Health Desk
Podcast: Mel Robbins
This breakdown focuses on what is discussed and how mindset science is framed not on medical diagnosis, treatment, or personalised health advice.
This episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, hosted by Mel Robbins, features Dr. Alia Crum, Stanford professor and head of the Stanford Mind & Body Lab. The conversation explores a core but often misunderstood claim: mindset is not motivation or positive thinking it is a biological input that directly shapes how the body responds to food, stress, energy demands, and health challenges.
Key Takeaways
- Mindset alters physiology: The body’s response to food, medication, and stress is shaped by both physical inputs and the beliefs attached to them.
- Mindsets act as internal “settings”: These settings guide attention, interpretation, and bodily preparation much like software running in the background.
- Deprivation mindsets blunt health gains: Viewing healthy choices as restrictive can increase hunger hormones and metabolic dissatisfaction.
- It’s “mind and matter,” not mind over matter: Thoughts work with biology, not above it.
- Settings can be updated: Awareness that a reaction is an outdated mental setting can reduce anxiety and physiological stress without years of therapy.
The Newsdesk Lead
On The Mel Robbins Podcast, Mel Robbins interviews Dr. Alia Crum on the science of mindset as a biological force. Crum’s verdict is precise: mindsets are evaluative judgments that prepare the body for specific outcomes. By learning to identify and update these internal settings, people can change how their bodies process stress, calories, energy, and recovery.
The Deep Dive
Mindsets as Biological Settings
Dr. Crum defines mindsets as lenses that orient the brain toward particular interpretations of reality. These settings are not true or false; they are simplified assumptions that become self-fulfilling by shaping attention, emotion, motivation, and physiology. A belief such as “stress is harmful” primes the body for threat, elevating cortisol and tension, while alternative interpretations can shift the response entirely.
The Milkshake Study
One of Crum’s best-known studies examined how beliefs about calories affect hunger hormones. Participants drank the same 620-calorie milkshake, but one group was told it was “indulgent” while the other was told it was “sensible.” Those who believed they were indulging showed a significantly larger drop in ghrelin, meaning their bodies felt more satisfied despite identical nutrition.
Updating Old Settings
Crum explains that many anxiety responses are simply outdated settings. A racing heart before public speaking or flying is often interpreted as danger, but reframing it as readiness or energy can immediately alter physiological response. Awareness alone can bypass the brain’s ironic processing loop where suppressing thoughts makes them stronger.
Stress as Enhancing
Rather than eliminating stress, Crum argues for reinterpreting it. When stress is viewed as enhancing performance instead of damaging health, the body releases a different hormonal profile, supporting focus, energy, and resilience rather than shutdown.
“Mindsets are quite literally settings of the mind… they create our realities not through magic, but by design.”
Why This Episode Matters
This conversation moves mindset from the realm of motivation into measurable biology. It explains why two people following the same habits can experience radically different results and why updating internal settings may be as powerful as changing external behaviour.
What Viewers Are Saying
Audience response trends toward recognition and relief, particularly among listeners who feel stuck despite “doing the right things.”
- @joshua.paulito: “I’d been running old settings that quietly shaped how I responded to stress, exercise, and food. This gave me a simple next step: notice the setting, update it, then act.”
- @Henryy-cha: “This shows why mindset isn’t motivation it’s physiology. Energy returned once the inner setting shifted.”
Worth Watching If
- You want the full breakdown of the Milkshake Study and mindset–metabolism research.
- You’re interested in reframing stress without suppressing emotion.
- You want science-backed alternatives to discipline-heavy self-improvement.
Skip If
- A technical overview of attention, emotion, motivation, and physiology already gives you enough signal.
🎥 WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON YOUTUBE
About the Creator
The Mel Robbins Podcast explores behaviour change, psychology, and practical tools for everyday life.
Guest: Dr. Alia Crum, Stanford professor and director of the Stanford Mind & Body Lab.
Video Intelligence
- Platform: YouTube
- Views: 51,092
- Likes: 1,700+
- Comments: 114
- Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Upload date: 20 December 2025
This article is part of Creator Daily’s Health Desk, where we examine how creators discuss health, physiology, and evidence‑based wellbeing.