"The fastest way to calm down is to control your breathing, physiology drives psychology"
About this Quote
The subtext is a quiet reversal of how many people think emotions work. Instead of “I’m upset, so my body is tense,” he pushes “my body is tense, so my mind is upset.” “Physiology drives psychology” frames mood as downstream from mechanics: CO2 levels, heart rate variability, vagal tone. It’s an empowering claim because it relocates control from the slippery world of thoughts to a concrete behavior you can do anywhere, even when your mind is too loud to reason with.
Context matters: Huberman sits at the intersection of neuroscience credibility and podcast-era life coaching. The quote borrows scientific authority to legitimize a very practical intervention, giving listeners a bridge between lab language and lived panic. It’s also a subtle cultural critique: we’re drowning in information about feelings, yet hungry for protocols that feel immediate and reliable.
What makes it work rhetorically is its compression. Two clauses, one lever, one causal chain. Calm becomes less a personality trait and more a skill you can practice.
Quote Details
| Topic | Mental Health |
|---|---|
| Source | Huberman Lab Podcast , “Tools for Managing Stress & Anxiety” (2021) |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Huberman, Andrew. (2026, January 24). The fastest way to calm down is to control your breathing, physiology drives psychology. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-fastest-way-to-calm-down-is-to-control-your-184122/
Chicago Style
Huberman, Andrew. "The fastest way to calm down is to control your breathing, physiology drives psychology." FixQuotes. January 24, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-fastest-way-to-calm-down-is-to-control-your-184122/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The fastest way to calm down is to control your breathing, physiology drives psychology." FixQuotes, 24 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-fastest-way-to-calm-down-is-to-control-your-184122/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
