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mjurva's review against another edition
2.0
This had promise but the author abandons science for questionable postulates, theories, and a problematic embrace of certain of the 12 steps, and most egregiously gets the science of ear training wrong.
smorz's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
I like that this book uses a lot of research to back its ideas. I also like that it gives the reader a framework to use. What I don't like is the use of language around addiction that is fear mongering. I don't like that the author suggests using a method of addiction recovery that has been shown to not be effective especially long term. I don't know if the good from this book cancels out the bad for me personally.
jessw15's review against another edition
3.0
Thought provoking and interesting ideas which can improve your life/ways of thinking, I also enjoyed some of the stories. However, I did feel it got a bit off the point of dopamine towards the end and when the writer referred back to the stories I sometimes couldn’t remember them so it coukd be a little confusing. Some of the ideas also made it seem like you can’t win either way e.g pain and pleasure.
metatree's review against another edition
3.0
‘Dopamine Nation’ by Anna Lembke is about addiction, what causes it and how to treat it. It focuses on the dopamine pathway in the brain and the many ways that dopamine release can be stimulated. To illustrate how behaviors and substances affect dopamine release, Lembke relates stories of a number of patients that she has seen in her psychiatric practice. These stories are effective at illustrating the points that Lembke makes. It also lends a human dimension to the very real damage that addiction can cause and the difficulties in treating it.
Where I thought this book did less well was in conveying the deeper science behind both the dopamine pathway and treatment of addiction. The science is also described in an almost anecdotal way. Selected examples rather than a more thorough explanation. This certainly makes for a breezier (though the topic can be deadly serious at times) and easily digestible book. I think this can serve as a gateway of entry into the topic and field, especially for the average reader. However, if one wishes to delve into the science, then it might be best to look elsewhere.
Overall, I felt that this book was worth reading. It’s not a topic that I am greatly familiar with, and I felt that it was a worthy introduction. It’s also not long, and can be read quickly due to it’s light style.
Where I thought this book did less well was in conveying the deeper science behind both the dopamine pathway and treatment of addiction. The science is also described in an almost anecdotal way. Selected examples rather than a more thorough explanation. This certainly makes for a breezier (though the topic can be deadly serious at times) and easily digestible book. I think this can serve as a gateway of entry into the topic and field, especially for the average reader. However, if one wishes to delve into the science, then it might be best to look elsewhere.
Overall, I felt that this book was worth reading. It’s not a topic that I am greatly familiar with, and I felt that it was a worthy introduction. It’s also not long, and can be read quickly due to it’s light style.
tiffanyskidmore's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting and quick read. I was aware of the concepts of east to access high dopamine substances and activities in modern day life. The piece that stuck out to me was the idea of radical honesty as a method of shifting behaviors in a dopamine loop.
writerbaj's review against another edition
4.0
Very good. A bit light on the science but the anecdotes are great and it gets the point across
houselhoff's review against another edition
3.0
It was FINE. Way more anecdotal than I wanted it to be but interesting ideas nonetheless. Molecule of More was better.