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Quick takeaways
- Dopamine is a key chemical in the brain that drives our desire for and pursuit of goals.
- Leveraging specific behaviors and reward schedules can help maintain motivation and pleasure over the long term.
- Dopamine plays a role in ADHD, craving, addiction, and the specificity of drug effects based on belief.
- The balance between dopamine release and here-and-now molecules like serotonin and endocannabinoids is crucial for achieving contentment and reducing craving.
- Regulating the dopamine system is essential for maintaining positive anticipation, avoiding disappointment, and sustaining long-term engagement in pursuits.
- Expectations and beliefs can significantly impact dopamine response and performance, emphasizing the need to be mindful of their influence.
Deep dives
Introduction to the Podcast
The podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast aims to provide science-based tools for everyday life and offers information about science and science-related tools.
Sponsorship and Athletic Greens
Athletic Greens is a sponsor of the podcast and offers an all-in-one vitamin, mineral, and probiotic drink. The host personally takes Athletic Greens to meet his nutritional needs and boost his microbiome health.
InsideTracker and Personalized Nutrition
InsideTracker is another sponsor that analyzes data from blood and DNA to provide personalized nutrition recommendations. The host emphasizes the importance of regular blood work to understand one's health and make informed decisions about diet and lifestyle.
Thesis and Nootropics
Thesis creates targeted nootropic formulas for specific outcomes. The host shares his positive experience using Thesis nootropics, particularly for increased focus and energy during training.
The Neuroscience of Motivation and Reward
This episode delves into the neuroscience of motivation and reward, with a focus on dopamine. Dopamine is associated with motivation, desire, and pleasure. The reward pathway, involving the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens, plays a role in regulating motivation and desire. The relationship between dopamine and pleasure is complex, as dopamine levels fluctuate during anticipation, pursuit, and reward. The episode also touches on other neurochemicals, such as serotonin and endocannabinoids, that influence motivation and contentment.
Understanding Dopamine Function
The host explains that dopamine was initially thought to be primarily involved in the production of other compounds, but it also has independent effects. Dopamine is released from various sites in the brain and is associated with motivation and desire. However, the prefrontal cortex acts as a brake, regulating dopamine release and controlling the desire to overcome barriers. Dopamine levels are influenced by various factors, including novelty, sex, food, nicotine, cocaine, and video games.
The Pleasure-Pain Balance
The podcast explores the pleasure-pain balance in motivation and reward. Dopamine is associated with pleasure, but it also triggers the pain of craving and the desire for more. The focus is on achieving a balance between dopamine release and the release of here-and-now molecules, such as serotonin and endocannabinoids, which promote contentment with what one already has. Mindfulness practices and cognitive approaches can help extend the arc of pleasure and reduce craving.
Procrastination and Motivation
Different types of procrastinators are discussed, including those who enjoy the stress of impending deadlines and those who lack dopamine release. Techniques such as deep breathing and caffeine intake can stimulate dopamine release. For individuals lacking dopamine, supplements or prescription drugs may be considered. However, it's important to be cautious of excessive dopamine intake, as it can lead to addictive behavior and the need for increasingly higher levels of stimulation.
Leveraging Dopamine for Motivation and Pleasure
The podcast explores the role of dopamine in motivation and pleasure. Dopamine is involved in anticipating and wanting rewards, motivating us to take action. It is released when our expectations are met and can lead to feelings of pleasure. However, dopamine is also affected by unexpected outcomes and can result in negative signals. The podcast emphasizes the importance of regulating the dopamine system to maintain positive anticipation and avoid disappointment. It suggests adjusting the dopamine schedule by intermittently rewarding ourselves to avoid burnout and maintain long-term engagement with pursuits.
The Influence of Expectation on Dopamine and Performance
The podcast discusses how expectations can impact dopamine and performance. It highlights a study that showed the power of expectations on the subjective experience of caffeine. Participants who believed they were receiving Adderall performed better on cognitive tasks compared to those who received a placebo or actual caffeine. This demonstrates the interplay between cognition and neurotransmitter release in influencing performance. The podcast emphasizes the need to be mindful of how our beliefs and expectations can shape our dopamine response and motivate us to achieve specific goals.
The Power of Intermittent Reward and Dopamine Regulation
The podcast explores the concept of intermittent reward and its effects on dopamine and motivation. It draws parallels with gambling, which leverages intermittent reinforcement schedules to keep individuals engaged. The podcast suggests applying this principle to personal goals by celebrating achievements intermittently. By blunting the reward response for some intermediate goals, individuals can maintain a healthy dopamine system and stay motivated on the path of progress. It emphasizes the importance of balancing reward and expectation to avoid burnout and maximize long-term engagement with pursuits.
9.
Dopeming Isn't as Much About Pleasure as It Is About Motivation and Desire to Pursue More
2min
This episode explains the science of motivation and drive. I describe how dopamine-- a chemical we all make in our brain, underlies our desire for and pursuit of our goals, as well as our capacity to move and experience pleasure. I describe how we can leverage specific behaviors, reward schedules and dopamine-prolactin balance to help ensure we can maintain motivation and capacity for pleasure over the long term. I also discuss dopamine in the context of ADHD, craving and addiction, and some absolutely amazing results about specificity of drug effects based purely on belief.
For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.
Thank you to our sponsors
AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman
LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman
Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman
Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman
Timestamps
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:00:30) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT, Waking Up
(00:04:22) Announcement: Spanish Subtitles
(00:05:06) Emotions, Addiction & Mindset
(00:06:22) Motivation & Movement: The Dopamine Connection
(00:07:29) A Double-Edged Dopamine Blade
(00:08:56) Dopamine Fundamentals: Precursor to Adrenalin
(00:10:15) The Reward Pathway: An Accelerator & A Brake
(00:12:10) Motivation= Pleasure Plus Pain
(00:14:14) The Dopamine Staircase: Food, Sex, Nicotine, Cocaine, Amphetamine
(00:16:15) Subjective Control of Dopamine Release
(00:17:40) Social Media and Video Games
(00:18:15) Addiction & Dopamine: Progressively Diminishing Returns
(00:18:48) Novelty, Sensation-Seeking & Anticipation
(00:20:15) Craving: Part Pain, Part Pleasure & Pain Always Prevails
(00:23:11) Desire Scales With Pain: The Yearning Function
(00:24:43) The Croissant Craving Circuit
(00:25:45) “Here and Now” Molecules: Serotonin, Bliss & Raphe Nucleus
(00:26:26) In Your Skin Or Out In the World
(00:27:25) Cannabinoids Lethargy & Forgetfulness
(00:28:15) The Almond Meditation
(00:29:30) Drugs That Shift Exteroception Versus Interoception
(00:30:36) Emotional Balance, Active & Passive Manipulation
(00:32:36) Procrastination: Leveraging Stress, Breathing, Caffeine, L-Tyrosine, Prescription Drugs
(00:37:04) When Enough Is Never Enough; How Dopamine Undermines Itself
(00:38:58) Dopamine-Prolactin Dynamics: Sex, Reproduction & Refractory Periods
(00:40:30) The Coolidge Effect: Novelty-Induced Suppression of Prolactin
(00:42:22) Vitamin B6, Zinc As Mild Prolactin Inhibitors
(00:43:25) Schizophrenia, Dopamine Hyperactivity and Side Effects of Anti-Dopaminergic Drugs
(00:45:08) Prolactin, Post-Satisfaction “Lows” & Extending the Arc of Dopamine
(00:48:00) The Chemistry of “I Won, But Now What?”
(00:49:00) Healthy Emotional Development: Child and Parent
(00:50:03) Never Say “Maybe” (Reward Prediction Error)
(00:52:02) Surprise!
(00:52:59) Are You Suppressing Your Drive and Motivation By Working Too Late?
(00:54:50) Disambiguating Pleasure and Drive: Dopamine Makes Us Anti-Lazy
(00:58:00) Beta-Phenylethylamine (PEA), & Acetyl L-Carnitine
(01:00:00) Attention Deficit Disorders, Cal Newport Books, Impulsivity & Obesity
(01:03:55) Leveraging Dopamine Schedules
(01:05:22) Subjective Control of Dopamine and Drug Effects: The “Adderall” Experiment
(01:09:03) Caffeine May Protect Dopamine Neurons, Methamphetamine Kills Them
(01:10:57) Nicotine: Dopamine, Possible Neuroprotection, Prolactin Increase
(01:11:53) Gambling, Intermittent Reinforcement, & Persistent Goal Seeking (Bad and Good)
(01:14:14) Intermittent Halting of Celebration; Enjoy Your Wins, But Not All of Them
(01:18:38) A Story Example of Intermittent Reward to Maintain Long-Term Drive and Motivation
(01:21:25) Corrections & Notes About Spanish Captions & Other Languages Soon
(01:24:00) Synthesis & Framework, Zero-Cost Support & A Note About Sponsors
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac
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