Podcast
Roshan Cools - Brain mechanisms of cognitive control and motivation
A conversation with Roshan Cools about cognitive control, motivation, willpower, dopamine, serotonin, cognitive enhancers, and what these mechanisms mean for behavior and design.
In this conversation
Roshan Cools discusses cognitive control, motivation, willpower, and the role of dopamine and serotonin. The conversation connects laboratory research with questions about memory, decision-making, cognitive enhancers, and even user experience design.
The conversation avoids treating willpower as a vague personal trait. Instead, it looks at mechanisms influenced by motivation, control, context, and neurochemistry.
Central question
How do motivation and cognitive control shape what people are able to do?
What we cover
- How cognitive control and motivation influence willpower.
- What dopamine and serotonin can tell us about behavior and flexibility.
- Why cognitive enhancers and UX design raise practical questions about attention and control.
Guest background
Prof. Roshan Cools is Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry at Radboud University Medical Center and Principal Investigator at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour.
Things to listen for
- Why willpower is more complicated than simply deciding harder.
- How neurochemistry interacts with motivation and control.
- Where cognitive science can inform design choices without overpromising.
Thinking about willpower
Trait story
People are treated as simply disciplined or undisciplined.
Mechanism story
Behavior is shaped by control systems, motivation, neurochemistry, and the environment around the task.