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

By: Daniel Z. Lieberman MD, Michael E. Long

Narrated by: Tom Parks

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2018 Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, and Michael E. Long. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Publishing by arrangement with BenBella Books.

Critic reviews

"One might consider it Freakonomics for the mind."— Greg Roth, "The Idea Enthusiast"

"Daniel Lieberman and Michael Long have pulled off an amazing feat. They have made a biography of a neurotransmitter a riveting read. Once you understand the power and peril of dopamine, you’ll better understand the human condition itself.” —Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and When

"Meet a molecule whose fingerprint rests upon every aspect of human nature—from desire and drugs to politics and progress. Lieberman and Long tell the epic saga of dopamine as a page-turner that you simply can't put down."—David Eagleman, PhD, neuroscientist at Stanford and New York Times bestselling author

Interesting Perspective

Interesting perspective on our bio-mechanisms, but (of necessity limiting itself to molecules - hormones and genetic predeterminism) limits its view to what drives lower animals (those under experiment) and unenlightened humans (which are all of them, currently, and sadly). It does not cover enlightened humans (who live by the Philosophy of Broader Survival), and who, knowing of such mechanisms, can sidestep them.

Great, in depth journey

Took the superficial understanding I had from headlines and opened my eyes to the “why” things are the way they are.

If you like neuroscience this is the book for you

If you have a particular interest in dopamine, or enjoy seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge, you would probably love this book. But as a clinician, I just kept thinking, “SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT” and it drove me a little crazy the entire time I was listening.

Dopaminergic

It was very easy to listen to, and easy to understand. The author has really done his homework.

Clear and enlightening

This book opened my eyes to an awareness that a naked eye can never for tell.

Many golden nuggets, but a bit metaphorical

Unclear whether statements are accurate with regards to neurotransmitters and the biology generally. My understanding is that there are many other things involved.

Fascinating!

A worthy read/listen for anyone interested in what drives our behavior! I highly recommend this one.

So who WAS the surgeon?

Well explained and good examples, understandable. Well spoken, proper pronunciation and cadence. Fascinating content. Looked forward to every new chapter. Appreciate the effort it took to compare much research.

Understand human nature

A fascinating combination of sociology and science. Great examples and applications in diverse domains like work, sexuality, relationships, ADD, salience and the future of humanity. Thoughtful and thought provoking.

Explains so much

Changed the way I look at how I spend my time and made me more aware of the bad habits that are making me feel down and drained.