How Dopamine & Serotonin Shape Decisions, Motivation & Learning | Dr. Read Montague episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 2, 2026 · 2H 41M

How Dopamine & Serotonin Shape Decisions, Motivation & Learning | Dr. Read Montague

from Huberman Lab · host Scicomm Media

Dr. Read Montague, PhD, is a professor and director of the Center for Human Neuroscience Research at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and an expert in how dopamine and serotonin shape human learning, motivation and decision-making. We discuss how they impact focused effort in the context of short- and long-term goals of all kinds. Also, how SSRIs and low-effort, high-engagement activities reduce the rewarding properties of dopamine, and how AI algorithms are revolutionizing understanding of the brain. Episode show notes are available at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman David: https://davidprotein.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Read Montague (00:02:54) Dopamine, Motivation & Learning (00:08:49) Reward Prediction Error, Expectations (00:12:24) Sponsors: David & Joovv (00:14:54) Foraging, Dating, Expectations vs Outcomes; AI (00:23:36) Dopamine, Expectation, Motivation; Forward Drive; Dopamine "Hits" (00:29:58) Baseline Dopamine & Fluctuations; Parkinson's Disease (00:34:36) Movement, Urgency; ADHD, Bee's Dance, Explorer vs Focus Mode (00:42:29) Sponsor: AG1 (00:43:40) Social Media, ADHD; Explorers vs Task-Based, Combat (00:50:54) Effort, Learning; Social Media & Phones, Resisting Behaviors (01:01:36) Serotonin & Dopamine, Opponency, SSRIs (01:11:21) Hunger, Dopamine; Negative Feedback, Learning, Trauma; Torture (01:18:34) Drugs of Abuse & High Dopamine (01:19:48) Sponsor: Function (01:21:35) Trauma & Dopamine Adaptation (01:27:34) SSRIs, Dopamine, Positive Experiences (01:29:50) Deep Brain Stimulation; Measuring Dopamine & Serotonin in Humans (01:36:16) Sleep; Divorce; Science is a Contact Sport (01:45:14) Long-Term Motivation, Learning How to Fail, Tool: Kids & Sports (01:54:14) Sponsor: LMNT (01:55:34) Meditation, Breathing, Learning; Dopamine as a Currency (02:04:38) Function of Sleep, Motivation; Time Perception & Dopamine, Tracking Time (02:13:18) LLMs, AI, Uses & Problem Solving (02:18:33) Future Projects, Commercial Brain-Machine Interfaces; Concentration (02:25:57) Dopamine "Hits"?; Depression & Schizophrenia; Quitting (02:30:17) Dopamine & Serotonin Misunderstandings; Internal Satisfaction; Motivation (02:35:58) Serotonin Syndrome; Acknowledgements (02:38:31) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 2, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

How Dopamine & Serotonin Shape Decisions, Motivation & Learning | Dr. Read Montague

0:00 2:41:39

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Huberman Lab?

This episode is 2 hours and 41 minutes long.

When was this Huberman Lab episode published?

This episode was published on February 2, 2026.

Can I download this Huberman Lab episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!