The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity―and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race

This is an academic volume, written by two scientists, D. Z. Lieberman and M. E. Long, fit for academic and reference libraries. The Molecule of More is not a volume that may be enjoyed by many average readers, even if they have scientific training. With good, clear writing, this book deliveries far more that what holds the interest of most. The molecule in focus is dopamine, an uncommon, minuscule chemical in the brain that governs our lives. In eight chapters, the authors discuss how dopamine does that, illustrated by many examples and case histories. In addition to examples within the text, sidebars also give similar examples and other related information. For example, we learn about such subjects as how pornography, video, and other addictions are controlled by dopamine. This study is in the realm mostly of neuroscience and psychiatry, but other scientific branches also come into play. We also learn about creativity (“the creative mind is the most potent force on earth”) and its opposite, mental illness. Yet genius and madness are closely related. Many, many of the most famous musicians, artists, choreographers, and so on have suffered from severe mental illnesses. Each chapter ends with a “Further Reading” section.