Summary of The Molecule of More by Daniel Z. Lieberman M.D. and Michael E. Long: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity - And Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race

by Genius Reads

Note to is an unofficial summary & analysis of Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long’s designed to enrich your reading experience. THE MOLECULE OF MORE BY DANIEL Z. LIEBERMAN & MICHAEL E. LONG states that your happy brain chemicals are always going up and down. That’s how they do their job. When they go up, you feel like your needs will be met, and all is right with the world. But when they drop, you feel like you will be in big trouble unless you do something urgently. Here’s a quick look at what turns on each of the happy chemicals and why they naturally drop after a spurt.DopamineThe excitement of dopamine is released when you expect to meet a need. Your prehistoric ancestors had to forage constantly to survive, and dopamine made them feel good. When your ancestors saw a tree full of ripe berries in the distance, their dopamine surged, and they moved toward it. Dopamine releases energy when a reward is expected, and it also connects neurons that tell you how to find more of the reward in the future.But finding a berry tree didn’t make your ancestors feel good forever. Their dopamine dropped when they reached the tree because it had already done its job. The brain doesn’t waste dopamine on old information. Your ancestors had to find a new way to meet the need to enjoy more dopamine. Life is challenging because your brain takes what you have for granted and saves the dopamine for “new and improved.” You may blame this on “our society.” I did that, and so did everyone around me. But when you understand the mammal brain, you can build realistic expectations. Otherwise, you are likely to think something is wrong with the world every time your dopamine drops.OxytocinThe good feeling of oxytocin is released when you find social support. Mammals seek safety in numbers because oxytocin makes them feel good. But life in a herd of mammals is not all warm and fuzzy. Your herd-mates often get in the way of the food or a mating opportunity you have your eye on. If you leave them, your oxytocin falls, and your cortisol surges. You feel like something very bad is about to happen. In the state of nature, this motivated animals to stick with the herd and avoid instant death in the jaws of a predator. Today, it causes anxiety when you think you lack social support. You can relieve that anxiety by attaching yourself to one herd or another, but it often fails to feel as good as you expect. So, you end up frustrated when you’re with a herd and frustrated when you’re not. You imagine a better herd that makes you feel safe all the time, but you never seem to find it. It feels like something is wrong with the world. But when you understand your inner mammal, you can build realistic expectations about the oxytocin drop.

Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2020

Reviews

[Melissa Angeles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very educational but not too dry.