Neuroscience of Motivation

Understanding the neuroscientific circuits involved in motivation can help us develop a framework for cultivating intrinsic motivation and addressing motivational problems. The key circuits include:

1. The hedonic circuit (liking)
2. The reward circuit (wanting)
3. The effort computation circuit (cost-benefit analysis)
4. The emotional circuit (influence on motivation)

Intrinsic Motivation, Neuroscientific Circuits, Motivational Problems

And as we tunnel down into the neuroscience of it, we’ll start to see that different parts of the brain are responsible for creating that intrinsic motivation, and that you actually don’t need to force yourself to do anything. If you understand these parts of the brain as we go through these parts of the brain and we start to understand how each of these contributes will also lay the foundation for problems with motivation.

• How does the idea of intrinsic motivation, driven by specific brain circuits, differ from your previous understanding of motivation?
• What questions or curiosities do you have about the neuroscience of motivation that you hope to explore further?

The hedonic circuit, located in the orbital frontal cortex and governed by GABA and opioid neurotransmitters, is responsible for the experience of liking or enjoying something. This is distinct from the reward circuit, which is often associated with dopamine.
Orbital Frontal Cortex, GABA, Opioid Neurotransmitters

The hedonic circuit is usually found or not usually always in all human beings, is found in the orbital frontal cortex. And the hedonic circuit is our circuit of liking things. So if we think a little bit about enjoyment, so enjoyment is a function that happens somewhere in the brain and happens in the orbital frontal cortex.

• Reflect on an experience you genuinely enjoyed. How might understanding the hedonic circuit’s role in that experience change your perspective?
• How can you cultivate more experiences that engage your hedonic circuit in a healthy and balanced way?

The reward circuit, primarily located in the nucleus accumbens and part of the mesolimbic circuit, is governed by dopamine. This circuit connects behavior, reward, and learning, reinforcing the desire to engage in rewarding behaviors.
Nucleus Accumbens, Mesolimbic Circuit, Dopamine

So the nucleus accumbens, which is an important part of something called the mesolimbic circuit is our reward circuit and is primarily the circuit that people talk about when they talk about dopamine. So the basically what the nucleus accumbens does, is it connects a couple of key things that are involved in motivation. So the first is we’ll have a behavior. And once we engage in the behavior, we’ll get a reward. And once we get that reward, we’ll learn something from it right will reinforce that original behavior.

• Think of a behavior you find rewarding. How might the reward circuit be reinforcing your desire to engage in that behavior?
• What strategies can you use to harness the power of the reward circuit to reinforce positive, healthy behaviors?

The orbital frontal cortex is also involved in effort computation, calculating whether a behavior is worth engaging in based on the balance of effort and reward. The brain constantly makes these cost-benefit analyses to determine motivation.
Orbital Frontal Cortex, Effort Computation, Cost-Benefit Analysis

So our brain constantly makes computations about whether something is a good idea to do or not a good idea to do. And so if we think about the term motivation, what is it it’s kind of like this idea of Okay, should I do this? Or should I not do this thing? Is my brain telling me to engage in this behavior or not? And that has to do with something called an effort computation.

• Reflect on a time when you struggled to motivate yourself to do something despite knowing the potential rewards. How might effort computation have been at play?
• How can you reframe your perception of effort and reward to make high-effort, high-reward behaviors more appealing?

Emotional circuits in the brain, including the limbic system and the amygdala, can heavily influence motivation. Negative emotions can reduce motivation, while positive emotions can drive behavior.
Limbic System, Amygdala, Emotional Influence

So there are parts of our brain like the limbic system or the amygdala, in which we experience emotions. And the cool thing is that emotions are really, really powerful drivers of behavior. So we think about, you know, applying for a job or going into interview. As we experience negative emotions. We sometimes want to pull back from that. So emotions can be really, really powerful B, drivers to kind of reduce our motivation or actually motivate us to stay home.

• How have emotions influenced your motivation, both positively and negatively, in the past?
• What strategies can you use to manage your emotional responses and harness positive emotions to drive motivation?

By understanding the roles of the hedonic circuit, reward circuit, effort computation circuit, and emotional circuit in motivation, we can better identify and address the root causes of motivational problems.
Motivational Problems, Liking vs. Wanting, Effort-Reward Balance

So let’s just go through a couple of simple examples. So sometimes when you do something, it feels really good and you actually had a really great time, but you wake up the next day and you don’t want to do it. If you can get yourself out the door and actually socialize with people. You’re like, wow, that was a really great idea. I should do that more often. And if we talk, if we think about people who struggle with motivation, how often do they say to themselves, I should really do that more often. And if we think a little bit about that, why do we make that statement? Why is it that we can enjoy something really appreciate doing it and not be motivated for it? That comes down to this connection between our hedonic circuit and our reward circuit? Right. So liking and wanting are actually two different things.

• Identify a motivational challenge you currently face. Which neuroscientific circuits might be involved, and how can you address the issue at its root?
• How can understanding the neuroscience of motivation help you develop more effective strategies for cultivating intrinsic motivation and overcoming obstacles?

By gaining a deeper understanding of the neuroscientific circuits involved in motivation, we can develop a more nuanced and effective approach to cultivating intrinsic motivation, addressing motivational challenges, and harnessing the power of our brain to drive positive behavior change.