Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

This is a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . the increased numbers, variety, and potency are staggering. As such, we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption. Yet it is possible to find contentment and connectedness by keeping dopamine in check. In this talk, Professor Anna Lembke provides a practical, science-informed approach to addressing compulsive overconsumption of everything from food, to sex, to video games. 

Anna Lembke will explore:

• the neuroscience of pleasure and pain and what happens in the brain as we repeatedly consume high-dopamine rewards
• homeostasis and how chronic exposure to intoxicants tilts the hedonic set-point to the side of pain, contributing to rising rates of depression and anxiety, especially in rich nations
• dopamine fasting as a practical, feasible, and effective way to reset reward pathways
• the science of hormesis: The intentionally pursuit of pain/discomfort to improve mood and well-being

The talk will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Dieser Programmpunkt wird durch die Stiftung Mercator unterstützt. / This programme session is supported by Stiftung Mercator.

Anna Lembke will be signing her book “Dopamin Nation" at the Kulturkaufhaus Dussmann Book table on May 19 from 12:30 - 13:00.