@hubermanlab: Dopamine, Surprise & "The One That Got Away" Being in pursuit of something and especially, being right on the cusp of obtaining a reward is a very strong stimulus for dopamine release in the brain. But perhaps the greatest stimulus for dopamine release is when that is followed by a positive surprise. The name for it is “reward prediction error.” When we anticipate a reward, and it is not obtained or is smaller than what we expected, our baseline level of dopamine drops below what it was prior to the entire pursuit. Eventually, it returns to normal. But we learn something about the value of the pursuit that preceded that lower reward from the dopamine changes (aka dynamics). This video was shot during my lab’s expedition with Michael Muller to collect footage of great white sharks for a fear/anxiety VR stimulus at Stanford School of Medicine. We wanted tuna for our dinner and had one on the line… we were expecting a (meal) reward. A local great white reminded us that, when they are around, humans eat last. However, the reward of seeing it breach was greater than the meal we would’ve had. I’ll also never forget that incident because when we get a big and unexpected dopamine release, it leaves an indelible mark on our memory. You can start to see why dopamine is so fundamental to the evolution of every species. **It’s the chemical currency that tells us about the value of our experiences and efforts**. A recent episode of the Huberman Lab podcast is all about dopamine, “reward prediction error,” and the many important roles dopamine plays in motivation, drive and sense of reward. It also covers how to overcome procrastination by leveraging dopamine dynamics. #hubermanlab #andrewhuberman #dopamine #shark #sharkbait #greatwhite #greatwhiteshark #science

Andrew Huberman

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Tuesday 04 April 2023 18:09:57 GMT