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

Dopamine's role in learning, motivation, and decision-making is explored with Dr. Read Montague, director of the Center for Human Neuroscience Research at Virginia Tech. The discussion moves beyond the simplistic view of dopamine as solely a pleasure molecule, highlighting its critical function in encoding temporal difference errors—the fluctuations in expectations as we move through the world. This understanding is contrasted with the common expectation-versus-reward model. The conversation also covers the opponent relationship between dopamine and serotonin, and how SSRIs can inadvertently reduce dopamine's rewarding properties. The discussion extends to the impact of social media on attention spans, the importance of balancing focus with exploration, and the potential for AI to enhance our understanding of the brain.