Audit a URL →

Sign in Sign up free

Loading…

Weekly · Sunday Morning

Five longevity claims.
Worth your time.
Every Sunday.

Last Sunday

Rapamycin extends mouse lifespan 9–14%
NAD+ precursors reverse aging in humans
Blue-light glasses improve sleep quality
Walking 10 min after meals blunts glucose
Verdict change — caffeine half-life downgraded

5 audits·1 verdict change·0 affiliate links·Every Sunday

Joining 1,247 readers — founders, MDs, and longevity-obsessed people who fact-check their own health decisions.

Browse

Decisions Claims Content Creators

Product

Audit a URL Sunday roundup API (soon)Pricing

About

FAQ Methodology Editorial Standards Corrections Press & brand RSS feed

Legal

Terms of Service Privacy Policy DMCA

Finally, something serious in this space.
Because we actually read the papers.

© 2026 Whalespan. Independent, evidence-graded longevity.

Science of Social Bonding in Family, Friendship & Romantic Love — Whalespan

Content›Video›Science of Social Bonding in…

Science of Social Bonding in Family, Friendship & Romantic Love

Andrew Huberman1h 33m · 2021-12-20

Claims Made

161

Claims Supported

156

Support Rate

97%

Support rate

156 of 161 claims supported

156 supported5 partial / not

Claims from this content

92

✓Well SupportedThorne supplements are considered highly stringent regarding ingredient precision and quality.✓Well SupportedAg One (formerly Athletic Greens) is a vitamin, mineral, and probiotic drink that provides foundational nutritional needs.✓Well SupportedAthletic Greens supports the gut microbiome, which is vital for the immune system, endocrine system, and gut-brain axis, influencing mood and neurotransmitter production.✓Well SupportedVitamin K2 is important for calcium regulation and cardiovascular health.Well Supported

More from Andrew Huberman

Andrew Huberman on Creatine

Huberman X thread: creatine and aging

Andrew Huberman on Morning Sunlight

Discussion

Native comments, Twitter mentions, and Reddit threads about this content — surfaced together so the conversation isn't fragmented across platforms.

M

Share your read of this content…

Posting publicly as you · linked to your social profiles

Sort by:

AV

A. Volkovreader

4h

Bookmarking — the dossier-vs-overview split is the right call. Most of the time I want overview; sometimes I want receipts.

NP

N. Park

2d

Would love a "what would change this verdict" RSS feed. Sign me up if it exists.

✓

Extroverts get energy and a lift from social interactions, which is associated with dopamine release.

✓Well SupportedMDMA causes massive increases in oxytocin release, contributing to enhanced kinship and feelings of connection.

✓Well SupportedChildhood attachment styles influence adult attachment styles due to the repurposing of neural circuits for infant-caregiver and adult romantic attachments.

✓Well SupportedHeadspace is a meditation app that is backed by scientific peer-reviewed studies.

✓Well SupportedA healthy gut microbiome is important for supporting the immune system, nervous system, and endocrine system.

✓Well SupportedLoneliness is driven by dopamine release from dorsal raphe nucleus neurons, motivating social seeking.

✓Well SupportedMDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy is being explored as a potential therapeutic for PTSD and other forms of trauma and is in clinical trials.

✓Well SupportedMothers primarily regulate the infant's autonomic nervous system, and infants also regulate the mother's autonomic nervous system.

✓Well SupportedEmotional and cognitive empathy are both required to establish a trusting social bond in romantic relationships and friendships.

✓Well SupportedFeeling closer to someone can lead to physiological synchronization, and conversely, synchronized physiology can increase feelings of closeness.

✓Well SupportedThere are three types of empathy: emotional, cognitive, and empathic concern.

✓Well SupportedThe neural circuits and hormones responsible for social bonding are repurposed across different relationships.

✓Well SupportedOxytocin acts as a hormonal 'glue' between individuals in various relationships.

✓Well SupportedHormones affect the body, brain, and periphery with acute and long-term effects, including on gene expression.

◐Partially SupportedOxytocin appears to increase internal state synchrony and awareness of a partner's emotional state, facilitating social bonds.

◐Partially SupportedEarly infant-caretaker attachment circumstances can be understood and rewired toward the development of healthy adult attachment.

◐Partially SupportedMeditation is beneficial for reducing anxiety, increasing self-awareness, improving sleep, and potentially offering insights into consciousness.

◐Partially SupportedThe social homeostasis model suggests that the body detects a deficit in social contact and activates effector systems to seek social interaction.

◐Partially SupportedChronic social isolation can lead to introversion, loss of social craving, and antisocial behavior.

✓Well SupportedRelationships are crucial for the quality of life, potentially playing a greater role than lifespan itself.

◐Partially SupportedAndrew Huberman ideally aims for a 20-minute meditation at least three times a week, but sometimes practices a 5-minute meditation once or twice a week.

◐Partially SupportedEarly infant-parent attachment involves synchronization of right-brain and left-brain circuits related to the autonomic nervous system.

◐Partially SupportedPhysical contact between infants and mothers synchronizes their brain activity during interaction.

◐Partially SupportedThe prefrontal cortex regulates decisions to disengage from social interactions.

◐Partially SupportedBreakups involve the severing of emotional and cognitive empathy with neuro-biological and hormonal underpinnings.

◐Partially SupportedOxytocin system variants are associated with autism spectrum disorders.

◐Partially SupportedThe prefrontal cortex is responsible for adjustments within the social homeostasis circuit and subjective labeling of experiences.

◐Partially SupportedHomeostasis is the biological tendency to maintain a stable internal balance, regulating drives like hunger and thirst.

◐Partially SupportedThe drives for social interaction and food share common biological pathways and funnel into the dopamine system.

◐Partially SupportedSupplements can be beneficial for improving sleep and immune system function, and many people, including the speaker, derive benefit from them.

◐Partially SupportedTachykinin levels are increased by social isolation and can lead to anxiety, aggression, and irritability.

◐Partially SupportedPupil reflexes are autonomic and generally uncontrollable.

◐Partially SupportedEstablishing deeper social bonds involves synchronizing bodily states and cognitive states.

◐Partially SupportedDopamine and serotonin systems interact with brain circuits involved in social bonding.

◐Partially SupportedThe oxytocin system plays a role in social bonds formed through social media interactions.

◐Partially SupportedChronic social isolation can alter the brain and body, making social connection more difficult and leading to irritability and aggression.

◐Partially SupportedOxytocin release can be triggered by sight, smell, or physical contact with a baby, or by a picture of a partner.

◐Partially SupportedResilience can potentially be trained by engaging in difficult activities, with cold showers serving as an example.

◐Partially SupportedOxytocin release in mothers is stimulated by nursing, nipple contact, and skin-to-skin contact with their infant.

◐Partially SupportedOxytocin is a hormone associated with social bonding, social recognition, pair bonding, and honesty.

◐Partially SupportedSocial isolation leads to chronically elevated stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

◐Partially SupportedEarly infant-parent attachment involves synchronization of right and left brain circuits related to the autonomic nervous system.

◐Partially SupportedThere is a neurochemical basis for personality traits like introversion and extroversion.

◐Partially SupportedThe anterior cingulate cortex and basolateral amygdala are involved in the detector component of the social homeostasis circuit.

◐Partially SupportedTo establish social bonds, focus on emotional empathy, which involves sharing autonomic experiences like heart rate and breathing.

◐Partially SupportedThe autonomic nervous system controls breathing, heart rate, skin conductance, pupil size, and alertness/calmness via sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.

◐Partially SupportedHomeostatic drives can overshadow other drives when one becomes extreme, such as during intense romantic love.

◐Partially SupportedHigh levels of oxytocin are released during interactions between closely associated individuals.

◐Partially SupportedThe autonomic nervous system is a major component of the subconscious or unconscious mind.

◐Partially SupportedWhen isolated, focus on food and its sensory aspects, including taste, intensifies.

◐Partially SupportedMDMA enhances bonding by synchronizing the physiologies of individuals, leading to a feeling of connection.

◐Partially SupportedIntroverts may not damage their health by spending less time with people.

◐Partially SupportedSpecific genes predict an individual's tendency to seek out more or fewer online social interactions.

◐Partially SupportedThere is a unique chemical signature for all types of social bonding that can be modulated.

◐Partially SupportedSocial isolation has detrimental biological consequences.

◐Partially SupportedFood fasting for 10 hours can increase appetite for social interactions.

◐Partially SupportedSocial bonds are vitally important to the human species, regardless of whether they are formed at a distance via social media or in close physical proximity.

◐Partially SupportedInfants are completely dependent on their primary caretaker for survival needs such as feeding, warmth, and hygiene.

◐Partially SupportedThe social homeostasis circuit has four components: a detector, a control center, an effector, and a component that establishes subjective understanding and place in a hierarchy.

◐Partially SupportedDuring the initial phase of romantic relationships, cravings for food and sleep can be reduced.

◐Partially SupportedThe prefrontal cortex can act as an accelerator or brake on other brain centers.

◐Partially SupportedPhysical contact, breathing, heart rate, and pupil size between mother and infant become actively coordinated during interaction.

◐Partially SupportedForcing oneself to stay in a cold shower demonstrates the prefrontal cortex's ability to act as a brake on other brain centers.

◐Partially SupportedWhen individuals are accustomed to fasting, they may not immediately seek food if a meal is not provided as expected, similar to how social homeostasis circuits function.

◐Partially SupportedHuman beings possess flexibility over their social interactions, which arises from prefrontal circuits, allowing them to override innate homeostatic drives.

◐Partially SupportedInhibiting dopamine neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus suppresses loneliness.

◐Partially SupportedDopamine and serotonin are released during social bonding.

◐Partially SupportedThe lateral and periventricular hypothalamus act as control centers in the social homeostasis circuit, influencing hormones like oxytocin.

◐Partially SupportedOxytocin is involved in the milk let-down reflex, lactation, uterine contraction, and cervical dilation.

◐Partially SupportedHeightened dopaminergic activity can make sensory stimuli seem better than with lower dopamine levels.

◐Partially SupportedDopamine is the final common pathway for seeking interactions and feeling satisfied by them.

◐Partially SupportedThe idea that one brain hemisphere is purely emotional and the other purely rational is false.

◐Partially SupportedHomeostatic circuits have components for detection, control, and behavioral adjustment.

◐Partially SupportedVitamin D3 is beneficial for metabolism, the endocrine system, mood, and sleep.

◐Partially SupportedIntense focus on an autonomic bond can lead to loss of appetite, cognitive impairment, and sleep deprivation.

◐Partially SupportedHolding a child or interacting with puppies can evoke oxytocin release in non-parents.

◐Partially SupportedSexual activity and orgasm trigger oxytocin release in females, and vasopressin in males, with oxytocin release delayed in males.

◐Partially SupportedInhaling oxytocin may increase the depth or rate of pair bonding.

◐Partially SupportedShared external stimuli can bridge social bonds by synchronizing physiologies.

◐Partially SupportedOxytocin can be involved in the erection and orgasm responses in some male animals and humans.

◐Partially SupportedOxytocin synchronizes physiological processes and enhances bonding, especially with touch.

✕Not SupportedThe common understanding of right brain vs. left brain emotional and rational functions is incorrect.

◐Partially SupportedAcute social isolation for approximately 10 hours increases social craving and activates brain areas associated with dopaminergic neurons, similar to responses seen with food cues.

◐Partially SupportedIndividuals who are socially sated may not immediately seek social interaction after a missed interaction.

◐Partially SupportedTrust levels and belief in trustworthiness can be predicted by cognitive and emotional empathy between individuals.

◐Partially SupportedSpecific brain circuitries are activated during the dissolution of social bonds, such as romantic breakups or the death of a loved one.

◐Partially SupportedThe prefrontal cortex allows individuals to override immediate discomfort or reflexes by placing subjective labels on experiences.

◐Partially SupportedThe body and brain are reciprocally connected, influencing each other's physiology and state of mind.