The Science of Setting & Achieving Goals | Episode 55
Main Takeaways
The ability to juggle multiple goals and pursuits at once is unique to humans, and originates from the same neural circuit regardless of the goal's nature.
The amygdala instills a sense of fear and anxiety associated with achieving goals, while the ventral striatum initiates action or inaction based on the scenario.
The lateral and orbital prefrontal cortex is involved in planning, time scales, and meshing emotions with progress, all of which are essential in goal pursuit.
Goal pursuit involves assessing the value of the goal and taking actions towards achieving it, which is regulated by different brain states and chemicals.
The concept of peri-personal space refers to the space within and around our body, while extra-personal space refers to everything beyond our immediate reach.
Serotonin is the primary chemical that modulates peri-personal space, while dopamine is the primary chemical involved in extra-personal space.
Multi-tasking, when placed strategically, can help increase epinephrine/adrenaline, which triggers action and can aid in goal-oriented behavior.
Anchoring attention using visual cues, such as looking at a goal-line, can help people achieve goals faster and with less effort.
Setting goals that are realistic and challenging, and having a concrete plan with specific steps, is essential to achieving them.
Dopamine is the molecule of motivation that assesses value and progress toward goals, and the reward-prediction error is the difference between the actual and expected amount of dopamine released in response to something.
