How Your Brain’s Reward Circuits Drive Your Choices | Dr. Robert Malenka

About this video

Stanford psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Robert Malenka discusses how reward circuits drive choices, merging his laboratory’s work on neuroplasticity and on dopamine in pleasure and addiction. Huberman notes Dr. Malenka’s work has shown that seeking particular pleasures, healthy or not, changes reward circuitry and dopamine release, and has informed understanding of healthy pleasures such as food and social connection. The episode explores how dopamine and serotonin work in parallel to reinforce thinking and behaviors, and covers social connection and empathy. In the excerpted segment, Dr. Malenka and Huberman discuss terminology around autism spectrum disorder, with Dr. Malenka urging respect for individuals’ preferences, noting it is a continuum like depression, and acknowledging children who need and deserve help and research. They then turn to whether social behavior is rewarded through dopamine and what role serotonin plays.

Key takeaways

• Dr. Malenka explains how seeking pleasures changes reward circuitry and dopamine release, Huberman notes.
• Dr. Malenka discusses dopamine and serotonin working in parallel to reinforce behavior.
• Dr. Malenka addresses social connection and empathy in reward terms.
• Dr. Malenka urges respecting individuals’ terminology preferences regarding autism.
• Dr. Malenka describes autism and depression experiences as continuums.

Episode details: published July 10, 2023 · 1.2M views · 2:50:03 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The science and protocols described are Andrew Huberman’s, presented for education — not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before changing your own health practices.

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