Review of The Molecule of More by Daniel Z. Lieberman, Michael E. Long
Tags: books
What's a dopamine? It's a molecule secreated by part of brain. Often dubbed pleasure molecule, it's presumed to be released when we experience pleasures. However this book explores how dopamine is a molecule of more not just pleasure. Like the author said the dopamine activity is not a marker of pleasure. It's a reaction to the unexpected - to possibility and anticipation
Love is a need, a craving, a drive to seek's life greatest prize
The pathway to dopamine in the brain is called reward circuit. It reminds me of Pavlov dog. Ringing of a bell caused him to salivate. Did dog released dopamine at the sound of the bell?
One problem with dopamine excitement is that it doesn't last forever. That's if you need to do something new to get more release of dopamine. Example if you like a dish so much, dopamine will be released in your brain. If you have the same delcious dish everyday, dopamine would stop releasing for the same dish.
Dopamine has a very specific job: maximizing resources that will be available to us in the future; the pursuit of better things
I guess doesn't that makes dopamine drives us to get better. So can we equate dopamine with motivation? Are they different?
If you live under a bridge, dopamine makes you want a tent. If you live in a tent, dopmaine makes you want a house. If you live in the most expensive mansion in the world, dopmaine makes you want a castle on the moon. Dopmaine has no standard for good, and seeks no finish line. The dopmaine circuits in the brain can be stimulated only by the possiblity of whatever is shiny and new, never mind how perfect things are at the moment. The dopamine motto is "More"
So dopamine makes you desire more but is never statisfied. You can't rely on dopamine alone to find happiness in our daily life.
Vasopressin acted like a "good-husband harmone". Dopamine does the opposite. Human beings who have genes that produces high levels of dopamine have the highest number of sexual partners and the lowest age of first sexual intercourse….Just as dopamine is the molecule of obsessive yearning, the chemicals mostly associated with long-term relationships are oxytocin and vasopressin. Oxytocin is more active in women and vasopressin in menj.
What's vasopressin? It's a molecule like dopmaine. It's a primarily acts as a hormone. What's a hormone? They are chemical messengers that are released by a gland and is released into the bloodstream. They travel to different parts of body to regularte various physiological processes like growth, metabolism and mood. Hormones influence the functions of the body’s cells by binding to large proteins known as receptors, whose shape and electrical charge interact with one particular hormone. When a hormone binds to its receptor protein, it causes a change in the receptor’s shape that triggers changes within the cell. So a molecule can be a hormone. But not all molecules can act as a hormone. What about proteins? Proteins are a complex molecule and can also act as a hormone. E.g. Insulin regulates blood sugar levels.
If you hypothetically inject vasopressin in a promiscous male, would he change behavior? Are there any any food that promotes vasopressin?
Endorphins (your brain's version of morphine), and a class of chemicals called endocannabinoids (your brains' version of marijuana). As opposed to the please of anticipation via dopamine, these chemicals give us pleasure from sensation and emotion. In fact, one of the endocannabinoid molecule is called anandamide, named after a Sanskrit word that means joy, bliss, and delight.
So if I release more endorphins in my body, will I get the same feeling as high on morphine?
Under more normal conditions, though, dopamine activation in the desire circuit triggers energy, enthusiasm, and hope. It feels good In fact, some people spend the majority of their lives pursuing this feeling - a feeling of anticipation, a feeling that life is about to get better.
But isn't what we call hope? A janitor does his job diligently in a hope that he would save money and get better job in future.
the future isn't real. It's made up of bundle of possibilities that exist only in our minds. Those possibilities tend to be idealized - we usually don't imagine a mediocre outcome.
What happens when the future becomes the present - when the dinner is in your mouth or your lover is in your arms? The feeling of excitement, enthusiasm, and energy dissipate. Dopamine has shut down. Dopamine circuits doen't process experience in the rela world, only imaginary future possibilities.
So we need something else to keep feeling good after we achieve our goals?
In the early 1960s, doctors prescribed large amounts of dopamine-boosting amphetamine to promote "cheerfullness, mental alertness, and optimisim"
ADHD = Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. People with ADHD have poor focus, less concentration and more impulsive.
They may start pyaing bills, then switch to doing the laundry, then change a light bulb, then site down and watch TV with everything strewn all over the place…not listen to what people say to them. Sometimes they don't keep track of time, making them late, and they may lose things, such as car keys, call phones, even passports.
ADHD is ofen seen on children because their frontal lobes which control dopamine acts, develop last and do not fully connect to the rest of the brain until a person finishes adolescence and enters adulthood. Can we say that frontal lobes in the brain control dopamine acts? Dopamine is produced in other parts of brain and it affects frontal lobes which is responsible for highly cognitive functions like decisions making.
Frontal lobes are the last parts of brain to fully develop which might be in mid-20s. That's why teenagers are impulsive.
Can we say adrenaline as norepinephrine are similar? Both are neurotransmitter. Adrenaline is produced by adrenal gland. Adrenal gland is just above the kidneys. Norepinephrine is mainly produced by the nervous system, though some is also made by the adrenal glands. Norepinephrine is a H&N emotion of the moment. It's involved in immediate responses, particularly in the "fight or flight" response. Where as dopamine is involved in more cerebral approach.
What's the detachment score? People who are focused on present moments, H&N circuts are activated and the warm, emotional aspects of our personality comes out. When we're engaged in the extrapersonal - at a distance, thinking abscractly, focusted on the future - the rational, emotionless parts of our personality are more likely to be seen.
Willpower can help an alchoholic say not to a drink once, but it's probably not going to work if he has to say no over and over again for months or years. Willpower is like a muscle. It becomes fatirgued with use, and after a farily short period of time, it gives out.
"Resisting temptation seems to have produced a psychic cost, in the sense that afterward particiapants were more inclined to give up easily in the face of frustration." If you're on a diet, the more times you resist temptation, the more likely you are to fail the next time around. Willpower is a limited resource.
You can't beat drugs with willpower alone…They have to combined with some form of psychotherapy.
Unlike dopamine, which is associated with reward and pleasure, serotonin is often linked to feelings of happiness and contentment. One interesting aspect of serotonin is its influence on harm aversion.
Studies have shown that serotonin-boosting drugs, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can increase an individual's aversion to harm. This means that when serotonin levels are elevated, people are more likely to focus on avoiding harm rather than enforcing fairness or justice. This shift in focus can have various implications, particularly in decision-making and social interactions.
For example, in situations where a person must choose between a fair outcome that involves some risk and a safer option that may be less fair, higher serotonin levels might lead them to choose the safer option. This behavior underscores the role of serotonin in promoting cautious and risk-averse behavior, which can be beneficial in avoiding potential dangers but may also lead to more conservative decision-making.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, meaning it helps nerve cells communicate. Although only about 0.0005% of brain cells produce dopamine, it plays an outsized role in regulating mood, motivation, and creativity. Higher dopamine levels are associated with enhanced creativity but may also increase the risk of psychosis, as some dopamine pathways are involved in both creativity and schizophrenia.
The dopamine transporter is a protein that recycles dopamine after it transmits a signal. Cocaine blocks this transporter, leading to dopamine buildup in the brain and intense euphoria. However, this can disrupt the brain’s reward system, making natural activities less pleasurable and fostering addiction.
Interestingly, about 4.4% of the U.S. population experiences bipolar disorder, while only 0.7% are affected in Japan. Some theories suggest that immigrants, potentially with higher dopamine activity, may be more prone to certain mental health conditions and a desire for new experiences, known as “itchy feet.”
Chemists originally classified molecules into two groups: organic and inorganic compounds. Substances extracted from plants and animals were labeled "organic," while other compounds were considered "inorganic." Scientists once believed that organic compounds had a unique "vital force" that distinguished them from inorganics. However, the laboratory synthesis of organic compounds from inorganic materials (e.g., urea by Friedrich Wöhler) disproved this theory. Today, “organic” refers to compounds containing both carbon and hydrogen, so substances like diamond are not considered organic.
Multitasking is generally counterproductive, as almost any experience improves with full attention — as highlighted by Kelly McGonigal.
Exposure to nature stimulates two brain processes: subcortical arousal (associated with desire and dopamine release) and cortical attention control (linked to managing dopamine and focus). This balance contributes to why natural environments are beneficial for our well-being, promoting relaxation and improved focus.
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