Neuroscience, the Habenula, and the Future of Mental Health

Richard Zwicky speaks with physician and behavioral change designer Kyra Bobinet to explore why traditional willpower models consistently fail. ]

Dr. Bobinet highlights the “data gap” in mental health, arguing that subjective questionnaires fall short of the precision offered by modern brain science.

The conversation centers on the habenula—the brain’s “anti-reward” pathway—which can trigger failure loops and kill motivation when we face setbacks.