The dopamine generation: Seeking balance in the age of pleasure

This book is about pleasure. It also talks about pain. Most importantly, it talks about how we find the delicate balance between the two and why today we need that balance more than ever. We live in an age of unprecedented access to high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, video games, texting, sexting, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter… The quantity, the variety and addictiveness of these stimuli cause vertigo. The smartphone is the modern subcutaneous injection that provides uninterrupted digital dopamine to a digital generation. So we all fall into compulsive overconsumption. In this book, psychiatrist dr. Anna Lembke dissects all the new scientific data that explains both why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain and what we can do about it. Lembke breaks down, in simple and understandable language, complex neuroscientific knowledge and shows us how controlling dopamine leads to a more meaningful, truly good life. The experiences of her patients shape the riveting texture of her narrative, the poignant stories of pain and redemption giving us all hope that we can control our own addictive tendencies and transform our lives. “Anna Lembke deeply understands an experience that arises from the coexistence of our primitive brain with our modern addictions. Her stories of people who have managed to find a healthy balance between pleasure and pain with her guidance can transform your life." Lori Gottlieb “Just when you thought you knew everything about addiction crises, along comes Dr. Lembke, with a book that talks not about any drug, but about the most powerful chemical substance, dopamine, the substance that controls the pain and pleasure centers in our brain. Whatever your addiction – from the internet and food to work and sex – you'll find this book riveting, terrifying, compelling and intelligently insightful. Lembke interweaves patient stories with research studies, demonstrating empathy and clear judgment." Beth Macy, author of the Washington Post Best Book of the Year, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company That Addicted America "Lembke has written a book that fundamentally changes the way we think about mental illness, pleasure, pain, satisfaction and stress". Daniel Levitin, author of The Organized Mind and Successful Aging