Being honest no matter the consequences improves relationships, awareness and allows us to be more authentic, spontaneous and feel more free in the moment.

The positive impact of radical honesty

Pain and pleasure are on a balance. Whenever we experience something that feels great (high dopamine level), the body will regulate itself leading to a slightly lower baseline of dopamine (i.e. less drive, joy, motivation, etc). Repeating this process without giving our body time to get back to "normal" baseline levels of dopamine can emotionally drain us and we feel depressed.

Relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain

Activities that are exhausting, challenging, or painful like cold showers, confronting one's fears, or working out can increase your dopamine level after you did those activities. However, too much pain is not good either and pain can be addicting as well.

Pain can reset our balance to the side of pleasure

Destructive shame means pushing someone away in response to uncovering their addictive behavior. This results in that person feeling isolated and more likely to lie about that behavior in the future leading to more isolation. This isolation will then lead to more overconsumption, thus, creating a destructive cycle. Prosocial shame means accepting someone's flaws without shunning them. It is based on the idea that everyone makes mistakes and people need to be forgiven. However, this does not mean encouraging addictive behavior

Prosocial Shame vs. Destructive Shame

Abstinence(e.g. a social media fast or quitting smoking or whatever you feel like you are consuming in too large quantities) resets the brain's reward pathway allowing you to enjoy the simple things in life (a beautiful day, a meaningful conversation, play time with your pet, ...).

Recovery begins with Abstinence

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER “Brilliant… riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick As heard on Fresh Air This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting… The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption. In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain…and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

Understand yourself and those around you.

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Psychology

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Personal Development

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Health

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Books

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER “Brilliant . . . riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick, as heard on Fresh Air This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption.   In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain . . . and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

Dr. Anna Lembke is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Dr. Anna Lembke has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Dr. Anna Lembke's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.