Is this book for you?
The Molecule of More
Read it if…
- You chase things you want, then feel strangely flat once you have them.
- You're a high achiever who struggles to enjoy what you've already earned.
- You've wondered why the early spark in a relationship fades.
- You like popular science that explains everyday behaviour in one clear idea.
- You want to understand dopamine beyond the usual 'pleasure chemical' label.
Watch the summary
What the book is about
Why do we long for something, get it, then feel bored almost straight away? Psychiatrist Daniel Z. Lieberman and writer Michael E. Long trace the answer to one brain chemical: dopamine. It isn’t really the pleasure chemical. It’s the chemical of wanting, always pointing us towards what we don’t have yet.
The book follows dopamine through love, drugs, ambition, creativity, politics and human progress. Along the way it explains why the honeymoon ends, why some people can never switch off, and why enjoying the present takes a different part of the brain altogether.
What’s inside
The anticipation molecule Dopamine rewards the hunt, not the catch. Once something becomes ours, its pull fades and dopamine starts looking for the next thing.
The Here and Now chemicals To enjoy what we already have, the brain hands over to present-focused chemicals such as serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins. Happiness depends on making that handover.
Desire and control Dopamine runs two circuits. The desire circuit produces raw urges, while the control circuit plans, calculates and steers those urges towards long-term goals.
Love that lasts Early passion is dopamine at work. The authors explain why it fades and how lasting companionship depends on the Here and Now chemicals instead.
Drive and domination The control circuit powers ambition and achievement, but people led by it can find it hard to rest or savour their success.
Creativity and madness The same dopamine that sparks imagination and new connections can, in excess, link ideas that don’t belong together.
Politics and progress The authors argue that dopamine shapes how open we are to change, and that it pushed early humans to explore and settle the world.
Finding harmony The book closes on balance: between the two dopamine circuits, and between wanting more and enjoying now.
Who wrote it
Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, is a clinical professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University and SVP of mental health at Hims & Hers Health. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, has received the Caron Foundation Research Award and has published more than 50 scientific reports on behavioural science.
Michael E. Long lectures at Georgetown University. He is an award-winning speechwriter, screenwriter and playwright who has written for members of Congress, with more than 20 of his plays produced, most of them on New York stages.
What readers are saying
What they love: Readers say it finally explains everyday puzzles in one frame: why the new car stops thrilling, why love changes, why satisfaction never seems to stick. Many find it easy to follow whether or not they have a science background, and praise its vivid metaphors and tight writing. Plenty say it changed how they think about their own habits and ambitions.
What well-known names said: Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive, said the authors “made a biography of a neurotransmitter a riveting read.”
Quick facts
- Authors
- Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD and Michael E. Long
- Publisher
- BenBella Books
- Length
- 240 pages (paperback)
- Published
- 3 September 2019 (paperback), first published August 2018
- Formats
- Hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook, read by Tom Parks
- Recognition
- Winner, 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Science)
- Reading time
- Around 4 to 5 hours
- Difficulty
- Easy to moderate. No science background needed.
Our verdict
If you keep chasing the next thing and wonder why getting it never feels like enough, this book will change how you see your own wants. Lieberman and Long show how dopamine drives desire while a separate set of Here and Now chemicals lets you enjoy what you have. It suits curious readers who like big ideas told through everyday stories. The unabridged audiobook, read by Tom Parks, runs just over eight hours.
WillYouRead.com is independent and not affiliated with the author or publisher. This page is not medical advice. If you're struggling with your mental health, please speak to your GP.
More in Brain, mind and psychology
- The DOSE Effect by TJ Power
- Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke
- The Molecule of More by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long (coming soon)
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith (coming soon)
- Chatter by Ethan Kross (coming soon)