How Dopamine & Serotonin Actually Shape Decisions, Motivation & Learning ( w/ Dr. Read Montague)

How Dopamine & Serotonin Actually Shape Decisions, Motivation & Learning ( w/ Dr. Read Montague)

On today’s episode, Chris sits down with pioneering computational neuroscientist Dr. Read Montague (Director of the Center for Human Neuroscience Research at Virginia Tech) to break down how our brains use dopamine and serotonin to calculate expectations, navigate uncertainty, and drive human behavior. They dig into "Reward Prediction Errors," how your brain shifts between "explorer" and "exploiter" modes, the hidden neurochemical impact of social media, and how modern AI algorithms (like Reinforcement Learning) are actually modeled after the human dopamine system. On the X is an IRONCLAD Original More about The Navy SEAL Foundation: ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.navysealfoundation.org/⁠⁠⁠ Text ONTHEX to 60104 to sign up to receive updates from the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF). By participating, you agree to our ⁠Mobile Terms and Conditions⁠ (⁠60104-info.com⁠) for recurring autodialed donation messages from NSF to the phone number you provide. Text STOP to end. Msg & data rates may apply. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/navysealfoundation/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thisisironclad Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-x/id1759222083 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3itWUNECnae8hkJKG7NMvV?si=0cfb5d256c1144cc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

How Your Brain Creates Emotion, Thought, and Reality (w/ Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett)

On today’s episode, Chris sits down with neuroscientist and bestselling author Lisa Feldman Barrett to discuss how the brain constructs emotion, perception, and thought in real time. They explore the concept of the predictive brain, why the “lizard brain” theory has been debunked, and how the brain’s primary role is regulating the body. Lisa also explains how past experiences shape what we see and feel, why emotions are constructed rather than hardwired, and how these ideas impact mental health, performance, and human behavior. More about The Navy SEAL Foundation: ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.navysealfoundation.org/⁠⁠⁠ Text ONTHEX to 60104 to sign up to receive updates from the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF). By participating, you agree to our ⁠Mobile Terms and Conditions⁠ (⁠60104-info.com⁠) for recurring autodialed donation messages from NSF to the phone number you provide. Text STOP to end. Msg & data rates may apply. Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/navysealfoundation/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thisisironclad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Best of On the X: What It Really Takes to Connect

Today's episode is a compilation of conversations about how we communicate: how we share what we're feeling, how we listen, and how the words we choose shape the way people respond to us. Chris revisits conversations with Jeff Weidenhofer on emotional fitness and why face-to-face connection beats any virtual support group; former FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator Chris Voss on the art of mirroring and why nearly every interaction is a negotiation; and Wharton professor Jonah Berger on why asking for advice makes people think more of you, not less, and how concrete language proves you're actually listening. On the X is an IRONCLAD Original. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-x/id1759222083 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-x/id1759222083] Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3itWUNECnae8hkJKG7NMvV [https://open.spotify.com/show/3itWUNECnae8hkJKG7NMvV] More about The Navy SEAL Foundation: https://www.navysealfoundation.org/ [https://www.navysealfoundation.org/] Text ONTHEX to 60104 to sign up to receive updates from the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF). By participating, you agree to our Mobile Terms and Conditions (60104-info.com) for recurring autodialed donation messages from NSF to the phone number you provide. Text STOP to end. Msg & data rates may apply. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/navysealfoundation/ [https://www.instagram.com/navysealfoundation/]https://www.instagram.com/thisisironclad [https://www.instagram.com/thisisironclad] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Why Willpower Doesn't Work, and What Actually Breaks a Habit (w/ Dr. Jud Brewer)

On today's episode, Chris sits down with Dr. Jud Brewer, a psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and bestselling author of "The Craving Mind," "Unwinding Anxiety," and "The Hunger Habit." Dr. Brewer's research has reshaped the science of the loops that keep people stuck in worry, in eating, and in their worst habits. They dig into why willpower isn't doing what most people think it's doing, how anxiety operates as a habit loop, and the simple awareness practice that's helped patients break decades-old patterns. To find out more about Dr. Jud Brewer, visit: https://drjud.com/ On the X is an IRONCLAD Original More about The Navy SEAL Foundation: ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.navysealfoundation.org/⁠⁠⁠ Text ONTHEX to 60104 to sign up to receive updates from the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF). By participating, you agree to our ⁠Mobile Terms and Conditions⁠ (⁠60104-info.com⁠) for recurring autodialed donation messages from NSF to the phone number you provide. Text STOP to end. Msg & data rates may apply. Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/navysealfoundation/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thisisironclad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Breaking the Emotional Loops That Drive Stress, Anger, and Self-Doubt (w/ Dr. Elisha Goldstein)

On today’s episode, Chris sits down with Dr. Elisha Goldstein, a clinical psychologist, author of Tiny Shifts, and co-founder of the Center for Mindful Living, to explore how emotional patterns drive stress, self-doubt, and reactivity. Drawing on more than two decades of clinical experience, Dr. Goldstein explains how to recognize these patterns and apply practical strategies to manage them more effectively in real time. To purchase Tiny Shifts, visit: https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Shifts-Emotional-Transforms-Relationships/dp/B0GP9T6L5T On the X is an IRONCLAD Original More about The Navy SEAL Foundation: ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.navysealfoundation.org/⁠⁠⁠ Text ONTHEX to 60104 to sign up to receive updates from the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF). By participating, you agree to our ⁠Mobile Terms and Conditions⁠ (⁠60104-info.com⁠) for recurring autodialed donation messages from NSF to the phone number you provide. Text STOP to end. Msg & data rates may apply. Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/navysealfoundation/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thisisironclad Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-x/id1759222083 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3itWUNECnae8hkJKG7NMvV?si=0cfb5d256c1144cc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]