Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
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- Create Date：2022-10-29 09:51:40
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Anna Lembke
- ISBN：0593472861
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Summary
This book is about pleasure。 It's also about pain。 Most important， it's about how to find the delicate balance between the two， and why now more than ever finding balance is essential。 We're living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward， high-dopamine stimuli: drugs， food， news， gambling， shopping， gaming， texting， sexting， Facebooking， Instagramming， YouTubing， tweeting。。。 The increased numbers， variety， and potency is staggering。 The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle， delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation。 As such we've all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption。
In Dopamine Nation， Dr。 Anna Lembke， psychiatrist and author， explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain。。。and what to do about it。 Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors， Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check。 The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative。 Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives。 In essence， Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery。
"Brilliant。。。 riveting， scary， cogent， and cleverly argued。"--Beth Macy， author of Dopesick
In Dopamine Nation， Dr。 Anna Lembke， psychiatrist and author， explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain。。。and what to do about it。 Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors， Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check。 The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative。 Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives。 In essence， Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery。
"Brilliant。。。 riveting， scary， cogent， and cleverly argued。"--Beth Macy， author of Dopesick
Reviews
HD
，
If you're battling dopamine addiction -just like me- this book might help you If you're battling dopamine addiction -just like me- this book might help you 。。。more
Ashley Case
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An absolute must-read。 This book describes what is wrong with our trajectory at present。 Everyone should read this with an open mind and look inward as they do so。
Carson Jones
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Really enjoyed this book for the way it reminded me of the over-consuming environment we all live in。 I liked how the author pointed out that anything can become addicting and how to try your best to avoid tipping the scale to pain or pleasure in any circumstance。 I was expecting more advice on how to create the state of homeostasis she talks about while not quitting something all together because as she mentions - everything can be addicting。 This doesn’t mean that it has to be cold turkey’d ev Really enjoyed this book for the way it reminded me of the over-consuming environment we all live in。 I liked how the author pointed out that anything can become addicting and how to try your best to avoid tipping the scale to pain or pleasure in any circumstance。 I was expecting more advice on how to create the state of homeostasis she talks about while not quitting something all together because as she mentions - everything can be addicting。 This doesn’t mean that it has to be cold turkey’d every time you really enjoy something at least in my opinion。 I also am interested on the method she used to get over some of her trauma as she says she leaned more into her work。 I wish that would have been expound on but other than those things this book gives a general understanding of dopamine and how too much of anything， pain or pleasure， can lead to addiction。 Don’t go into this expecting to learn how to overcome addiction， rather you can read it to understand a basic overview of the neurochemistry of addiction。 。。。more
Ryan Correa
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Fascinating， from start to finish。 One of the best reads I’ve had。
Jackson McKay
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Leaves some tense topics up in the air - without resolve， which I appreciated。
Vladimir
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советы и истории куль， все остальное дичь
Pascal Skoufos
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 One of the most important reads of our era in my point of view。 We live in an era of countless “free” behaviour indulgences that makes us feel good and give us a way to escape from reality and feelings/situations we don’t want to face。 From food，alcohol， coffee， sex， porn， shopping up to cannabis， heroin， cocaine etc。Unfortunately nothing is for “free“， and you become quickly addicted， we all were/are to something knowingly or not。This books illustrates perfectly personal anecdotes， stories shar One of the most important reads of our era in my point of view。 We live in an era of countless “free” behaviour indulgences that makes us feel good and give us a way to escape from reality and feelings/situations we don’t want to face。 From food，alcohol， coffee， sex， porn， shopping up to cannabis， heroin， cocaine etc。Unfortunately nothing is for “free“， and you become quickly addicted， we all were/are to something knowingly or not。This books illustrates perfectly personal anecdotes， stories shared from patients， science and strategies how to navigate a very complex world full of temptations and possible addictions。 And a quote from the closing chapter I liked:“The rewards of finding and maintaining balance are neither immediate nor permanent。 They require patience and maintenance。 We must be willing to move forward despite being uncertain what lies ahead。 We must have faith that actions today that seem to have no impact in the present moment are in fact accumulating in a positive direction， which will be revealed to us only at some unknown time in the future。 Healthy practices happen day by day。“ 。。。more
Akhil Jain
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My fav quotes （not a review）:-tone hit off a meth pipe is equal to ten orgasms。-t“We are cacti in the rain forest。” And like cacti adapted to an arid climate， we are drowning in dopamine。-tThe net effect is that we now need more reward to feel pleasure， and less injury to feel pain。-tAs Immanuel Kant wrote in The Metaphysics of Morals， “When we realize that we are capable of this inner legislation， the （natural） man feels himself compelled to reverence for the moral man in his own person。” Bindi My fav quotes （not a review）:-tone hit off a meth pipe is equal to ten orgasms。-t“We are cacti in the rain forest。” And like cacti adapted to an arid climate， we are drowning in dopamine。-tThe net effect is that we now need more reward to feel pleasure， and less injury to feel pain。-tAs Immanuel Kant wrote in The Metaphysics of Morals， “When we realize that we are capable of this inner legislation， the （natural） man feels himself compelled to reverence for the moral man in his own person。” Binding ourselves is a way to be free。-tThe “Scottish shower，” also called the “James Bond shower” as practiced by James Bond in Ian Fleming’s 007 novels， is newly popular and consists of ending a hot shower with at least a minute of cold shower。-tHormesis is a branch of science that studies the beneficial effects of administering small to moderate doses of noxious and/or painful stimuli， such as cold， heat， gravitational changes， radiation， food restriction， and exercise。 Hormesis comes from the ancient Greek hormáein: to set in motion， impel， urge on。 。。。more
Robin
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Book could've been written in 30 pages。 The other 90% were just examples that didn't really add much value。 Key takeaway is that if you know how dopamine works， you'll have an easier time tackling your addiction。 This book has definitely helped me but was a dull read once you realized the book ended after page nr 80。 Book could've been written in 30 pages。 The other 90% were just examples that didn't really add much value。 Key takeaway is that if you know how dopamine works， you'll have an easier time tackling your addiction。 This book has definitely helped me but was a dull read once you realized the book ended after page nr 80。 。。。more
Nick Guillen
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nice read！Great book that talks about the inner workings of the brain and the pleasure pain balance that not many people realize is occurring。
Alex
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This book is very easy to read and pretty light， and I think I was a little bit disappointed because of that。 It essentially makes the point that we've become obsessed with seeking "pleasure" and forget that "pain" can be just as beneficial to our growth。 It gives insights into how to seek the balance between the two with the examples of addicts that have broken their habits。 I understand that it makes complex information digestible for a general audience and I appreciated a few of its insights This book is very easy to read and pretty light， and I think I was a little bit disappointed because of that。 It essentially makes the point that we've become obsessed with seeking "pleasure" and forget that "pain" can be just as beneficial to our growth。 It gives insights into how to seek the balance between the two with the examples of addicts that have broken their habits。 I understand that it makes complex information digestible for a general audience and I appreciated a few of its insights （i。e。 the necessity of radical honesty and the value of prosocial shame）， but it still felt a little too reductive。 Maybe I just have to stop reading self-help books with the expectation that they'll change my life。 。。。more
Kateryna Maw
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A great read！ I think most of us need a Dopamine cleanse of sorts， no matter what kind of "drug" we use。 It is so interesting to have a different perspective in terms of pleasure-pain scale and how people can find a balance that will allow to enjoy simple pleasures （e。g。， watching a sunset， walking in a park， etc。）。 A great read！ I think most of us need a Dopamine cleanse of sorts， no matter what kind of "drug" we use。 It is so interesting to have a different perspective in terms of pleasure-pain scale and how people can find a balance that will allow to enjoy simple pleasures （e。g。， watching a sunset， walking in a park， etc。）。 。。。more
Sophia Barcellos
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acho que só tankei até o final pq ouvi o audiolivro nos momentos de busão， me trouxe umas reflexões bem legais， principalmente sobre honestidade radical， e tmb gosto desse estilo de contar a historinha dos pacientes
Aaron Farr
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Clear understanding of addiction & consumption in the dangerous age we surround ourselves within。 Dr。 Anna Lembke is remarkable and has distinguished herself in her field of work。 Thank you for the help Dr。
Hannah Harris
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Everyone should read this book。 So many of society’s problems can be traced to our obsession with pleasure and our lack of self-control， and this is because of the way dopamine affects our brains。 Drugs， alcohol， food， porn， social media， video games… dopamine is everywhere and people can never get enough of it。 Great explanation of how addictions form and how to avoid letting them develop in yourself。 It made me think deeply about how I want to raise my children to not be slaves to pleasure and Everyone should read this book。 So many of society’s problems can be traced to our obsession with pleasure and our lack of self-control， and this is because of the way dopamine affects our brains。 Drugs， alcohol， food， porn， social media， video games… dopamine is everywhere and people can never get enough of it。 Great explanation of how addictions form and how to avoid letting them develop in yourself。 It made me think deeply about how I want to raise my children to not be slaves to pleasure and bad habits （Number one: Don’t give your kids smartphones！ It really messes up their brain chemistry。 This book explains how。） 。。。more
Jess
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This is one I might have to reread every year。 As a human， trying to live among other humans， in one of the most prosperous nations in the history of the earth， this is a vital roadmap to identifying our own addictions and laying them down for freedom and human connection。 As a Christian， reading the science behind why we need to tell ourselves no despite desires， why we need other people and why we need to curb our consumption， I found myself internally shouting "she's preaching the gospel righ This is one I might have to reread every year。 As a human， trying to live among other humans， in one of the most prosperous nations in the history of the earth， this is a vital roadmap to identifying our own addictions and laying them down for freedom and human connection。 As a Christian， reading the science behind why we need to tell ourselves no despite desires， why we need other people and why we need to curb our consumption， I found myself internally shouting "she's preaching the gospel right now！"。 It's so cool when science and faith intersect， proving each other true。 Our brains are made to live selflessly， connected with others， creating instead of consuming。 This book proves so much of why we should do the things we know we should do and feel guilty for not doing， which for me at least is an important step on the pathway to true change。 The second to last chapter called radical honesty reminded me of what I always want from Brene Brown books， but seem to find lacking there。 The hard facts of truth telling rife with examples， brain science， and data。 I want to reread again it immediately。 **** warning about one patient's case study that involves his journey out of sex addiction。 Some scenes and descriptions are graphic at times but always to push the story forward and not illicit。*** 。。。more
Ashish Arora
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This book drops soo many truth bombs for our current dopamine driven society。 With our ever decreasing attention spans we are becoming more and more addicted to modern vices like social media。I can say I myself am victim of such behaviors。 Author starts the book with a crazy fact “70% of world deaths are attributable to modifiable behavior”。Few concepts completely blew my mind were:1。 Neuroadaptation2。 Pleasure and pain balance3。 Delayed discounting4。 Radical Honesty5。 Prosocial shameI am always This book drops soo many truth bombs for our current dopamine driven society。 With our ever decreasing attention spans we are becoming more and more addicted to modern vices like social media。I can say I myself am victim of such behaviors。 Author starts the book with a crazy fact “70% of world deaths are attributable to modifiable behavior”。Few concepts completely blew my mind were:1。 Neuroadaptation2。 Pleasure and pain balance3。 Delayed discounting4。 Radical Honesty5。 Prosocial shameI am always in awe of an author whenever they use scientific concepts to help breakdown day to day issues。 And Anna does exactly that throughout the book。 。。。more
Kasia
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Chyba wszyscy powinnismy przeczytać te książkę
Hannah Paquette
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The first bit on dopamine fasting is really good。 The rest of it is covered in anti-medication biased anecdotes。 I don’t quite understand this Dr。‘s interest in the idea that human beings don’t need medication for their mental health。 Or if they do， then it shouldn’t be a permanent prescription。 Seems a bit peculiar to me。 If your heart wasn’t functioning right， then you take medication。 If your brain isn’t functioning right， then you take medication。 Now if you can fix the root cause of the fun The first bit on dopamine fasting is really good。 The rest of it is covered in anti-medication biased anecdotes。 I don’t quite understand this Dr。‘s interest in the idea that human beings don’t need medication for their mental health。 Or if they do， then it shouldn’t be a permanent prescription。 Seems a bit peculiar to me。 If your heart wasn’t functioning right， then you take medication。 If your brain isn’t functioning right， then you take medication。 Now if you can fix the root cause of the functional issue， then great！ But some people only need to take a low dose of heart medication and be on their merry way。 Same with some with anti-depressants。 It also seems that she conflates typical human suffering and mental health struggles as the same。 Which is just wack。 Not a fan。 。。。more
Nic Parsons
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If this book becomes one of the most popular Pop-Sci books of the decade I think we will be better for it。
Enrico Antonellini
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Un saggio davvero utile per affrontare la vita quotidiana nella nostra società。 Se avete mai avuto problemi di dipendenze o vi siete vergognati di parlarne a qualcuno leggere questo libro vi farà provare tanta empatia verso i pazienti dell'autrice e verso l'autrice stessa che decide di raccontarsi mettendosi in gioco anche con la sua esperienza personale。 Davvero utile anche per i concetti e le pratiche che consiglia una su tutte: ONESTÀ RADICALE。 Non abbelliamo la nostra vita ne per gli altri n Un saggio davvero utile per affrontare la vita quotidiana nella nostra società。 Se avete mai avuto problemi di dipendenze o vi siete vergognati di parlarne a qualcuno leggere questo libro vi farà provare tanta empatia verso i pazienti dell'autrice e verso l'autrice stessa che decide di raccontarsi mettendosi in gioco anche con la sua esperienza personale。 Davvero utile anche per i concetti e le pratiche che consiglia una su tutte: ONESTÀ RADICALE。 Non abbelliamo la nostra vita ne per gli altri ne soprattutto per noi stessi。 Il libro più consigliato di quelli che ho letto。 。。。more
Pamela Schneider
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Very interesting study of humanity and its pursuit of happinessThe brain is responsible for all of our lives as well as daily actions。 Don’t let it lead down the elusive primrose path。 It doesn’t exist。
Robin Tenold
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Great insights。 memorable patient examples。
Sandra Romienė
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Visos neįveikiau。 Bet kiek paskaitinėjau nepasirodė labai naudinga ir informatyvi。 Galbūt klystu， tai apsidrausdama duodu keturias žvaigždutes， nors jeigu sąžiningai manau būtų teverta trijų。
Sydney
，
Very interesting， learnt a lot， there wasn't an overwhelming amount of new information and the two chapters regarding honesty seemed a little misplaced， or maybe were too long。 Very interesting， learnt a lot， there wasn't an overwhelming amount of new information and the two chapters regarding honesty seemed a little misplaced， or maybe were too long。 。。。more
Joel Gray
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 EVERY PLEASURE EXACTS A PRICE， AND THE PAIN THAT FOLLOWS IS LONGER LASTING AND MORE INTENSE THAN THE PLEASURE THAT GAVE RISE TO IT。We have transformed the world from a place of scarcity to a world of overwhelming abundance。Substances trigger the release of dopamine in our brains reward pathway。Hedonism - the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake。 When we are consuming high-dopamine rewards we lose the ability to take joy in ordinary pleasures。Mindfulness is the ability to observe what our brain i EVERY PLEASURE EXACTS A PRICE， AND THE PAIN THAT FOLLOWS IS LONGER LASTING AND MORE INTENSE THAN THE PLEASURE THAT GAVE RISE TO IT。We have transformed the world from a place of scarcity to a world of overwhelming abundance。Substances trigger the release of dopamine in our brains reward pathway。Hedonism - the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake。 When we are consuming high-dopamine rewards we lose the ability to take joy in ordinary pleasures。Mindfulness is the ability to observe what our brain is doing while its doing it， without judgement。By creating tangible barriers between ourselves and our drug of choice we press the pause button between desire and action。Telling the truth draws people in， especially when we expose our vulnerabilities。 They see in our brokeness their own vulnerability and humanity。 They are reassured that they are not alone in their doubts， fears and weaknesses。 。。。more
Marina Doneda
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This was an enjoyable， quick audiobook， but not what I was expecting。 I really thought it would talk more about these "hidden" addictions we all have， but don't recognize （like smartphones and Facebook）。 She briefly mentioned this but it wasn't the main topic at all。 I felt like the book was written more for addicts or those wanting to learn more about addicts。 So good， but not what I wanted it to be。 This was an enjoyable， quick audiobook， but not what I was expecting。 I really thought it would talk more about these "hidden" addictions we all have， but don't recognize （like smartphones and Facebook）。 She briefly mentioned this but it wasn't the main topic at all。 I felt like the book was written more for addicts or those wanting to learn more about addicts。 So good， but not what I wanted it to be。 。。。more
Eric Williamson
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Does a good job of outlining the neurochemistry of dopamine， particularly its relation with pain and pain perception， and how technology has exploited this neurochemical to some self-serving ends。
Himanshu Inamdar
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Dopamine Nation is an interesting exposition on the nature of addiction and its role in the modern world， with varied kinds of stimulation available at our fingertips at any time of the day or night。 The author shares stories of patients and their journeys of working through their addictions as well as some personal stories， intended to provide a framework for navigating a world with unprecedented access to distractions。 The author does a good job of trying to show how different kinds of addicti Dopamine Nation is an interesting exposition on the nature of addiction and its role in the modern world， with varied kinds of stimulation available at our fingertips at any time of the day or night。 The author shares stories of patients and their journeys of working through their addictions as well as some personal stories， intended to provide a framework for navigating a world with unprecedented access to distractions。 The author does a good job of trying to show how different kinds of addictions relate to each other and discusses various ways used in the past as well as present to treat them。 Beyond this point， however， the book seems to fall apart。 There is an over-reliance of anecdotes over data， as well as praise of restrictive religious practices without addressing the proven dangers of the same。 There are points where it seems the author is even praising cults as a means of getting over addictions。 Personal examples of mild addictions are casually equated with life-threatening examples of patients， in a way that suggests the way to treat all of them is the same。 There is one particularly egregious example where the author talks about lying to her own children， eating their chocolates， as an example of growth for the whole family， while expressing judgement about the stories of patients regarding matters they have no control over。 The book also focuses on a narrow segment of society， and factors like economic privilege， race， or gender are treated as footnotes， if at all addressed， in matters of addiction and general mental health。 A very narrow-minded view on many issues restricts the potential of the book severely。 The main failure of the book seems to be completely avoiding talking about technology， screens， and the Internet despite modern world addictions supposedly being the focus of the book。 Overall， the book is a collection of anecdotes and ways to regulate behaviour that do not necessarily belong in a book that claims to be backed by science。 It may be useful to a limited extent， but relying on the methods provided because it is claimed that they are science-based would be a risk。 。。。more
Nishant Saurabh
，