Applied Neuroscience: The Best Books on Dopamine
Dopamine, also known as the "happiness molecule," is a neurotransmitter produced in a wide variety of animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates. This phenylethylamine plays a fundamental role in movement, motivation, memory, mood, learning, and reward. Its inhibition can cause stress and depression.
Their efects have always aroused curiosity in the scientific community, as well as in the faculties of psychiatry and psychology. This has led to the writing of dozens of essays, texts and informational material, both in the academic field and within the self-help and pink psychology circles. If you'd like to learn more, check out our list of the best books on dopamine.
Best books on dopamine
Dopamine: How a molecule determines who we fall in love with, who we sleep with, who we vote for, and what the future holds. (2021), by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long
We humans do many things without knowing where the need to do them comes from: We become obsessed with the things we want, only to get bored of them. We become addicted.We fall passionately in love, then lose interest, we live glued to social media, we are staunch Democrats or tenacious Republicans, we maintain hope.
But why does all this happen? The behaviors described in the previous section are due to the effects of dopamine. in the brain. At the beginning of time, This substance allowed our ancestors to survive. Today, it has become responsible for our addictions, our behavior, and the progress we've made over the years.
Quotes by Daniel Z. Lieberman
- «Albert Einstein once said, “My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted strangely with my marked lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities.” And “I love humanity, but I hate humans.” The abstract concepts of social justice and humanity came easily to me, but the concrete experience of encountering another person was too difficult.»
- "I wake up in the morning torn between the desire to improve the world and the desire to enjoy it. This makes it difficult for me to plan my day."
The Teenage Brain: Discover how it works to understand and support them (2022), by David Bueno
Although this book isn't specifically about dopamine, it does cover passages that explain how this substance influences the brain, specifically that of adolescents. Written by world-renowned biologist and neuroeducator David Bueno, The volume tells why young people go to bed so late, if it is normal for them to question everything and their vulnerability to stress, anger or sadness.
The author also reveals why a teenager's bedroom is often overcrowded, and how their brains are so strong, yet so vulnerable. This is a delicate time of life, where change, transformation, and growth reign. Here, Dopamine is essential because it helps balance certain behaviors, but also to encourage unwanted behaviors.
Quotes by David Bueno
- "Overstimulation in children leads to stress, and if it becomes chronic, it is an enemy of our brains."
- "Everything we learn shapes who we are and how we behave."
Your Brain Wants Art: How Art Transforms Us (2024), by Susan Magsamen
One of the elements that most triggers dopamine in the brain is art, but what causes this physiological response? To find out, you need to read this text by academic Susan Magsamen. The author It aims to demonstrate how contact with art and aesthetics improves our mental and physical health., allowing us to build stronger, more united communities.
There is a belief that art is just entertainment. However, there is already evidence that reveals that painting, Dance, architecture, creative writing or poetry are essential for life and the proper functioning of the human brain. In her book, the author demonstrates that by devoting 45 minutes a day to any artistic activity, it's possible to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone.
Quotes by Susan Magsamen
- "Look for opportunities to take the roads less traveled. There are no wrong turns."
- "The best trips are those that answer questions you didn't even think to ask at first."
The child's brain explained to parents (2015), by Álvaro Bilbao
The main objective of The child's brain explained to parents is to make the complex information about children's neurological development accessible in a clear, simple, and practical way. Throughout its chapters, Bilbao breaks down concepts that might seem technical to parents, such as brain plasticity, neural connections or executive functions.
In this way, she transforms them into useful tools for everyday parenting. The book focuses on how the first six years of life are crucial for children's cognitive and emotional development. During these years, the brain is extremely malleable, and experiences, both positive and negative, can decisively influence its development. Dopamine is key here.
Quotes from Alvaro Bilbao
- "Every human being is programmed with the drive necessary to achieve autonomy and happiness."
- "Every time you give your children your time, you give them the security of feeling important to others."
The Mind's Deceptions: How Magic Tricks Reveal How the Brain Works (2013), by Stephen L. Macknik
Another element capable of triggering dopamine is magic. Sounds like a joke, right? It turns out that those feelings of surprise, shock, and amazement that run through us when we watch a magic trick generate something our brains love: the perception of novelty. Stephen L. Macknik, Susana Martínez Conde, and Sandra Blakeslee have something to say about this.
Convinced of how flying chairs, Bending spoons and women trapped in boxes provoke fascination, These leaders of a neuroscience laboratory in Phoenix convinced a select group of magicians to reveal some of their secrets, in order to investigate their implications for the functioning of the brain and the substances that populate it.
Stephen L. Macknik Quotes
- "Silence is not the absence of sound, but of noise. Only when we stop the torrent of thoughts that bombard us can we hear that voice that comes not from the head but from the heart."
- "When we feel confused and lost, it's because we're on the verge of a discovery, of having a revelation. Behind that area of darkness and collapse lies the area of discovery, the space where one begins to deeply understand certain things."
The brain and emotional intelligence: new discoveries (2016), by Daniel Goleman
We've already established that dopamine influences human emotions and moods, but what happens when this substance is mixed with other substances, or when it stops being supplied by the brain? In addition to these issues, The author addresses how our understanding of intelligence is quite limited, not being able to assimilate the full spectrum of skills that are useful for life.
The brain and emotional intelligence: new discoveries It is a compendium of research, ranging from the use of emotional intelligence to creativity, the optimal performance of the brain in its various processes, the connection between two brains in the field of leadership, ways to improve emotional abilities, events that produce stimuli, and many others.
Quotes by Daniel Goleman
- "Socrates' teaching, 'know thyself,' to become aware of one's own feelings as they occur, constitutes the cornerstone of emotional intelligence."
- "Prolonged emotional stress can hamper a child's intellectual abilities and thus hinder their ability to learn."
The Happiness Molecule: The Origin of Love, Trust, and Prosperity (2012), by Paul J. Zak
A substance closely associated with dopamine, and which is in fact also called "the happiness molecule", is oxytocin. This It is secreted into the bloodstream when we receive a gift, a hug, or witnessing an act of kindness, demonstrating that kindness is contagious. This sequence, in turn, stimulates the production of dopamine.
In his book, Paul J. Zak sets out to reveal the secrets of trust and human quality, while discussing religion, the culture of morality, gender issues, psychology, history, anthropology, and other topics related to our evolution as intelligent and social beings. At the same time, the author demonstrates the phrase "Whatever you give, you receive."
Paul J. Zak Quotes
- "Oxytocin is love. It's inside you."
- "When I look back on the incident at the ARCO station, it's not greed I remember, nor any of the other mortal sins that so worried philosophers, theologians (and my mother). I think I was motivated by a genuine desire to help."
