What Masud Husain has said about Effort-reward decision making
2 quotes · 1 episode · Aug 24, 2026
Masud Husain, Professor of Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, expert on motivation and apathy, author of Our Brains, Our Selves, has been quoted on Effort-reward decision making 2 times in 1 episode of Huberman Lab, most recently on August 24, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.
In their words
Husain says that motivated and apathetic people both work for high rewards, but apathetic people differ in declining low-reward options.
“We find that everyone is willing to work for high rewards. But the difference between motivated people and apathetic people is at the level of the low rewards”
Huberman Lab: How to Improve Motivation & Overcome Procrastination | Dr. Masud Husain (Aug 24, 2026) · Listen from 9:31
Husain reports that apathetic students showed greater activity in reward-effort regions, indicating they expend more brain energy to make the same decision.
“It's showing us that apathetic people use more brain energy when they're making this decision. They have a bigger activation energy barrier to overcome”
Huberman Lab: How to Improve Motivation & Overcome Procrastination | Dr. Masud Husain (Aug 24, 2026) · Listen from 25:54
Episodes
How to Improve Motivation & Overcome Procrastination | Dr. Masud HusainHuberman Lab · Aug 24, 2026 · 2 h 21 min
Andrew Huberman and Oxford neurologist Masud Husain discuss the neuroscience of motivation, apathy, dopamine, effort-reward decisions, attention, ADHD, and Alzheimer's resilience.
Masud Husain on other topics
- Dopamine · 3 quotes
- Alzheimer's disease · 3 quotes
- Motivation · 2 quotes
- Apathy · 2 quotes
- Attention · 1 quote
- Multiple sclerosis · 1 quote
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder · 1 quote
- Parkinson's disease · 1 quote