The Molecule of More
How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity--and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race
Ratings15
Average rating3.8
15
How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity--and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race
Ratings15
Average rating3.8
Why are we obsessed with the things we want and bored when we get them? Why is addiction “perfectly logical” to an addict? Why does love change so quickly from passion to disinterest? Why are some people diehard liberals and others hardcore conservatives? Why are we always hopeful for solutions even in the darkest times—and so good at figuring them out? The answer is found in a single chemical in your brain: dopamine. Dopamine ensured the survival of early man. Thousands of years later, it is the source of our most basic behaviors and cultural ideas—and progress itself. Dopamine is the chemical of desire that always asks for more—more stuff, more stimulation, and more surprises. In pursuit of these things, it is undeterred by emotion, fear, or morality. Dopamine is the source of our every urge, that little bit of biology that makes an ambitious business professional sacrifice everything in pursuit of success, or that drives a satisfied spouse to risk it all for the thrill of someone new. Simply put, it is why we seek and succeed; it is why we discover and prosper. Yet, at the same time, it’s why we gamble and squander. From dopamine’s point of view, it’s not the having that matters. It’s getting something—anything—that’s new. From this understanding—the difference between possessing something versus anticipating it—we can understand in a revolutionary new way why we behave as we do in love, business, addiction, politics, religion – and we can even predict those behaviors in ourselves and others. In The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity—and will Determine the Fate of the Human Race, George Washington University professor and psychiatrist Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, and Georgetown University lecturer Michael E. Long present a potentially life-changing proposal: Much of human life has an unconsidered component that explains an array of behaviors previously thought to be unrelated, including why winners cheat, why geniuses often suffer with mental illness, why nearly all diets fail, and why the brains of liberals and conservatives really are different.
Reviews with the most likes.
Interesting non-fiction book about the human dopamine system and how it drives us to do the things we do. With some discussion of the norepinephrine neurotropics as well.
Seems pretty neutral in tone and both interesting and enlightening. Could probably use a chapter on how we can manipulate our own systems to achieve better outcomes, but overall still a worthy read.
Considered giving this 5 stars, just because it annoys me that Dopamine Nation seems to be so much more successful, while being far less interesting.
Giving a 4 star rating just because of the stories and its relevance to the content. I don't expect scientists to write an entertaining book, or be Bill Bryson but some help from a good writer could have made this book a great read (or listen).
This book is packed with a lot of data correlating hormones and behaviour. I had a few aaha moments when it clicked why chasing a dream feels much better than living the dream. I'd recommend this book for anyone who is trying to understand themselves better, because our hormones do make who we are but have some freewill in managing it.
