Skip to main content

Video: Man and great white shark compete for dinner

Want a dopamine hit from a safe distance? Check out these guys and a great white shark go for the same catch

A view from a boat with a shark in the ocean on the side.

Everyone wants to catch something to brag about when they go out fishing. Most would prefer not to battle a larger prey for that catch, but how about having to fight sharks for your day’s work? Well, a group of guys got up close and personal with a great white shark while trying to snag a tuna for their meal. See if you would have stayed as calm in the same situation.

Now, these guys were doing the thing on purpose, so keep that in mind. They’re all researchers who were out on the ocean specifically to get footage of great white sharks for their work. But, in this moment, they were just hoping to catch some tuna for dinner.At first, it looks like these guys are out having a good time. Things quickly turn, and we see the shark surfacing to capture what they wanted to eat that day. (Not surprisingly, this competition for dinner wasn’t much of one — of course the shark won.)

@hubermanlab

Dopamine, Surprise & “The One That Got Away” Being in pursuit of something and especially, being right on the cusp of obtaining a reward is a very strong stimulus for dopamine release in the brain. But perhaps the greatest stimulus for dopamine release is when that is followed by a positive surprise. The name for it is “reward prediction error.” When we anticipate a reward, and it is not obtained or is smaller than what we expected, our baseline level of dopamine drops below what it was prior to the entire pursuit. Eventually, it returns to normal. But we learn something about the value of the pursuit that preceded that lower reward from the dopamine changes (aka dynamics). This video was shot during my lab’s expedition with Michael Muller to collect footage of great white sharks for a fear/anxiety VR stimulus at Stanford School of Medicine. We wanted tuna for our dinner and had one on the line… we were expecting a (meal) reward. A local great white reminded us that, when they are around, humans eat last. However, the reward of seeing it breach was greater than the meal we would’ve had. I’ll also never forget that incident because when we get a big and unexpected dopamine release, it leaves an indelible mark on our memory. You can start to see why dopamine is so fundamental to the evolution of every species. **It’s the chemical currency that tells us about the value of our experiences and efforts**. A recent episode of the Huberman Lab podcast is all about dopamine, “reward prediction error,” and the many important roles dopamine plays in motivation, drive and sense of reward. It also covers how to overcome procrastination by leveraging dopamine dynamics. hubermanlab andrewhuberman dopamine shark sharkbait greatwhite greatwhiteshark science

♬ original sound – Andrew Huberman

The focus for us was on the two guys in the front. The one holding the line is the bravest person alive. Not only does he not even jump, but he doesn’t get pulled into the water. The more amazing thing is that he keeps his grip on the line the whole time. We would have dropped that thing and jumped back in the boat. Or probably been pulled in for dessert.

But it’s also the guy right behind him that you need to keep your eye on. There’s a split second where it almost looks like he’s about to push the front guy right into the water. He had us holding our breath for sure. (In reality, it does look like he was trying to brace his brave friend.)

A view of fishing rods cast over the front of a boat into the ocean.

These people weren’t out for fun or to try to get views. (Well, maybe to try to get a few views.) But the encounter makes a point about dopamine. That’s the adrenaline rush you get when you do something that makes you feel good. A little scared, maybe, but the end result is that good, high feeling.

That person out front got his in, in those seconds of witnessing that shark rip the catch off the line. All the guys on the front were gifted a little extra rush — along with an experience they won’t forget any time soon.

Since everyone survived in one piece, the reward this group shared will always be worth more than the meal they were trying to catch that day. How would a regular fishing trip to land a tuna for dinner morphing into a one-on-one experience with a great white shark affect you? It would leave you with a story to tell into old age where you would be known as ‘that shark guy’.

We aren’t saying to dangle yourself in front of sharks to get that same thrill. But you want to put yourself in situations that give you a great reward, all the same. (We’re sure there’s a Spiderman reference in there somewhere.) Without putting yourself in too much danger, find a way to give yourself that dopamine rush and live a little. (Great white sharks are optional.)

Editors' Recommendations

Dannielle Beardsley
Dannielle has written for various websites, online magazines, and blogs. She loves everything celebrity and her favorite…
How to do psychedelics right (now that psychedelic therapy is a growing trend)
Get the most out of your experience with psychedelics
Some psychedelic trippiness.

Thanks to a combination of inclination, access, and timing, I am among the most experienced psychedelic users in history. We’re living in an era when a more or less comprehensive range of psychedelics from around the globe are relatively easy to acquire, and I also happen to have been reared in the Pacific Northwest where the availability and use of these substances have long been uniquely liberalized. And I have leveraged that access abundantly over the past 20 years, tripping well into many hundreds of times — very likely pushing or perhaps even surpassing a thousand — spanning all the classic hits, including psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, MDMA, DMT, ketamine, and a smattering of rarer finds.

This almost certainly places me in the top fraction of a percentile of psychedelic drug users across time, and I haven’t lost my mind or my taste for these strange substances. Quite the opposite. I am a radical proponent of their use. Let me put it this way: When I interviewed Michael Pollan about psychedelic drugs a while back, in his very reasonable, well-considered way, he joked that more testing was needed before we just pour LSD into the water supply — I’m more inclined to suggest we just go ahead and dump it in already.

Read more
Apple Card just gave you one great reason to sign up (and it has nothing to do with credit)
Apple Card has some great benefits
apple card

If you're thinking about opening a new credit card, Apple may have one to consider. Apple Card, a credit card created by Apple Inc. and issued by Goldman Sachs, (and designed primarily to be used with Apple Pay), seems to have significantly lower rates than other cards. Not only have they done away with hidden (and sometimes not so hidden) fees, the card is designed to help users pay less interest. But the best part? Apple and Goldman Sachs now offer a high-yield savings account that can help you earn more on those daily rewards.
Daily Cash back
According to Apple's site, users will get Daily Cash back from a percentage of purchases—"Not a month from now. Every day. There's no limit to how much you can get." Sounds promising. They break it down further by percentages, so you get 3% on any Apple purchases and ones from select retailers like Uber Eats, Panera, Walgreens, and Mobil. Users get 2% every time they use Apple Card with Apple Pay. For purchases where Apple Pay isn't accepted, users get 1% back. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Grow your savings
The Apple Card also gives you the option to put this cashback directly into a Savings account from Goldman Sachs, and you can see this grow over time right from your iPhone or other Apple device. Simply set up a Savings account, and all future daily cash will be deposited there automatically. The high-yield savings account offers an annual percentage yield (APY) that's over 4%. While that APY may be promotional — Apple itself notes that APY may change at any time, as is typical for any savings account — high-yield savings accounts usually offer an APY in the 3-5% range.

Read more
Climate change is real: These 4 locations had record temperatures this winter
These locations had the warmest winters on record this year. Should we blame climate change?
The Boston skyline

The weather outside this winter wasn’t frightful in many areas accustomed to four seasons. New Yorkers replaced snowy getaways to ski resorts with sunbathing in their neighborhoods — which sometimes felt more like a borderline tropical resort than a quintessential New York winter day. Perhaps you enjoyed the warmer temperatures and the chance to shed your winter coat multiple times during what is supposed to be the coldest time of the year.

If that’s the case, we hate to be a buzz-kill: The warmer winter experienced by people from Kentucky to Massachusetts in the U.S. and multiple locations throughout Europe is a grim sign of climate change. A person trying to fight climate change through investments explained why. However, some spots experienced warm winters — you probably recognize a few and may even live in one.
States that experienced some of the warmest winters on record in 2022-23
The Northeast Regional Climate Center reported that the Northeast had an average temperature of 31.9 degrees Fahrenheit from December through February (the period climatologists and meteorologists consider winter). It’s not precisely Floridian temperatures, but more than 5 degrees warmer than a typical winter. Here’s how it all shook out.
Massachusetts
Federal climate scientists say Massachusetts had its warmest winter on record, tying the 2015-16 mark with an average temperature of 33.7 degrees. That number is nearly 8 degrees higher than the state’s average temperature from 1901-2000.

Read more