Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

Written by:
Anna Lembke
Narrated by:
Anna Lembke

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
244
Narrator
28
Release Date
August 2021
Duration
6 hours 11 minutes
Summary
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
“Brilliant . . . riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick,
as heard on Fresh Air

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.
Reviews
Profile Avatar
Anonymous

Wow, I never write reviews, but have to for this one: Well-explained science and honest stories. I’ll definitely be revisiting the conclusion: Immerse yourself in the life you are given, instead of trying to escape. - [3 years sober from meth, briefly in NA. Trying to be thoughtful about other habits that feel precarious sometimes.] If you’re at a point where you have trouble facing yourself… it may take more effort to listen, but I hope you still do.

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

I liked the book. It is always nice to read something that promotes less mainstream messages. Some might find her book unpleasant due to the same reason. I liked the fact that she put her arguments in the book based on her experience and knowledge (in my point of view) in a non controversial way. I believe the acknowledgement of different points of view (knowledge based ones) helps our minds to grow and to me this book was a good way to go for that.

Profile Avatar
Margo P.

Negative feelings, low number of facts and practical advice. Marketing title though

Profile Avatar
Michael K.

Really puts into perspective why we default to "bored to death" when we aren't actively stimulated. I look forward to attempting a stimulus detox, curbing my indulgence, and building a sense of discipline in a world where everything is just a keystroke or a phone swipe away.

Profile Avatar
Darrel M.

We can tump the scale from either direction

Profile Avatar
Spencer S.

Yes, the first chapter is hard to listen, but you need to keep listening till the end. You can’t possibly review or have an option about it if don’t finish it. I think what most people are looking for is a self help book, this is not it. It might help you with a new way of thinking about every day habits and how they effect your everyday life. Come with a open mind before reading.

Profile Avatar
Evan W.

Nah this ain’t it, the information presented in Huberman Lab rings much more factual and useful

Profile Avatar
Lili P.

Great book.

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

The whole book rang false. Author goes for titillating but claims she isnt. Even her story about addiction to romance novels seems bogus. Her voicing of the man with the sex addiction is offensive

Profile Avatar
Kathryn L.

I am just over an hour into this and I want my money back. This is entirely anecdotal and biased. The author is offensive and lacks critical thinking skills. Her conclusions are at the very least flawed and at worst, harmful to those she counsels. The "evidence" she tries to tie to her thoughts in an ignorant attempt at reasoning would be funny if not so very lacking, weak, and insulting. She implies that reading romance novels is a slippery slope to engineering self mastabatory machinery. Also, as I have not finished the book this may be premature, but I also got the impression she thinks there is little value to medication even when used properly in psychiatric care. If you are in the field of psychology or vaguely inclined to the scientific method, please do not waste a monthly credit, money, or time on this.

Profile Avatar
shark_week

This was a wonderful book with lots of beautiful insights. For me this was a slow burn, I knew most of the science, but found myself thinking about this book all the time, generating new insights that came from the fusion of science, clinic, and her own life.

Profile Avatar
Monika J.

Must listen!!! brings you back to core values and realization how addicted we are to everyTHING! Loved the voice too!!!

Profile Avatar
Jan S.

This book goes against the grain many things we are being told makes us happy. It is not too short or too long and well written. What strikes me most ist how genuine the author is and that I could connect to her feelings and her message easily. I really want to reread Jonathan Haidts book about Happiness again and see how the ideas connect. A surprizingly good read and I am glad to have discovered the author on the Modern Wisdom Podcast.

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

Legit. helpful.

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

Fascinating!!

1 book added to cart
Subtotal
$17.50
View Cart