What is missing in The Molecule of More?
In Daniel Lieberman’s book The Molecule of More, the power of dopamine is described, particularly how it affects the human brain and human behavior. Lieberman does an incredible job at providing his readers with research on how adults respond to dopamine. He defines dopamine as “the pleasure of anticipation– the possibility of something unfamiliar and better.” [1] He cites several studies on adolescents and their developing brains. I will summarize some of this research on adolescents in this blog as these are the youngest examples which Lieberman highlights. It was interesting to note that Lieberman did not address how dopamine operates in the brain of an infant. This is a great omission to this book, but it is understandable that an author needs to stay within a given scope of material. Bessel Van Der Kolk, in his book The Body Keeps the Score, addresses issues related to an infant’s brain development. I will also highlight some of Van Der Kolk’s findings to supplement this information which is missing from Lieberman’s work. How an infant’s brain works provides a lasting map which a person refers to for their entire life. With much of the research indicating determined patterns of dopamine’s processes in the brain, one might become discouraged and think change is impossible. Despite the research, the Bible presents an encouraging alternative, giving hope for how one might think and behave differently.
Adolescent brains are a mystery. I recently was in Columbine, Colorado, and visited the memorial of the mass shooting in 1999. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to visit the memorial of the high schoolers who died. In the past 24 years there have been other mass shootings and these have been done by those who are older than the age of 25 but there is something unique about the Columbine shooting as it was one of the first in the schools. After being a school counselor for ten years, the mass shooting in 1999 has always been a mystery to me. How could two seventeen-year-olds conspire to kill fellow classmates? Lieberman’s description of the adolescent brain may give some understanding:
“Adolescent brains have not yet fully developed, so adolescents may act like adults with brain damage. The biggest difference in the adolescent brains is in the frontal lobes, which don’t completely develop until their early twenties. That’s a problem because it’s the frontal lobes that give adults good judgment. They act like a brake, warning us when we’re about to do something that might not be such a good idea.” [2]
The two adolescents who planned the mass shooting were known to play violent video games. The association of videogames and violence can not be directly made, but video games have an impact on how the brain works. “Video games are more complex than slot machines, so there are more opportunities for programmers to bake in features that trigger dopamine release to make it hard to stop playing. [3] Over the years I have worked with youth whose lives have been affected by video games. The primary problem I have experienced with these youth has been a lack of social skills and apathy towards schoolwork. I believe any activity which is pursued without notable time limits creates an imbalance in life and that is what youth are experiencing in their use of technology.
In addition to adolescents who are impacted by video games, those with ADHD may struggle with obesity. [4] Lieberman cites a study of 700,000 children and adults who were 40-70% “more likely to be obese” due to having ADHD. [5] He cites another study where girls with ADHD had gained weight due to short periods of binge eating. I appreciate Lieberman’s perspective after sharing these various studies by stating that “it is important to remember that biology is not destiny.”. [6] My daughter has suffered from ADHD but is not obese. I believe she has a high metabolism, and she often forgets to eat. Her mind is taken with who she is engaging with socially and it is not as preoccupied with the pleasure of food. But I must mention, if you meet my daughter, she probably will ask you what your favorite ice cream flavor is because ice cream is one of the closest things associated with love for her.
Lieberman addresses several studies on adolescents’ brains but does not mention studies of younger children. Infant’s brains have an immeasurable impact on how an adult brain operates. Doctor Van Der Kolk describes the development of an infant with his or her caregiver as being “emotional attunement.” [7] Van Der Kolk describes infants having “mirror neurons which start functioning as soon as babies are born.“ [8] This attunement and mirroring allows an infant to be ‘in sync with their caregiver.” There is an emotional and physical connection which is reflected in “his sense of joy and connection in his steady heartbeat and breathing and a low level of stress hormone.” [9] Over time an “internal locus of control is created, and this is the key factor in healthy coping throughout life.” [10] Patterns of dopamine begin early. Lieberman may have not addressed brain development in infants, but it is thoroughly researched by others and complimentary to his work. I believe this is a missing piece in his research and spiritual considerations as well.
Our destinies are only shaped in part by biology– there are stronger forces at play, having an impact on our minds which operate on dopamine. John Eldridge, in his book Resilient, encourages readers in a biblical mindset, stating: “resilience is something that is bestowed, something imparted by God into our frail humanity.” [11] For those who seek to have God in their lives, we can be encouraged that our impulsive thinking and urges do not have to take control. Look at the words in Daniel 10:17-19: “My strength is gone,’ Daniel said, ‘and I can hardly breathe.’ Again, the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. ‘Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,’ he said. ‘Peace! Be strong now; be strong.’ When he spoke to me, I was strengthened.’” God can strengthen those who acknowledge God, being renewed in strength to make choices which are not ruled by what is quick and easy. “The beautiful resilience Jesus offers us comes from his resources; his endurance is imparted to us.”[12] Luke 21:19 “By your endurance you will gain your lives.” This resolve can come by “not conforming to the pattern of this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds” Romans 12:1. We can be prone to addiction, always looking to what might satisfy us in the present, and this can take the shape of video gaming or impulsive eating. There is some hope in the care taking that humans receive as infants with initial care takers, and most importantly we have a God that we can look to in times of need and this help comes apart from anything that we do for ourselves.
[1] Lieberman, Daniel Z, Long, Michael E., The Molecule of More, 2018, p.6
[2 ]Ibid. p.54
[3] Ibid. p.54
[4]Ibid. Pp. 83,84
[5] Ibid. p.82
[6] Ibid. p.83
[7] Van der Kolk, Bessel, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. 2014, p.113
[8] Ibid. p.114
[9] Ibid. p.114
[10] Ibid. p.115
[11] Eldridge, John, Resilient: Restoring Your Weary Soul in These Turbulent Times, 2022, p.56
[12] Ibid, p.56
About the Author
Kristy Newport
14 responses to “What is missing in The Molecule of More?”
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Kristy,
I appreciate your blog and excited to see that you brought your own expertise into expanding on Lieberman’s book. I am curious with your background and expertise in counseling have you seen men be more addictive than woman with dopamine?
I appreciate you being courageous and sharing about your daughter. You are always a light (thank you).
Peace and blessings,
Greg
Hi Greg,
Thank you for your question.
I would need to do some research in order to know how to answer this well. I believe dopamine effects males and females differently. I do not want to make assertions and not back them up with research.
I was curious if the book had any sources that might be worthy of looking at. I looked at the end of each chapter where additional reading is listed and did not find sources related specifically to gender (both genders/comparing genders).
specifically regarding females:
Page 105 reports pregnant women being able to quit smoking at a fast pace. I think this reflects something about a woman’s connection to her child and what she will do on her child’s behalf. I found this interesting.
Kristy,
Thank you for responding and your insight. I find it interesting as well as both parents are usually willing to make sacrifices and changes for the benefit of their new born or children.
Kristy, thanks for your thoughts on how Lieberman and Long might have missed how dopamine affects infants. Your insight into the resilience to our biological (or perhaps fleshly?) pathways and motivations was helpful!
I am curious about the connection you make between “violent” video games to the Columbine shootings. 1. I’m curious what might characterize a video game as “violent”. 2. I’m curious what leads you to make the connection between the playing of “violent” video games and the Columbine shooting. While I agree that having no boundaries to video game time are problematic, I have personally felt that it is a loose connection at best (violent games to violent behavior) since there are hundreds of thousands of adolescents who play video games that have not exhibited violent behaviors. It seems there is a different root cause.
Caleb,
Thank you for responding to my blog post! I welcome these comments and I want you to know that I agree with what you share:
“hundreds of thousands of adolescents who play video games that have not exhibited violent behaviors. It seems there is a different root cause.”
I have emailed you a long list of articles that address video games and the potential connection to aggressive behavior, specifically of adolescents. Feel free to look over these. I liked the study that the researchers conducted. The researchers found that beliefs regarding aggression and family environment were factors which correlated with teenagers (who played certain video games) who would “act out.”
I just tried calling a friend who lives near Columbine. I was able to have dinner with this counselor on the night that I visited the memorial. She is an incredible Christian woman in her 70’s who spent countless hours with those who were impacted. I hope to connect with her soon and ask her some questions. I hope to get back to you regarding what I learn but if I do not, please forgive me. I must move on to other blogs :).
I must mention one of my clients who I worked with for several years while I was a school counselor. I will name him Roger. Roger and I worked together during his freshman, sophomore, and junior year. I cared about Roger but I was grieved by his addiction to video games. His gaming behaviors impacted his life. During the first semester of his senior year an incident took place where Roger threatened that he was going to come to school and shoot people. This was all saved on the computer as it was shared on some social media platform. Due to the school’s policies, this student was not allowed to finish his senior year on campus due to the threat. This was crushing news. Roger did not need to be home where he could have greater/longer access to playing video games. Would this student follow through with his threat? I don’t think so. His family environment would not indicate this and his families belief’s towards aggression would indicate that this was not a likelyhood.
This is my personal experience. I have so much more I could share about my client and his family. It was incredibly sad that he could not come on campus his senior year. I may have a bias against video games (the ones with aggressive/violent imaging) but I hope this gives you some back ground as to why.
Kristy, I appreciate you sharing your personal experience with your client. I imagine that was extremely difficult for Roger, his family, and for you. Even in his case, it seems that while he used aggressive language, your professional opinion was that it didn’t make him more likely to carry out that aggressive act. After reading through the studies you sent me, they similarly, I think, show some loose correlation between time spent playing violent video games with aggressive thoughts through picture association, but was less clear on how it tied into actual aggressive acts.
I think if anyone wanted to get the best summary, Bailey, West, and Anderson, 2011 cited a lot of the previous studies. I was fascinated by how many of them, even in their language, appeared to set out to prove the connection between violent video games and violent behavior. What I also found was the use of language like “may” or “dependent on the tasks they were given”. Additionally, there are a plethora of studies that find no such link, muddying the waters even further.
While I think it would be unwise to say that violent games can not have an impact on adolescents, their effect seems to often be mischaracterized. Even in my conversations with school psychologists my local school district for example, there seems to be a misconception that video games have made the rising generation less apt socially, when in reality older generations don’t seem to understand the ways in which their social skills have adapted to accommodate the technological age and new mediums with which to connect.
I agree that there are more influences than dopamine in a human. The adolescent mine is a great example of that. I know that as adults we constantly question how they think and why they think in certain ways. How do you think that spiritually we can answer that question after hearing the author’s theory?
Hello Shonell,
I may not be completely clear on your question. If you are asking how spiritual change comes to adolescents (or adults), I’d love to refer to David Beavis’ blog. I believe he does a great job in addressing how spiritual change might be brought about. I note his blog:
“But in the present, there is a balance required for our dopamine and H&N chemicals in order to live a healthy, full life. As Lieberman and Long write, “There’s only one thing that will save us: the ability to achieve a better balance, to overcome our obsession with more, appreciate the unlimited complexity of reality, and learn to enjoy the things we have.”[5]
A need I had as an adolescent was to be challenged. I needed the adults in my life to challenge me to the disciplines that David outlines in his blog. As an adolescent “appreciating the unlimited complexity of reality” was constantly in view. Being challenged in who I was in Christ and what God may want to do in and through my life were key ingredients to my growth and getting through the adolescent years.
I hope I am answering your question.
Daily, in the counseling office, I encounter students who do not know Jesus or family dynamics have hindered a youth from experiencing the love of Jesus. I am always looking to find ways to help youth see things differently. I hope to share God’s love with them. This is how I attempt to approach youth/seeing them spiritually.
Kristy – Thanks for the great post and sharing your experience in Columbine, Colorado. The mind is a strange thing! Did you hear of a Six-year-old in Virginia last week who brought a gun at school shooting his teacher?
As a school counselor, you must deal with tough experiences in this country! Praying the Lord will continue to use you to bring peace and healing.
Hello Jean,
I have pulled up this story about this young boy shooting his teacher (Jan. 6th). I am glad to know that she is alive. Gun safety is an issue.
The CNN article I am reading states that there were 60 shootings in 2022 at K-12 schools. I did not know that there were this many. Whoa.
There are many schools that do not have school counselors. Many schools have academic counselors but this should not be mistaken for a counselor that addresses mental health issues. The biggest advantage of having a counselor on a school campus is their accessibility. Parents do not have to take the time to get their child to a counselor. The counselor is on site and able to assess academic/social/family needs of students.
Thank you Jean for your thoughts.
Hi Kristy
Thank you for the fascinating read. There is much to process in the information you shared.
Thank you for bringing the omission of the infant brain into the conversation. You mentioned the research around mirror neurons and emotional attunement. In your work or perspective, is it possible for adults to have exposure and development of these empathic creating experiences if they did not have them when they are young? It seems the nature of family and parent-child bonding has lifelong impact upon the person. Is that your experience as well?
Dear Chad,
Thank you for this question. It is a great question and I have been thinking about my response.
My fast brain thinking responded immediately by thinking a few things: 1) Yes! Adults can experience development due to empathic creative experiences! I know that I am an eternal optimist but I do believe this to be true. 2) The Bible verse that burst into my thinking was Isaiah 50:7 “Because the Soveriegn Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I HAVE SET MY FACE LIKE FLINT and I know I will not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us FACE each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! I am curious what your thoughts after thinking about mirror neurons in light of this verse. I pray that when my clients look at me-this is what they will see, someone who’s face is set like flint, someone who knows Jesus and whose identity is unshakable. I pray that my clients might have an empathic experience. I want them to know that they are loved, loved by me and loved by the Creator of the universe.
My slow thinking processes kicked in as I pondered your questions further. When working with people I am asking the Lord: “What about this person or where is this person malleable?” I have found that there are areas in peoples lives where the rebar has been laid and attempting to help people in certain areas is like attempting a retrofit. When working with people who do not know Christ, I am hoping that they might come to know Jesus. When I am working with people who have a long standing mental illness, I am hoping they will be amenable to medication. When I am working with couples who are on the verge of divorce, I am hoping that they will both take ownership of what they have contributed to the bankrupted relationship.
Like you have stated: “nature of family and parent-child bonding has lifelong impact” and if this has not been a secure/loving bond…relationships in the future can be less than stable.
I am currently reading The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life by Shawn Achor. You might be interested in the section- Mirror Mirror on the Wall. This stuff on mirror neurons is powerful. Love it!
Thanks for asking a great question. It got me thinking fast and slow! 🙂
Kristy, This is fascinating! What an important addition to bring into the conversation how dopamine operates in the brain of an infant. I also learned so much from your discussion of mirroring in the newborn’s brain development. This is interesting to me, as I work with youth who had highly stressful lives as infants and children. I often think about the hard work these young people have ahead of them as they try to rewire their brains. Thank you for reminding us that God gives strength and wisdom in this process.
I really appreciated your blog and the wisdom you bring from your experiences and profession! Looking forward to learning more from you.
Kristy,
As always what a joy to read. I love how you always bring your expertise to everything that you do. I am also not surprised that you brought in your favorite book, “A body keeps the score.”
Do you think that dopamine in infants is taboo – or he simply didn’t have enough time to address all areas of life?