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
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- Create Date：2021-03-28 13:16:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Daniel Z. Lieberman
- ISBN：1948836580
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Summary
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。
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
Meghana Potta
，
Credit to popular media， Dopamine is now the Kardashian of neurotransmitters。 The Molecule of More essentially highlights the tussle between your extra personal dopamine and your peri personal serotonin， creating and either/or problem。 Your desire dopamine facilitates addiction to the dopamine buzz and your control dopamine facilitates drive， tenacity and motivation。 Serotonin or the ‘here & now’ is responsible for immediate fulfillment。 The book goes on to describe the aforementioned’s affectiv Credit to popular media， Dopamine is now the Kardashian of neurotransmitters。 The Molecule of More essentially highlights the tussle between your extra personal dopamine and your peri personal serotonin， creating and either/or problem。 Your desire dopamine facilitates addiction to the dopamine buzz and your control dopamine facilitates drive， tenacity and motivation。 Serotonin or the ‘here & now’ is responsible for immediate fulfillment。 The book goes on to describe the aforementioned’s affective niche including love， sex， drugs， confidence， creativity and disease， cementing dopamine’s role as an encoder of reward prediction error。 My one take-away would be that acts of ‘creation’ are the most durable of the dopaminergic pleasures。 Specially， acts that promote balance such as wood working， knitting， painting， cooking。 These acts intermingle dopamine and H&N， it is sensory reality and abstract thought working together。This book feels like an oversimplification of concepts。 It might suit you well if you’re looking for breadth over depth in the topic。 Nevertheless the book helped me crystallize my concepts。 。。。more
Emmanouil
，
Pleasant to read with a good flow ， I don’t possess the academic background to confirm the science mentioned but it provides a pick in the brain and you can certainly relate to some of the behaviors mentioned
Kevin
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This is a good book to take a step back and look at why we sometimes get stuck in a loop of wanting more and "what's next" without ever stopping to enjoy what we have。I enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook version （Tom Parks）。 This is a good book to take a step back and look at why we sometimes get stuck in a loop of wanting more and "what's next" without ever stopping to enjoy what we have。I enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook version （Tom Parks）。 。。。more
Victoria
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Perfect balance between newest research and vivid examples！
Gregp
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8 out of 10
Javier Rivero
，
The book does a great job on explaining how dopamine interferes with our daily decision making process， it’s astonishing to think we are not driven by rationality but by a series of chemical imbalances in our brains。 From making huge personal and professional decisions， dopamine levels in our brain can determine wether we choose to eat a radish over a chocolate cookie。
Calla
，
An easy to read and simplistic introduction to dopamine。 This could be a helpful guide for people looking to strengthen their dopamine control circuits in order to decrease harmful pleasure seeking behaviour。Bonus star for the fact that Lieberman used the pain box from 'Dune' to explain the difference between dopamine and H&N functioning！ An easy to read and simplistic introduction to dopamine。 This could be a helpful guide for people looking to strengthen their dopamine control circuits in order to decrease harmful pleasure seeking behaviour。Bonus star for the fact that Lieberman used the pain box from 'Dune' to explain the difference between dopamine and H&N functioning！ 。。。more
Jamie D。
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Really interesting insight into the neurochemistry behind seeking behavior。 Provided a lot of insight into my fascination with rock climbing。
Atif Shaikh
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referred by dr。 andrew huberman in his podcast episode 7。 bookmarked。
Katie Griffith
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I finally understand myself！
Maha
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It oversimplifies the neuroscience of things and focuses solely on the relevance of dopamine （as opposed to all the other neurones， hormones and other factors） but it’s fascinating。
Alejandro Tomassi
，
The book has good insights， on a very general and oversimplified way （don’t know why Lieberman couldn’t get a bit more technical， maybe he wanted to appeal to the broadest audience for $$） it explains a dichotomy of dopamine/serotonin， the first drives you forward， the second halts you。 This premise is the backbone of the book and applied to everything that happens under the sun， from the human migration out of Africa to Silicon Valley entrepreneur。In my view this was good and bad， kind of left The book has good insights， on a very general and oversimplified way （don’t know why Lieberman couldn’t get a bit more technical， maybe he wanted to appeal to the broadest audience for $$） it explains a dichotomy of dopamine/serotonin， the first drives you forward， the second halts you。 This premise is the backbone of the book and applied to everything that happens under the sun， from the human migration out of Africa to Silicon Valley entrepreneur。In my view this was good and bad， kind of left all at chance， like tossing a coin， the model explains some things and at best over simplify others， leaving readers thinking life is as simple as we are all led to believeI would say don’t buy the book， but if you do， you can still learn something， but not an eye opener 。。。more
Rose Anderson
，
HELLO i have read testimonies about this great spell caster called Dr。 Tudu how he helped people to bring their lover back。 so i decide to give him a try， i am here today to give my own testimony on how this great man brought my ex back within 48 hours for just to contact him。 this girl has broke up with me over 6 weeks but she came back just within 48 hours that Dr Tudu said he will make her come back to me。 just contact this man and he will bring your ex back here is his email drtuduspellcaste HELLO i have read testimonies about this great spell caster called Dr。 Tudu how he helped people to bring their lover back。 so i decide to give him a try， i am here today to give my own testimony on how this great man brought my ex back within 48 hours for just to contact him。 this girl has broke up with me over 6 weeks but she came back just within 48 hours that Dr Tudu said he will make her come back to me。 just contact this man and he will bring your ex back here is his email drtuduspellcaster@gmail。com 。 。。。more
Ingo
，
I really don't get how there are so many readers raving about this book。 "When all you have is a hammer， all you see is nails。" - I have never seen an example as perfect as "The Molecule of more" to illustrate the saying。 Sometimes the drivel that results from trying to squeeze literally everything into the author's frame is painful to read， most of the time it's just superficial "science light" that will ennoy you before boring you to sleep。 Do yourself a favor and read something else。 I really don't get how there are so many readers raving about this book。 "When all you have is a hammer， all you see is nails。" - I have never seen an example as perfect as "The Molecule of more" to illustrate the saying。 Sometimes the drivel that results from trying to squeeze literally everything into the author's frame is painful to read， most of the time it's just superficial "science light" that will ennoy you before boring you to sleep。 Do yourself a favor and read something else。 。。。more
Laurence J
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Revealing and relatableMolecule of More put language to the human experience of desiring what we don’t have。 It takes a balanced approach to how dopamine is simultaneously our best ally and worst enemy。 If applied correctly， understanding this biochemistry can give immense wisdom that leads to a truly harmonious life。
Jay Yeo
，
The book explores dopamine as a chemical of motivation and extrapersonal nature， vs the H&N （here and now） chemicals including serotonin and oxytocin。 Dopaminergic people and personalities tend to live in the future and continually seek “more” vs H&N which is more of satisfaction and preserving status quo against threats。 Interesting ideas and a breeze to read。
C。A。 Gray
，
Really fascinating！ I already had a framework for the concepts， so that made it much easier to listen to as an audiobook。 What I knew already was that dopamine was associated with pleasure and reward， and the lack of it （and its downstream metabolites， norepinephrine and epinephrine） with a particular kind of depression: the kind that lacks excitement or interest。 It's also the neurotransmitter associated with focus; in excess， it can lead to schizophrenia， and in deficit， it can lead to Parkins Really fascinating！ I already had a framework for the concepts， so that made it much easier to listen to as an audiobook。 What I knew already was that dopamine was associated with pleasure and reward， and the lack of it （and its downstream metabolites， norepinephrine and epinephrine） with a particular kind of depression: the kind that lacks excitement or interest。 It's also the neurotransmitter associated with focus; in excess， it can lead to schizophrenia， and in deficit， it can lead to Parkinson's Disease。 What I did not know was the distinction between dopamine and the other catecholamines， norepi and epi: Lieberman categorizes the latter two， along with things like serotonin， oxytocin， and endorphins， as "here and now，" or H&N neurotransmitters， meaning they help with enjoyment of the moment and satisfaction in one's actual experience。 By contrast， dopamine is all about novelty and desire。 The moment that a pleasure is no longer unexpected， or a goal is achieved， dopamine is quenched。 The enjoyment associated with expected pleasures or enjoying what one already possesses requires the H&N neurotransmitters--and certain kinds of people are predisposed more toward one over the other。 The highest achievers in history tend to be very dopamine dominant， with all its attendant benefits and pitfalls。 They are constantly driven， and usually obsessed with achievement and efficiency--but this also means they are rarely "happy"， where happiness is defined by satisfaction with what they actually have。 Many of them are more susceptible to affairs and divorce， because for them， it's more about the thrill of the chase than the actual relationship。 They often care for humanity in the abstract， but have little patience with individual people。 But on the plus side， they also are quite resilient to adversity and change， since novelty produces the dopamine spike they crave。 On the flip side， those more predisposed genetically to the H&N neurotransmitters tend to be happier and more content， and to have stronger interpersonal relationships， but far less driven to achievement and less resilient to the stress of change。 I particularly found the political discussion interesting: those predisposed to dopamine dominance were more often liberal or progressive， while those with more of the H&N neurotransmitters tended to be more conservative。 I thought the book did a good job of staying neutral on this point， and showing the pluses and minuses of each。 For instance， it took for granted that both sides wanted to help the poor， but they went about it differently。 While liberals want to legislate that the government should provide for them financially， seeing this as the most efficient way to achieve their goal， conservatives are against government entitlements， but statistically give far more of their own money to charities。 While both sides sympathize with the plight of immigrants， liberals will show it by arguing for an open border， yet implement strict zoning laws as a boundary against their own places of residence--while conservatives will argue for stricter immigration policy， but will be more likely to actively serve the refugee community once they're here。I also thought the discussion of schizophrenia was fascinating。 I knew it was dopamine-driven， but never thought about the mechanics behind this。 Whenever we hear a salient point， something that we find interesting， a dopamine spike allows us to remember it。 Those with very high dopamine levels will have a dopamine spike at seemingly random times， and their brains will then weave a story to explain how these seemingly unrelated pieces of information might be connected （and particularly how they might be connected to them personally， since we all consider the most salient information to be that which concerns ourselves）。 The process almost sounds like a waking dream。 Overall， a very interesting read， well worth it。 。。。more
THERESA A LACY
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Great readThis book put in laymen terms the reason people behave the way they do，both good and bad。 I highly recommend this book of only to learn about yourself。
Richard Dean
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In some cases， clearly an oversimplification （I'm sure the authors don't deny it）， but definitely an angle worth considering when trying to understand the human condition。 This made me rethink my own approach to life， my own motivations， more than many otherwise more profound books。 In some cases， clearly an oversimplification （I'm sure the authors don't deny it）， but definitely an angle worth considering when trying to understand the human condition。 This made me rethink my own approach to life， my own motivations， more than many otherwise more profound books。 。。。more
Tom Potter
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Wow， there’s a name for it！ “Dopaminergic。”Excellent， accessible dive into some complex chemistry and behavior。
Santosh Shetty
，
Knowing and being able to recognize when your dopamine circuits active， when they're here on now， circuits active That's what's going to empower you。 Knowing and being able to recognize when your dopamine circuits active， when they're here on now， circuits active That's what's going to empower you。 。。。more
Maria Cecoi
，
Minunata。 Ce neam face noi fara dopamina？🤔 Ori cine putem fi fara ea？🤔
Mohsin Merchant
，
Life transformation book
Maria
，
Quite frankly， there is almost nothing not to like about this book。 Not going to lie， it might a bit challenging and brain-racking （since it's not really my cup of tea in terms of genre）， but nonetheless is informative， provocative and well-written。 Whether you are a psychiatrist preoccupied with medical practice or just an eager-to-know person （like me） who wonders why we act the way we do， you will find this book to be a fascinating treasure crammed with a plethora of captivating information a Quite frankly， there is almost nothing not to like about this book。 Not going to lie， it might a bit challenging and brain-racking （since it's not really my cup of tea in terms of genre）， but nonetheless is informative， provocative and well-written。 Whether you are a psychiatrist preoccupied with medical practice or just an eager-to-know person （like me） who wonders why we act the way we do， you will find this book to be a fascinating treasure crammed with a plethora of captivating information about the molecule dopamine。 Honestly， hadn't been for this book， I couldn't have an answer to all the curiosities in my mind concerning human behaviour and its influences。 But alas， you need to be fully engrossed in the process of reading in case you want to get a grasp of how your brain functions。In either case， through a multitude of scientific information， I've still managed to find few literary-ish quotes :）“It’s better to be smart than strong。”“Success inspired confidence; confidence produced success。”“Having a confident expectation of success can make obstacles melt before your eyes。”“It’s not enough to just imagine the future。 To bring an idea to fruition we must struggle with the uncompromising realities of the physical world。 We need not only knowledge but also tenacity。” 。。。more
Anggita Tyaswuri
，
It's good for understanding the dopamin inside our mind （is it？） The world around us today makes us more into dopaminergic situation as in achieving more and more。 It somehow makes me realize that we need to find a balance in our lives。 Dopamin is needed of course but not to hijack our mind to meet our demises one day。Well I'm a little bit surprised to know that there is a research about finding solution in a dream though。 Nice book It's good for understanding the dopamin inside our mind （is it？） The world around us today makes us more into dopaminergic situation as in achieving more and more。 It somehow makes me realize that we need to find a balance in our lives。 Dopamin is needed of course but not to hijack our mind to meet our demises one day。Well I'm a little bit surprised to know that there is a research about finding solution in a dream though。 Nice book 。。。more
Socaci Beatrix
，
Această carte ne ajută să înțelegem anumite aspecte ale comportamentului uman într-o manieră foarte captivantă și pe înțelesul tuturor。 Mi-a plăcut foarte mult。
Dana
，
Interesting enough as an audiobook， but I wouldn't sit down to read it。 Interesting enough as an audiobook， but I wouldn't sit down to read it。 。。。more
Verónica Silva
，
Loved it and reccomend。 Easy to read， lots of interesting information。 If your into neuroscience， this is for you。 （And you don't need to know a lot related to it， it's all explained in a simple way） Loved it and reccomend。 Easy to read， lots of interesting information。 If your into neuroscience， this is for you。 （And you don't need to know a lot related to it， it's all explained in a simple way） 。。。more
Adela Salagean
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Illuminating。
Juliet
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