Stanford psychiatrist Anna Lembke, M.D. is the author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.  She contends that our world has become “saturated with dopamine,” a neurotransmitter involved in the motivation and reward pathways of the brain and nervous system and implicated in all forms of addiction.  For her, we live in a “culture that socializes us to pursue” dopamine.  Lembke asserts that the current technological landscape with its AI algorithms and “digital drugs” easily supports the four conditions necessary for addiction: access, quantity, potency, and novelty.  In this environment we are all vulnerable to a loss of self-control and personal agency as alterations of the pain/pleasure balance of the brain (what scientists call the “hedonic setpoint”) cause us to seek out more and more dopamine, paradoxically leading to states of dopamine depletion; that is, the more we have access to and obtain, the more we need.  These dopamine deficits trigger emotional distress, dysphoria, impulsivity and risk-taking as the pursuit of dopamine soon becomes compulsive. In the next virtual meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, June 18, 2022 (10:15 to 11:30 AM), we will discuss Lembke’s perspective and the implications of her work for modern living and lifestyle management. “Living in a ‘Dopamine Nation’” and “Technology, Addiction, and the Path Forward” will be our central focus.  We also will consider GQ’s interview with Lembke that appeared in the article “How Running from Pain Could Keep You from Real Pleasure.”

*Registration Directions: If you would like to attend the next virtual meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, June 18, 2022, 10:15 to 11:30 AM, please RSVP to me at 949-338-4388 or jt@jamestobinphd.com no later than Thursday, June 16, 2022. The fee is $25.00 (payable before entering the virtual meeting) and informed consent for participation in this telehealth event must be completed prior to the seminar. Please note that the Men’s Group Seminar is psychoeducational in nature, not therapeutic, and does not constitute psychotherapy or counseling.