The neuroeconomics of work: Computational and neural mechanisms of the dynamics of effort-based decisions

The motivation to exert effort is fundamental for health, wealth and survival. Reduced motivation is linked to unemployment, poor educational outcomes, and poorer physical and mental health. To understand the extensive impact of motivation, research across psychology, economics, psychiatry, neurology and neuroscience is increasingly deploying neuroeconomics inspired paradigms, to understand how we choose whether to exert effort or not. This has led to multiple insights into the computational and neural mechanisms underlying effort, its variation between healthy people, and how and why it can be impaired. Here we outline the most recent work in this field which highlights that there are multiple domains to motivation, various contexts which modulate our willingness to exert effort, and that choosing to exert effort or not dynamically waxes and wanes from moment-to-moment. We review and synthesise this work to move towards a neuroeconomic framework for motivation.