The Molecule of More

<b>2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner - Science Category<br>2018 Forward Indies Finalist - Psychology Category<br><br>Why are we obsessed with the things we want only to be bored when we get them?  </b><br><br><b>Why is addiction perfectly logical to an addict?  </b><br><br><b>Why does love change so quickly from passion to indifference?  </b><br><br><b>Why are some people die-hard liberals and others hardcore conservatives?  </b><br><br><b>Why are we always hopeful for solutions even in the darkest times—and so good at figuring them out?</b> <br><br>The answer is found in a single chemical in your brain: <i>dopamine</i>. 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.  <br><br>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.  <br><br>From dopamine's point of view it's not the <i>having </i>that matters. It's getting something—anything—that's new. From this understanding—the difference between possessing something versus anticipating it—we can understand <i>in a revolutionary new way</i> why we behave as we do in love business addiction politics religion—and we can even predict those behaviors in ourselves and others.  <br><br>In <i>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</i> 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 <i>are </i>different. 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.  <br><br><b>—Daniel H. Pink author of <i>Drive</i> and <i>When</i></b> <br><br>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.​​ <br><br><b>—David Eagleman PhD neuroscientist at Stanford and <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author</b> <br><br>I've worked as an artist for forty years and the question ‘Why am I like this?' has been a puzzle a mystery a plea and an occasional cry to the heavens. Lieberman and Long have created a road map for all those wrestling between insatiable longing and the here and now. <br><br><b>—Thomas F. Wilson actor and comedian</b> <br><br>Why do we crave what we don't have rather than feel good about what we do—and why do fools fall in love? Haunting questions of human biology are answered by <i>The Molecule of More</i> a must-read about the human condition. <br><br><b>—Gregg Easterbrook author of <i>It's Better Than It Looks</i></b> <br><br>As a guy who creates musical stuff for a living and reads science books for kicks I was doubly hooked by <i>The Molecule of More</i>. Lieberman and Long lay out the astoundingly wide-ranging effects of dopamine with nimble metaphors and fat-free sentences. And the research linking creativity and madness with dopamine as the hidden culprit—let's just say it hit home. Reading each chapter I felt myself fitting a key smoothly into a locked door opening onto a fresh-yet-familiar room. <br><br><b>—Robbie Fulks Grammy-nominated recording artist</b> <br><br>Jim Watson who deciphered the genetic code famously said ‘There are only molecules; the rest is sociology' adding fuel to C. P. Snow's complaint that Science and the humanities are two fundamentally different cultures which will never meet. The authors argue provocatively yet convincingly that the molecule that allows us to bridge the chasm between them is dopamine. Though written for ordinary people the narrative is sprinkled throughout with dazzling new insights that will appeal equally to specialists. <br><br><b>—V.S. Ramachandran PhD professor at the University of California San Diego and at Salk Institute and author of <i>TheEmerging Mind</i></b> <b>Daniel Z. Lieberman MD</b> is a clinical professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University and SVP of mental health at Hims &amp; Hers Health. Dr. Lieberman is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association a recipient of the Caron Foundation Research Award and he has published over 50 scientific reports on behavioral science. He has provided insight on psychiatric issues for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services the US Department of Commerce and the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and has discussed mental health in interviews on CNN C-SPAN and PBS. Dr. Lieberman studied the Great Books at St. John's College. He received his medical degree and completed his psychiatric training at New York University.  <br><br>Trained as a physicist <b>Michael E. Long</b> is an award-winning speechwriter screenwriter and playwright. As a playwright more than 20 of his shows have been produced most on New York stages. As a screenwriter his honors include finalist for the grand prize in screenwriting at the Slamdance Film Festival. As a speechwriter Mr. Long has written for members of Congress U.S. cabinet secretaries governors diplomats business executives and presidential candidates. A popular speaker and educator Mr. Long has addressed audiences around the world including in a keynote at Oxford University. He teaches writing at Georgetown University where he is a former director of writing. Mr. Long pursued undergraduate studies at Murray State University and graduate studies at Vanderbilt University. <b>2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner - Science Category<br>2018 Forward Indies Finalist - Psychology Category<br><br>Why are we obsessed with the things we want only to be bored when we get them?  </b><br><br><b>Why is addiction perfectly logical to an addict?  </b><br><br><b>Why does love change so quickly from passion to indifference?  </b><br><br><b>Why are some people die-hard liberals and others hardcore conservatives?  </b><br><br><b>Why are we always hopeful for solutions even in the darkest times—and so good at figuring them out?</b> <br><br>The answer is found in a single chemical in your brain: <i>dopamine</i>. 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.  <br><br>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.  <br><br>From dopamine's point of view it's not the <i>having </i>that matters. It's getting something—anything—that's new. From this understanding—the difference between possessing something versus anticipating it—we can understand <i>in a revolutionary new way</i> why we behave as we do in love business addiction politics religion—and we can even predict those behaviors in ourselves and others.  <br><br>In <i>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</i> 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 <i>are </i>different.