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Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

  • Downloads：4369
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-01-04 05:53:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Anna Lembke
  • ISBN：1472294122
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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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

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Reviews

Paul Tesseneer ，

It kept me engaged and helped me reflect on what I could do differently myself to break bonds with easy pleasure。 It wasn’t really what I expected and felt like it often drifted too long in the anecdotes， but it still was effective。

Sarah ，

I guess it's all about balance。。。 unfortunately， my inner ear has always been a bit off。 I guess it's all about balance。。。 unfortunately， my inner ear has always been a bit off。 。。。more

Isaak Brown ，

Well written and complex enough to not just feel like fluff。 Though the takeaways were pretty common sense （though rarely practiced） the science was interesting。

Marjan ，

3，75In fact， I listened to it rather quickly and not very deeply， because it was during the recovery from infectious mononucleosis， when I didn't have much to do anyway， and I couldn't read because of the headache。 The most I have heard about the importance of dopamine recently is from Andrew Huberman， which is where I heard about this book。Let's say that awareness of how our motivation works， our rewards， our desires and why we do the things we do can't hurt。 3，75In fact， I listened to it rather quickly and not very deeply， because it was during the recovery from infectious mononucleosis， when I didn't have much to do anyway， and I couldn't read because of the headache。 The most I have heard about the importance of dopamine recently is from Andrew Huberman， which is where I heard about this book。Let's say that awareness of how our motivation works， our rewards， our desires and why we do the things we do can't hurt。 。。。more

Bob Bixby ，

Wow。 I give this book five stars because Lembke is wonderfully transparent about her own addictions and brutally realistic about ours。 She warns us that to be human is to be addiction-prone and gently encourages us to take a good long look at ourselves and our habits。 This book hits a nerve with anyone that is human who dares to think cricically about his or her dopamine cravings。 A few years back I saw a panel of leaders asked to give what they thought were the most critical concerns in society Wow。 I give this book five stars because Lembke is wonderfully transparent about her own addictions and brutally realistic about ours。 She warns us that to be human is to be addiction-prone and gently encourages us to take a good long look at ourselves and our habits。 This book hits a nerve with anyone that is human who dares to think cricically about his or her dopamine cravings。 A few years back I saw a panel of leaders asked to give what they thought were the most critical concerns in society today。 I remember noting that not one of them said addictions。 Perhaps because they were all addicts of something and didn’t know it。 I strongly encourage all my friends to read this。 If you’re blessed you may have a place or person where you can vulnerably and safely disengage from the addictions that threaten your flourishing。 。。。more

Laura Niehues ，

Não conheço a autora e nem pesquisei nada sobre ela mas posso apostar meus centavos que é boomer。 Não gostei de como ela usa anedotas dos pacientes para provar algum ponto （entendo que em alguns casos é didático， só para elucidar uma questão） e não chequei a veracidade das afirmações científicas que ela faz， mas li reviews de quem checou e aparentemente não é exatamente preciso cientificamente em tudo que fala。 A autora é， também， muito simplista ao tentar explicar a questão do prazer， do sofrim Não conheço a autora e nem pesquisei nada sobre ela mas posso apostar meus centavos que é boomer。 Não gostei de como ela usa anedotas dos pacientes para provar algum ponto （entendo que em alguns casos é didático， só para elucidar uma questão） e não chequei a veracidade das afirmações científicas que ela faz， mas li reviews de quem checou e aparentemente não é exatamente preciso cientificamente em tudo que fala。 A autora é， também， muito simplista ao tentar explicar a questão do prazer， do sofrimento e do equilíbrio humano。 Uma questão que atormenta a humanidade desde que nos entendemos aqui e ela praticamente reduz tudo à gangorra do prazer: e a culpa é das redes sociais， das drogas， do álcool， dos filmes pornôs。 Ela tenta também convencer o leitor que ela mesma possuía um vício e narra a história de superação dela。 O vício dela？ ler a saga Crepúsculo。 Not a joke。Tudo nesse livro me cheira à alguém que nunca conheceu o sofrimento e o sacrifício de realmente ter uma vida dolorosa de se viver mas quer falar sobre como essas pessoas devem viver a vida delas。 Existe um pouco de arrogância que psiquiatras no geral possuem e que sempre me incomodou。 Dei 2 estrelas porque tem capítulos e conceitos da psicologia que são realmente bons， embora porcamente explicados， como os bens de grupo， a honestidade como forma de conexão humana， a vergonha destrutiva， etc。Há livros melhores para ler。 。。。more

Sarah G ，

2。5/5With this book， I was looking for a much more in-depth look into the power of dopamine， akin to the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg。 If I had come into it more open to this psychiatrist's testimonials from her patients， I may have had a better experience， but it came across as understanding the power of dopamine and addiction almost solely through the lens of recovery from an addiction。 Overall， not bad information on the subject， just not laid out as scientifically or emotionally enthrall 2。5/5With this book， I was looking for a much more in-depth look into the power of dopamine， akin to the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg。 If I had come into it more open to this psychiatrist's testimonials from her patients， I may have had a better experience， but it came across as understanding the power of dopamine and addiction almost solely through the lens of recovery from an addiction。 Overall， not bad information on the subject， just not laid out as scientifically or emotionally enthralling as I'd imagined。Based on reviews and descriptions， I was also prepared for MUCH more discussion specifically on social media and smartphones and their effects on our brain。 These are mentioned， but this book is almost entirely about substance abuse with the author offering her own smut habit as a non-substance addictive behavior。Not a bad read， but I am will continue my search for a better and more in-depth understanding on the subject。 。。。more

Ode To Aeon ，

i must say， this book is pretty good。 i saw the critical 1 star comments on goodreads and i do understand the criticism。 if not for anything then i will give the book a 5 star just for motivating me to change and grow as a person。

Tresa ，

For me personally， this book was too many anecdotal stories when all I wanted was the summary， so it was hard for me to finish and hard for me to get to the point。 I actually watched some YouTube summaries to help me give it a second chance but I ended up skimming many of the anecdotes。 I guess I was interested in the ideas of addiction to smart phones and social media and wanted quick tips， but the book really went into addiction in general so it turned out to not be what I actually thought it For me personally， this book was too many anecdotal stories when all I wanted was the summary， so it was hard for me to finish and hard for me to get to the point。 I actually watched some YouTube summaries to help me give it a second chance but I ended up skimming many of the anecdotes。 I guess I was interested in the ideas of addiction to smart phones and social media and wanted quick tips， but the book really went into addiction in general so it turned out to not be what I actually thought it was going to be about。 Coincidentally， I had recently decided I needed to stop reading as much fiction for escapism and life avoidance， to reset， so it was interesting the author went through a similar period and realization with reading as an addiction。 （But I was addicted to literary fiction rather than the author’s addiction to romance novels and erotica。） 。。。more

Clarice ，

Interesting。 A bit too long but I enjoyed the author's reading。 I disagreed with some points but overall I learned a lot about why our civilization is where we are。 Worth the time。 Interesting。 A bit too long but I enjoyed the author's reading。 I disagreed with some points but overall I learned a lot about why our civilization is where we are。 Worth the time。 。。。more

Rachel ，

Overall the book is easy to read and provides helpful insights regarding addictions。 My main criticism is the author’s use of the client story about “sexual addiction。” I felt this was more of a tactic to make a reader more interested in the book （not to mention sex addiction is not a recognized diagnosis in the mental health field）。 All that to say， the main point regarding how most people don’t know how to manage pain/uncomfortable emotions is important information and plays a huge role in mai Overall the book is easy to read and provides helpful insights regarding addictions。 My main criticism is the author’s use of the client story about “sexual addiction。” I felt this was more of a tactic to make a reader more interested in the book （not to mention sex addiction is not a recognized diagnosis in the mental health field）。 All that to say， the main point regarding how most people don’t know how to manage pain/uncomfortable emotions is important information and plays a huge role in maintaining addictions。 。。。more

Kristy Macpherson ，

Loved it

Victoria Worrell ，

This book took me a long time to read， but not because I didn’t find it incredibly fascinating。 More that I just had to read in small doses， since it was heavy both with info and with self-reflection。 I think everyone should read this book， as there are things everyone can learn from it。 I couldn’t recommend it more。 Though I will say trigger warnings for some， due to addictions mentioned。 So glad I read this， and I’m sure I will regularly return to it to re-learn things。 I found this book very This book took me a long time to read， but not because I didn’t find it incredibly fascinating。 More that I just had to read in small doses， since it was heavy both with info and with self-reflection。 I think everyone should read this book， as there are things everyone can learn from it。 I couldn’t recommend it more。 Though I will say trigger warnings for some， due to addictions mentioned。 So glad I read this， and I’m sure I will regularly return to it to re-learn things。 I found this book very encouraging！ 。。。more

Matt Battaglia ，

It started so good。 Not quite as mind-blowing as some other things I've read， but still really interesting and useful。 I had 38 notes in the first half。 Then it took a turn for the unexpected when she spent passage after passages extolling AA。 And while the shaming， honesty， and club goods parts were interesting and useful for some people， they felt a little esoteric and spiritual。 I was hoping for more clinical advice。 It could be something that I don't feel is important now and later on when I It started so good。 Not quite as mind-blowing as some other things I've read， but still really interesting and useful。 I had 38 notes in the first half。 Then it took a turn for the unexpected when she spent passage after passages extolling AA。 And while the shaming， honesty， and club goods parts were interesting and useful for some people， they felt a little esoteric and spiritual。 I was hoping for more clinical advice。 It could be something that I don't feel is important now and later on when I've grown more I realize the importance of it。 Either way， worth the read， but a little disappointed after all the hype。 。。。more

Helen Barna ，

While I felt the book was more anecdotal than scientific， I was still captivated by Lembke’s writing and it offered many new ways of thinking around the importance of self-discipline。I’m taking some of her advice with a grain of salt because she seemed to over-dramatize or over-simplify and stray from science at times， but it is still worth reading as it offered me a new perspective and encouraged me to change some habits that I was ready to let go of。Each addiction anecdote that she told （inclu While I felt the book was more anecdotal than scientific， I was still captivated by Lembke’s writing and it offered many new ways of thinking around the importance of self-discipline。I’m taking some of her advice with a grain of salt because she seemed to over-dramatize or over-simplify and stray from science at times， but it is still worth reading as it offered me a new perspective and encouraged me to change some habits that I was ready to let go of。Each addiction anecdote that she told （including her “addiction” to vampire novels） was framed as a serious all-or-nothing borderline deadly addiction。 I wish there was more advice on how to make changes around things like phone use and advice on how to draw the line between how to define what behaviors are problematic in your own life。 。。。more

Michelle ，

A bit puritanical in its alarmist tone… but still good information。

Daniel Mala ，

Guilty as charged！ As a recovering alcoholic I found this book fascinating。 Oddly I was most interested in the balance between pain and pleasure。 Though it has been many years since I was a practicing alcoholic， I see myself still lopsided on the pain side of this equation。 Skiing and distance running and just always finding myself pushing it a little farther。 Anyway， great read！ Cheers！

Jonathan Torres ，

This book parades through countless stories of different addictions that have plagued the author’s patients。 Interesting if you want to hear about other people’s struggles。 If you’re looking for any insight from this book， do yourself a favor and just read the last page。

João Henrique ，

Esse eu não gostei mto。。。 Nada de novo

Neel Joshi ，

In this era of smart phones， whether we accept it or not， we all are suffering from addiction。 While fighting with mobile phone addiction， I started reading this book to understand the problem in a better way。The first couple of pages of the book were extraordinary where the author has used her surroundings in a beautiful way to describe what kind of person she is。 I hadn't read something like this before。The book is divided in three parts among which first one was the most intriguing for me。 It In this era of smart phones， whether we accept it or not， we all are suffering from addiction。 While fighting with mobile phone addiction， I started reading this book to understand the problem in a better way。The first couple of pages of the book were extraordinary where the author has used her surroundings in a beautiful way to describe what kind of person she is。 I hadn't read something like this before。The book is divided in three parts among which first one was the most intriguing for me。 It describes how dopamine works in our brain。 Dopamine is a type of hormone/neurotransmitter which gets released in our brain and it deals with pleasure。 Basically， it get's released when we are anticipating some reward so that we get motivation to do pleasurable task。 The recent research has shown that pain and pleasure both gets processed in the same region of the human brain。 The circuitry which deals with this two emotions can be think of as a seesaw having them both on two sides。 The brain tries to remain in balance。 If we push on pleasure side then it will automatically push on the pain side in order to maintain the equilibrium and in trying to doing so， the seesaw gets pushed beyond the horizontal level。 That's why we feel sad after indulging in the temporary pleasurable experiences （for example scrolling through social media， binge watching series or porn）。 The bad news is that the more we get indulgent in pleasurable experiences， the less pleasurable it feels。 Each time we repeat the behavior which pushes on the pleasure side the seesaw gets slightly tilted towards the pain side。 After some time the brain loses it's normal balance and the tilted seesaw becomes new normal。 As a result， every next time， it requires more and more dopamine to feel the same high。 In other words， our brain finds its hard to enjoy small joys。In order to reachieve the balance， the first step is to completely restrain ourseleves from the substance to which we are addicted to。 If we can manage to do so for a month， then pain-pleasure equilibrium gets reset， but it is hard。 For the first couple of weeks you will feel very low。 Here come the second part of the book in which author describes various ways to bind ourselves。 One way is of physical binding where you can make the substance unavailable to you。 You can take help from someone to do so， but this is not the best way， because the addicted mind will do anything to get the high and find it's way eventually。 If you do not want to completely stop， the you can bind yourself in context of time。 For example， "I will only watch mobile phone after 6 p。m。" or "I will only drink on weekends"。 But， this requires great will power。 One strange but interesting fact is that you can feel pleasure by perusing the pain。 To understand the same， we can take help of the same seesaw illustration。 If we push on the pain side， the brain pushes it on the pleasure side in order to maintain the balance。 One simple experiment is to take a bath with cold shower。 It has been observed that taking bath with ice cold water elevates the mood for 2 to 3 hours。 In fact， people have used this as a way to come out of a serious addictions like heroin。 The third and last part of the book describe the importance of being honest with our friends and family in coming out of any addiction。 "The way we tell our personal stories is a maker and predictor of mental health"。 The author， during her practice as a clinical phycologist， has observed our time that the patients who tell the stories that accurately portray their responsibility and don't blame the world for that， gets better with time rather than the ones who sees themself as victim in their stories。Lastly， I will say that it is hard to come out of mobile phone addiction in this time of attention economy where everyone is trying to make us more and more addicted towards it。 But， together we can do that。 Let's take a first step by accepting that we are addicted！ And if you are denying that， believe me， try restraining from it for just a couple of weeks。 。。。more

Pandit ，

Pretty good overview of the science （well， psychology anyway） of addiction。 I only gave 3 stars because I don't know who the book is written for。 I doubt it will help addicts much。 It is not a great manual for those in the field。 I guess 'pop' science？All the same， it is nicely written by an experienced therapist。 I particularly liked her discussion of 'disclosure porn' - the addiction to identifying as a victim and letting others know about it。 Pretty good overview of the science （well， psychology anyway） of addiction。 I only gave 3 stars because I don't know who the book is written for。 I doubt it will help addicts much。 It is not a great manual for those in the field。 I guess 'pop' science？All the same， it is nicely written by an experienced therapist。 I particularly liked her discussion of 'disclosure porn' - the addiction to identifying as a victim and letting others know about it。 。。。more

Audrey Tan ，

A collection of anecdotes from her own patients' struggles and triumph with addiction about how to understand addiction better in a generation addled with increasingly addictive distractions。 An interesting read！ A collection of anecdotes from her own patients' struggles and triumph with addiction about how to understand addiction better in a generation addled with increasingly addictive distractions。 An interesting read！ 。。。more

ghost。 ，

Good book to understand addiction feelings And the psychology of addiction and why people became different kind of addicts Although i dont think this is an advice book for addiction

Aaron Lorton ，

Pleasure， pain， radical honesty， prosocial shame。

Andrew Dreosto ，

Must read for therapists or anyoneThis book understands how to frame information， makes it relatable to anyone despite a serious addiction or not。 If you desire to learn about habits， mindsets， and supporting yourself with just about anything， this book is worth it。

Gnanasekar ，

this is a very simple book; it is not very technical; filled only with the anecdotes from the author's practice; there are not many implementable ideas; very light read; did not understand dopaminein-depth; this is a very simple book; it is not very technical; filled only with the anecdotes from the author's practice; there are not many implementable ideas; very light read; did not understand dopaminein-depth; 。。。more

Sarah ，

3。5 stars。 I really， really appreciated this book， and the small note on "parasocial shame" has changed a ton of my thoughts and actions in teaching。 Easy to read and engaging， although I didn't love the detailed descriptions of addiction。。。 some of them are so dark， but probably necessary for the book。 3。5 stars。 I really， really appreciated this book， and the small note on "parasocial shame" has changed a ton of my thoughts and actions in teaching。 Easy to read and engaging， although I didn't love the detailed descriptions of addiction。。。 some of them are so dark， but probably necessary for the book。 。。。more

Sina ，

The book is interesting and has lots of examples for addiction。 In fact most of the books is about addiction。

Ashleigh Russell ，

Interesting read if you are interested in this topic。

Kristy Q ，

Incredibly relevant to our lives， this book about dopamine and our incessant desire for it is enlightening。 Beware that the first chapter introduces a patient who has found a pretty extreme way to get his dopamine fix， but in the long run the author helps us identify， even the smallest bit， with even his extremes。 Generated a great book club discussion！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0