviews scientists, doctors, and researchers on topics including nutrition, cognitive health, metabolic disease, sleep, exercise, and mental performance. It translates emerging research in nutritional and lifestyle medicine for a general audience.