To ensure survival, we integrate signals from the body to tune behavior, such as food seeking, according to metabolic demands. Such bodily signals are transmitted via vagal afferents, but it was largely elusive whether this mechanism could be used to alter reward-related behavior in humans. In this talk, I will review emerging evidence on the relevance of vagal afferent signals in the prospective regulation of behavior. First, in line with recent preclinical findings, I will demonstrate that noninvasive transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) boosts motivation and mood recovery after exertion. Second, I will review how tVNS modulates bodily signals via the brainstem and discuss how multimodal studies of stomach-brain coupling with concurrent tVNS provide a fascinating new perspective on gut-brain communication. Taken together, a better understanding of the communication between peripheral organs and the brain may pave the way for innovative treatments of mental and metabolic disorders. Ultimately, such insights about the regulation of goaldirected behavior may help resolve long-standing questions about the implementation of adaptive behavior and the inherent trade-off of flexibility versus stability.