Dopamine Kids

The revolutionary new book from the internationally bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent.

Dopamine. It’s the famous neurotransmitter that you’ve probably heard a lot about. But while most people associate it with happiness, its key role is motivation.

In modern day, engineers and developers have used their scientific knowledge of how dopamine affects children’s brains to sell them screens, games and ultra-processed foods. In Dopamine Kids, internationally bestselling author and long-time reporter for NPR Michaeleen Doucleff empowers parents with this same knowledge, but instead shows them how to utilize it to reinforce habits, activities and lifestyle choices that are healthy and productive.

Through five simple and science-backed steps, she demonstrates how to weaken neurological pathways established by devices and unhealthy foods, then create new pathways that lead children to want high-quality activities – ones that genuinely fulfil their biological and emotional needs. This will give your child a twenty-first-century superpower: the ability to concentrate on challenging tasks for extended periods of time, without distraction.

A practical and accessible guide, this book shows parents how to harness the power of dopamine and give children the tools they need to thrive in the modern world

Author Biography

Michaeleen Doucleff is a correspondent for NPR’s Science Desk. In 2015, she was part of the team that earned a George Foster Peabody award for its coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Prior to joining NPR, Doucleff was an editor at the journal Cell, where she wrote about the science behind pop culture. She has a doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in viticulture and enology from the University of California, Davis. She lives with her husband, daughter, and German shepherd, Mango, in San Francisco.