Let me start by saying I genuinely admire Andrew Huberman. His mission to popularize neuroscience to improve lives is as useful as water in the desert, and his actionable strategies have helped countless people, including me. I even use his sponsor recommendations (yes, that fancy mattress works). But expertise in ophthalmology and neuroscience doesn't automatically translate to expertise in motivation science, and that is why things get messy.
Optimism lives in a curious in-between space. It isn't an outcome so much as an expectation about one. Yet optimism and pessimism each have immediate consequences for mental health. When we expect good things, daily life feels safer and more enjoyable. Persistent pessimism, on the other hand, breeds emptiness and depression. As a psychiatrist, I often meet people who undermine their own positive feelings.
In mice, a small group of neurons responds specifically to sweet tastes. They project into a hidden appetite hub, a part of the brain that links motivation and emotion to behavior. When these neurons fire, sugar becomes not just pleasant but irresistible. Switch them off, and even sugar loses its pull. This is the first clear evidence of how taste signals acquire the motivational force that drives consumption.
I remember the eureka moment I had about procrastination when I was still a high school Latin teacher. There was a lot of talk about "time management" and "SMART" goals going around the faculty in-service day training. But then one of the teachers spoke out, "This isn't time management as much as it's about an emotion they'd rather avoid." At the time, I volunteered to be a practice client in a coaching session,
This story within Novak's head reveals not just a cognitive belief but a physiological imprint. From a Polyvagal lens, his nervous system was shaped to anticipate threat, and for very good reason. His early experiences biased his nervous system toward detecting danger. Although this bias fueled his relentless drive to become what many consider the greatest of all time in men's professional tennis, it also prevents him from feeling fully satisfied with what he has accomplished.
With my research collaborators in Canada and Norway, we investigated whether and why one specific bonus system used at a videogame company generated bad behaviors. Specifically, we looked at whether bonuses could make game developers disconnect from their moral standards and behave unethically-by lying, turning a blind eye to questionable behaviors, cheating, taking the credit for someone else's performance, displacing blame, or cutting corners.
Joe Schmidt is reinforcing his team to prepare for a challenging match against Australia, anticipating a fierce response following their initial defeat in the series.
The health sector requires skilled, altruistic, and motivated individuals to perform complex tasks for which ex-post incentives may prove ineffective. Health professionals should have a genuine desire to help their patients, independent of monetary rewards.
