"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."
"In his popular podcast, Huberman claims dopamine "influences your quality of life" (Huberman, 2025), and it is "very important to be a happy person over long periods of time" (Huberman, 2021). This sounds compelling, but it's like saying gasoline determines how much you enjoy driving. Not to mention that dopamine spurts follow negative behaviors like overeating and substance abuse. The relationship is modulatory, not causal."
Dopamine does not cause happiness; it modulates how rewards are valued and experienced. Dopamine responses follow both positive and negative behaviors, including overeating and substance abuse, indicating a modulatory rather than causal role. Baseline dopamine levels, receptor sensitivity, genetics, and transmission patterns interact with other neuromodulators and hormones to shape subjective well-being. Simplified narratives and flawed 1970s studies produced a 'reward is evil' myth that has been refuted. Loss of autonomy undermines motivation more than rewards themselves. Personalized rewards and restoring autonomy increase engagement and performance. Social-media oversimplifications have fueled widespread misconceptions about dopamine and motivation.
Read at Psychology Today
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