Why is dopamine such a powerful chemical in humans? How does it control motivation, interest, pleasure, and boredom? This book answers all these questions, and much more! Current issues such as social media, shopping, and gaming addictions are covered.

As someone who struggles with low dopamine, ADHD, and neurodivergence, Taming the Molecule of More felt like an absolute game changer. Michael E. Long breaks down the science of dopamine in a way that is not only accessible but incredibly actionable, offering real strategies to break free from the endless cycle of chasing the next best thing.

What I loved most about this book is how it validates the struggles of an ADHD brain—constantly seeking novelty, getting stuck in dopamine loops, and feeling like satisfaction is always just out of reach. Long doesn’t just explain why this happens; he provides a roadmap for regaining control. The insights on social media addiction, compulsive shopping, workaholism, and even relationships were eye opening, helping me recognize patterns I hadn’t even realized were at play in my own life, and I know this is something that can help others as well.

The book isn’t just about restricting dopamine driven behaviors—it’s about retraining your brain to use dopamine in a way that works for you, rather than against you. The emphasis on creativity, mindfulness, and building sustainable fulfillment rather than quick dopamine hits resonated deeply with me.

If you have ADHD, struggle with impulse control, or simply feel like you're always chasing something that never quite satisfies, this book is definitely one you should pick up. It’s packed with practical, research backed advice that can genuinely improve quality of life. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Michael E. Long, and BenBella Books for the eARC of this book.

Taming the Molecule of More builds on The Molecule of More, already published. There is some interesting information on what dopamine is and isn't, and the validity behind fad concepts such as dopamine fasts.

Personally, I wasn't such a fan of the messaging behind statements such as 'happy people don't improve their worlds' because I'm not sure there's much evidence to back up this claim.

What I took away from the book was that typically we know what's good for us and what isn't, and that it behooves us to put some time and effort into removing those things that are short term pleasures with long term pains, to invest into long term joys that might be short term annoyances.

Thank you to NetGalley and BenBella Books for providing me with an ARC of Taming the Molecule of More in exchange for an honest review.

Taming the Molecule of More builds on the (excellent) foundation set in The Molecule of More. It adds some interesting scientific anecdotes and a fair amount of practical life advice based on scientific findings related to dopamine. The books can be read independently (Part I of this book does a good job of recapping the main points in The Molecule of More), although I recommend reading both for a deeper understanding of the science before getting to the practical advice. If you are only going to read one of these books, I think The Molecule of More is a better choice. The advice given in this book is, if not already present in the previous one, easy enough to infer independently based on the previous one. My sense is that this book may be targeted to a less-scientifically-minded audience than The Molecule of More, which alas is also its Achilles' Heel since such an audience may be more prone to eschewing scientifically-themed books altogether in favor of less-intellectually-demanding self-help titles.
After reading the first half of the book, I was leaning toward a 4-star rating. The writing is clear, engaging, and flows very well (I ended up finishing it in a day), and the scientific anecdotes mentioned are both pertinent and fascinating. Alas, the latter parts of the book, while still interesting and well-written, didn't quite live up to the promise for me. One reason is that much of the advice focuses on common-sense strategies for mitigating the ill effects of superfluous internet use: a topic that is covered at least as well and often better in numerous other books, and got a little repetitive when applied to various related sub-topics (social media, online porn, etc.) The relationship-related advice offered in this book, while good, didn't seem to add much to what was already covered (very well) in The Molecule of More, and the section on creativity—in my opinion—fell far short of books focused on that topic (e.g., it did not even address creativity in the common terms of novelty and usefulness used in most relevant science).
The reason I finally decided to go with a 3-star rating (which in truth should have been 3.5, if that was possible) is that, based on the description, the foundation set in The Molecule of More, and the opening sections of the book, I was expecting heavier emphasis on science and at least some novel advice not already found in other titles that focus on internet-related problems, creativity, addiction, etc. I didn't feel I got much of that. Also, at this time when several recent books by neuroscientists and biologists have raised profound philosophical questions, I feel this book neglected to address some of the most burning ones—primarily, the question of determinism and free will (e.g., by Robert Sapolsky and others). The entire premise of this book relies on making (sometimes difficult) choices, when much recent research suggests that the very brain mechanisms this book relies on make such choices impossible or illusory. I had hoped that a new book in this space would at least offer an informed opinion on this topic. (Anecdotally, the erroneous use of Nietzsche's idea of will to power, and the very rudimentary treatment of Aristotelian ethics, were a bit of a letdown for this philosophy buff.)
In summary, I don't feel I would have been worse off if I had read only The Molecule of More, and augmented it with other offering deeper coverage of the advice topics mentioned in this title.