Science of Happiness, The: Unlocking the Mysteries of Mood

<< Book   Book >>
Science of Happiness, The: Unlocking the Mysteries of Mood

by: Stephen Braun

Topics include: happiness set point, optimal mood, left prefrontal cortex, tense energy, calm energy, happiness levels, neural machinery, right prefrontal cortex, perfect drug, capacity for pain, antidepressants work

More info & price

First Sentence:
ANYONE WHO DOUBTS THE POWER OF MOLECULES should visit Eli Lilly & Co. in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Amazon.com
Is sadness a disease? Science writer Stephen Braun looks at the mystery of depression and the search for soma in The Science of Happiness. This brief, engaging, and personal view of mood and its influence on all aspects of our lives travels from drug company labs to Zen retreats in an effort to open up the black box containing temperament. His writing is powerfully charming, even while delving into deep philosophical issues and little-understood scientific theories. Is crippling depression related to "mere" unhappiness? Do good and bad moods provide evolutionary advantage? Does it make sense for us to use Prozac and all its friends and relations to enhance normal moods? Braun finds these questions important and fascinating, and the reader quickly comes to share these feelings. While neither as fawning as Listening to Prozac (one chapter is titled "Listening to Depression") nor as shrill as the anti-Prozac Scientologists, he does find much of value on both sides of the argument. Likening his own use of various antidepressants to correction of mild visual impairment, he considers the possibility of better lives for most of us while still acknowledging Aldous Huxley's dire predictions of worldwide drug slavery in Brave New World. What'll it be? Nobody really knows, but Braun is feeling pretty good about it.
--Rob Lightner From Publishers Weekly
This report on mood-altering drugs swings ambivalently between a critique of the pharmaceutical industry and euphoric pronouncements that "more perfect" antidepressants--safer, with fewer side effects--are just around the corner. Nonetheless, Braun's central thesis is straightforward: for some people, mood-altering pharmaceutical drugs, if used judiciously, can effectively restore emotional functioning and balance; andn that critics who harbor a general distrust of such drugs suffer from "pharmacological Calvinism." Readers who want a quick overview of the latest neuroscientific research into how antidepressants and mood-elevating drugs work need look no further. Braun, a medical journalist and documentary TV producer, tends to view antidepressants like Prozac as useful mood-sculpting tools akin to alcohol and caffeine (the subject of his previous book, Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine). Blasting "the drug company party line" that presents depression as a simple matter of out-of-balance brain chemicals, he sets forth cautionary case studies, meant to illustrate how dishonesty, manipulation and corporate greed can corrupt drug development, approval and marketing. Braun also takes exception to biological psychiatry's view of depression as a solely neurochemically-based disease; he advocates a holistic approach to mental illness that recognizes that "talk therapy" is a vitally important component of the battle against depression. The most interesting part of the book is the nuanced epilogue, which details in diary-like fashion Braun's own successful experience with a new drug, Celexa, after Prozac and Ritalin failed.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist
Writing from a solid scientific basis and from personal experience, Braun asserts that happiness and unhappiness are natural conditions. Further, he argues that both happiness and depression have positive aspects: the former as a motivator, the latter as a warning. If attended to and acted on intelligently, both can help one lead a more productive and understanding life. "Learning can't be put in a pill," Braun says, for we learn from experience and the interpretation of it. Moreover, submerging feelings can lead to dangers as severe as those risked by the rare persons who feel no pain. Much is still unknown about the causes of happiness and depression, but he cautions against trusting drug company researchers' claims about the antidepressants and such that they discover. Seeking the highest profits possible, the pharmaceutical industry is unlikely to give either the medical profession or the lay public unbiased information, for financial interests can and do affect drug development. William Beatty From Kirkus Reviews
Does nature, or nurture, determine how happy we are? In a tantalizing but incomplete treatment, New England Research Institute executive producer Braun (Buzz, 1996) seeks a modern answer to this ancient question in the emerging sciences of neurophysiology and neuropharmacology. A ``happy pill'' that could banish sadness and depression might seem like a daydream, but could also be a nightmare: Writers have often worried that such a drug, like soma in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, might eradicate a fundamental part of what makes us human. The miracle mood drugs Braun describes here don't work that way, though. Instead, at their best, they can increase clarity of thought and help a person feel more alert and cheerful by elevating the ``set point,'' or average of one's moods throughout the day, which is largely controlled by one's genes. According to Braun, this chemical readjustment helps the user develop a slightly unrealistic optimism, a condition that seems integral to mental health, without altogether ending unhappiness: Mild and short-lived blue moods and sad feelings, he maintains, have survival value because they signal problems that must be overcome in order for anyone to attain well-being. Braun looks briefly into the components and adaptive role of depression, offers a quick glimpse into the profit-fueled process by which pharmaceutical companies develop drugs, and tells some horrifying stories of corruption in the drug industry. But he doesn't draw any adverse general conclusions about the pharmaceutical industry or its products, doesn't explore closely the relationship between drug companies and the medical profession, and doesn't even mention herbal or other alternatives to biochemical mood-enhancers. Chiefly valuable in raising some important issues, but disappointingly uncritical in discussing them. (3 b&w line drawings)
-- Copyright 2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Book Description
How should we define happiness? How happy are we supposed to be? Or can we be? Does each of us have a genetically determined "normal" level of happiness? Will a new breed of drugs allow us to fine-tune our moods so that we are happy most of the time? If so, are there any dangers to this kind of long-term mood alteration? Fascinating research in a range of fields is providing provocative answers to these and many more questions about what makes us happy and how we can control our moods. We are in the midst of a revolution in the understanding of how our brains work and the neural circuitry of our moods and general temperament. At the same time, we have entered a bold new age of pharmacologythe science of drugswhich is allowing drug-makers to craft molecules that are exquisitely tailored to produce desired mood-altering effects. In a lively and stimulating narrative, acclaimed science writer Stephen Braun takes readers to the frontlines of discovery in these areas and explores how this "brave new world" of mood manipulation will impact our lives. Based on extensive interviews with scientists at the forefront of research, as well as the compelling stories of many individuals and their personal experiences, The Science of Happiness presents an accessible, engaging, and balanced account of what we need to know as we enter this new era. Braun introduces us to the scientists and companies who are racing to create the next generation of Prozac-like drugs, exploring the controversy surrounding so-called "designer drugs" and why such drugs are likely to be even more widely used. He presents the idea of the happiness "set point"the average level of happiness around which our daily mood fluctuatesand the respective roles played by our genes, our upbringing, and our daily life choices and experiences in determining our happiness profile. Introducing the provocative new field of Darwinian psychology, he explains why depression and anxiety can at times be necessary evils, providing important incentives for us to make changes in our lives that will improve our Darwinian fitness. Braun also offers a stimulating and insightful consideration of how the alteration of our moods affects the "self" inside us. When we alter the mechanics of our moods, do we also fundamentally change ourselves? Or can we find a way to tailor our emotional lives while retaining what we consider to be the essence of who we are? The Science of Happiness is an important and thoroughly engaging exploration of one of the most pressing issues facing society. "Entertaining and Thorough."Philadelphia Enquirer "Braun has a knack for interpreting the findings of medical researchers and applying them to daily life."Library Journal "Braun manages to take abstract concepts and mold them into something highly readable. Science novices should find this book as enjoyable and well-written as those who have spent their lives working with biology or chemistry."
Publishers Weekly From the Back Cover
How should we define happiness? How happy are we supposed to be? Or can we be? Does each of us have a genetically determined "normal" level of happiness? Will a new breed of drugs allow us to fine-tune our moods so that we are happy most of the time? If so, are there any dangers to this kind of long-term mood alteration? Fascinating research in a range of fields is providing provocative answers to these and many more questions about what makes us happy and how we can control our moods. We are in the midst of a revolution in the understanding of how our brains work and the neural circuitry of our moods and general temperament. At the same time, we have entered a bold new age of pharmacology-the science of drugs-which is allowing drug-makers to craft molecules that are exquisitely tailored to produce desired mood-altering effects. In a lively and stimulating narrative, acclaimed science writer Stephen Braun takes readers to the frontlines of discovery in these areas and explores how this "brave new world" of mood manipulation will impact our lives. Based on extensive interviews with scientists at the forefront of research, as well as the compelling stories of many individuals and their personal experiences, The Science of Happiness presents an accessible, engaging, and balanced account of what we need to know as we enter this new era. Braun introduces us to the scientists and companies who are racing to create the next generation of Prozac-like drugs, exploring the controversy surrounding so-called "designer drugs" and why such drugs are likely to be even more widely used. He presents the idea of the happiness "set point"-the average level of happiness around which our daily mood fluctuates-and the respective roles played by our genes, our upbringing, and our daily life choices and experiences in determining our happiness profile. Introducing the provocative new field of Darwinian psychology, he explains why depression and anxiety can at times be necessary evils, providing important incentives for us to make changes in our lives that will improve our Darwinian fitness. Braun also offers a stimulating and insightful consideration of how the alteration of our moods affects the "self" inside us. When we alter the mechanics of our moods, do we also fundamentally change ourselves? Or can we find a way to tailor our emotional lives while retaining what we consider to be the essence of who we are? The Science of Happiness is an important and thoroughly engaging exploration of one of the most pressing issues facing society."Entertaining and Thorough."-Philadelphia Enquirer"Braun has a knack for interpreting the findings of medical researchers and applying them to daily life."-Library Journal"Braun manages to take abstract concepts and mold them into something highly readable. Science novices should find this book as enjoyable and well-written as those who have spent their lives working with biology or chemistry."
-Publishers Weekly About the Author
Stephen Braun is the author of the critically acclaimed Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine, which was selected the best popular science book of 1997 by the American Medical Writers Association. He is also an award-winning writer and producer of documentaries on medical science and has written for the Boston Globe, Psychology Today, Science, and Icon.

Reviews:

Science Update and Philosophical Questions about Drugs
A key element of this book is to describe the latest scientific research on how mood-lifting drugs work. Initially, it was thought that products like Prozac worked through increasing neuroreceptors. If that was so, why did it take weeks for mood to improve after the neuroreceptor levels increased? The latest research suggests that these drugs are really causing the brain to grow many new connections by expanding dendrite growth, a process that takes weeks to occur. Next, Mr. Braun points out that developing a new class of mood-improving drugs will soon be able to benefit from genetic and brain mapping reserach so that scientists will know how to adjust the brain to influence mood most effectively. Before that happens, he suggests we start thinking about some basic philosophical questions that are outlined in this intriguing book. The book argues that contrary to prevailing disease theories of avoiding mood dips as harmful, these changes are necessary to healthy life. He cites a young woman who was unable to feel physical pain and died young, because she kept unknowingly injuring herself in severe ways. The latest research shows that we each have a set point for happiness (like a thermostat) and we soon come back to the set point, except when we have a mental illness like chronic depression. He sees a role for drugs as part of a regimen to help these people restore their set points. In the end of the book, he also describes his own experiences with anti-depression drugs. The main message of the book is to warn against being too aggressive about providing mood-altering drugs. If we are too happy, we'll be unresponsive to our environment. Also, drugs can be designed that will make us prefer to take drugs. That risk is very great. He further points out that drug treatments are cheaper for HMOs and more profitable for the pharmaceutical companies, so there will be institutional pressure to do too much with drug therapy. To make these risks seem more relevant, he describes four cases of seemingly too-aggressive pushing of drug therapies. I was fascinated by his assertion that Prozac was not really justified by the data in the original research, so the research was reconstructed to get Prozac through the FDA. As a result, he argues that many people may be helped by Prozac due more to the placebo effect than by anything else. He nicely connects his investigation back to Aldous Huxley's concept of Soma in Brave New World, and you will enjoy what he has to say against the Soma concept. After you have read this book, you may find it interesting and valuable to track your moods. Consider which states of happiness last the longest, which ones cause the most good things to happen, and which ones can be misleading to you. This greater self-awareness will probably serve you well.

Not a bad scientific book at all for a non-scientist
As a person who has suffered through some emotional and psychosomatic problems myself, I can appreciate both Braun's book itself and his excerpts of how he himself felt before and after starting antidepressants. It's a nice book for...dare I say laypeople? I'm not trying to get on a high horse or anything (actually I don't even have a high horse since I don't have a Ph.D. or an M.D.), but if your looking for real science in this book, don't buy it. If your Joe Schmo out there wondering why you are feeling strange mentally, and you'd rather spend $25 on a book than spend $250/yr in co-payments seeing a shrink, then this book's for you. I did really like one of Stephen's quotes comparing new antidepressants to corrective lenses, and I included it in my new book, The Failures of American Medicine, which can be purchased here at Amazon.com... Now, if you ARE looking for the real science behind mood disorders, then you know what other book to buy!

One Step at a Time: Understand Your Moods at the Source
"The Science of Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Mood," by Steve Braun, 2000. Well-researched and beautifully written. I admire Braun's naturally-written, eloquently styled nonfiction work. He has a special talent to translate scientific research and discoveries into the vernacular, so that you and I can better understand advanced subjects so that we can better enjoy life (well, of course, unless you're already a scientist). The excellence of Braun's work in "The Science" is manifested by his uncanny ability to properly define his subject. He stays within those boundaries, being careful not to stray into an extensive treaty on the nature of neurotransmitters, hormones and other electrochemical interactions not part of the main subject. This he does adeptly, starting out at Chapter 1, "Prozac: The Next Generation" by telling us about the past, present and future of this wonder drug--and how it actually works and what we can expect when the monopoly lifts. Chapter 2, "Set Point" starts off with the fascinating account of a lottery winner, and spends a good portion of the chapter discussing whether or not those with all the money they need are really happier than the rest of us. The other chapters, 3 through 6, describe "The Machine of Mood" (he doesn't mean to say that our moods are robotic like a machine, but rather as complicated and intricate as a machine), "Listening to Depression," "Selling Happiness" and "Zen and the Art of Prozac." This book doesn't bog us down with needless details, it only covers what is relevant to the book's title (and that's a skill that seems to be hard for some writers to grasp--albeit as simple as it sounds). No fluff, no useless anecdotes, no religious preaching. Most of the fun from reading books like this is watching the author work. Don't expect miracles from "The Science..." It doesn't treat any one area of human emotions or behaviors exhaustively. It's not about depression, or even evaluations of depression in conjuction with finding "happiness." It was written only to whet your appetite for a deeper understanding of neurological occurrences in relation to human moods in general, based on generally accepted theories to date.

After having read and throughly enjoyed his other book, "Buzz; the science and lore of caffeine and alcohol" I decided to read The Science of Happiness based on my liking for Stephen Braun's writing style alone. He uses the quest for the ultimate antidepressive as a central point for a discussion on what it means to be happy, why unhapiness is important, and what the implications of a perfect "happy pill" would be. He also goes off into some very interesting tangents such as the inner workings of the human brain, the effects of other mind altering substances on the brain, and the body's means of adaptation to artificial chemical stimulation. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the human brain and in a psychological discussion on the meaning of happiness.

good insights yet lacking content: This book has good insights in to the new theories of depression. Braun talks about depression being caused by the sprouting of neurons instead of chemical imbalances. He also goes into the descriptions of the antidepressants and there functions. I like that he concludes that depression is more a biological problem than a psychological one. Yet he falls short on the new theories of depression. I felt like he needed to go in more detail of the new theories of depression or maybe the scientific community does not have a lot of new information about this. Futhermore I usually have read books on people that have mental illnesses and doctors that talk about depression. It was interested to get a different perspective of depression.