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Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
“Brilliant . . . riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick


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.

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Published Jan 3, 2023

304 pages

Average rating: 7.77

71 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Diane Fisher
Aug 07, 2025
7/10 stars
Interesting book. More informative it seemed, than instructive. In other words, I feel I’m addicted to sugar and didn’t really read anything in the book about how to stop the addiction except maybe besides not having it in the house, or to replace my desire for sugar with something else like taking a walk or something. I don’t know. It definitely made me more aware, though.
Tstraw01
Jan 11, 2025
4/10 stars
Informative read just was too wordy and boring.
Rhu
Jun 14, 2024
9/10 stars
This is a fascinating look at the dangers of dopamine addiction and guidance as to how we can manage this powerful neurotransmitter for a healthy and satisfying life.
Kendy
Nov 03, 2022
Feb. 2022 book. Wow! Makes me consider what my devices are taking from my life.

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