Dopamine Kids

The revolutionary new book from the international bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent. Why do video games include missions? Why does junk food give us cravings? Because they tap into dopamine, the neurotransmitter that motivates us to want more. Companies and developers use knowledge of how dopamine affects our children’s brains to sell them screens, games and ultra-processed foods. In Dopamine Kids , Michaeleen Doucleff, bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent , empowers parents with this same knowledge, but instead shows how to utilize it to reinforce positive habits, activities and lifestyle choices. Through five simple and science-backed steps, she demonstrates how to identify unhealthy hobbies and re-direct your child’s motivation to build positive ones. Swap binge-watching with reading. Replace the excitement of screens with the thrill of outdoor activities. Substitute ultra-processed foods for the joy of baking. By understanding and harnessing the power of dopamine, we can help our children build independence, concentration, strong mental health and, above all, thrive in an ever-changing world.

The revolutionary new book from the international bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent. Why do video games include missions? Why does junk food give us cravings? Because they tap into dopamine, the neurotransmitter that motivates us to want more. Companies and developers use knowledge of how dopamine affects our children’s brains to sell them screens, games and ultra-processed foods. In Dopamine Kids , Michaeleen Doucleff, bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent , empowers parents with this same knowledge, but instead shows how to utilize it to reinforce positive habits, activities and lifestyle choices. Through five simple and science-backed steps, she demonstrates how to identify unhealthy hobbies and re-direct your child’s motivation to build positive ones. Swap binge-watching with reading. Replace the excitement of screens with the thrill of outdoor activities. Substitute ultra-processed foods for the joy of baking. By understanding and harnessing the power of dopamine, we can help our children build independence, concentration, strong mental health and, above all, thrive in an ever-changing world.

From the bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent comes a revolutionary five-step guide--packed with practical, science-backed strategies--that shows you how to raise confident, happy kids while breaking the cycle of overdependence on screens and ultraprocessed foods. Nearly everything you've heard about dopamine is wrong. No, it's not the molecule of happiness. And no, it doesn't give us pleasure--it gives us motivation. For the first time in history, we are inundated with what are known as "dopamine surges" inside our brains. These surges pull us to technology like magnets, every day, many times a day. Over the past decade, neuroscientists have finally begun to figure out how these surges alter our choices, our habits, and even our moods. We've learned how dopamine can drive adults and kids to engage in activities that we don't actually enjoy--activities that can make us feel sad, lonely, anxious, and depressed. When Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD, the New York Times bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent, decided to address her family's screen time and dependence on processed foods, she found that scientific study after scientific study refuted nearly all the claims she'd read in the media about dopamine and the supposed reasons we're so inclined to pick up our phones or raid the pantry. She took this new neuroscience and psychology and merged it with practical experience, shifting the power dynamic back to families: instead of devices and foods controlling us, we control them, and both screens and the pantry become tools rather than burdens. Dopamine Kids is a five-step operating manual for habit remodeling that is tailored for parents and their children. After rediscovering what's most important for your family, you'll learn how to create successful boundaries around screens and ultraprocessed foods; replace screen time with equally enticing activities; remove triggers that pull children toward screens and junk food; and, finally, celebrate your family's choices before, during, and after trying new hobbies. These five steps weaken the neurological pathways established by devices and make dopamine work in your favor to get kids to want to pursue high-quality activities that reduce anxiety, create better moods, and diversify interests. Dr. Doucleff's research culminates in a four-week plan to create screen-free sanctuaries that protect conversations, focus, sleep, and adventure. After reading Dopamine Kids, you will be empowered to create habits that genuinely fulfill your family's biological and emotional needs, bring true fulfillment and purpose to their lives, and improve their behavior, happiness, and confidence. The Anxious Generation alerted you to the danger of screens, but the demands of the twenty-first century require that you use them anyway. Dopamine Kids is your handbook for solving that fundamental problem of our times--and teaching your kids to have a healthy relationship with technology and food.

From the bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent comes a revolutionary five-step guide--packed with practical, science-backed strategies--that shows you how to raise confident, happy kids while breaking the cycle of overdependence on screens and ultraprocessed foods. Nearly everything you've heard about dopamine is wrong. No, it's not the molecule of happiness. And no, it doesn't give us pleasure--it gives us motivation. For the first time in history, we are inundated with what are known as "dopamine surges" inside our brains. These surges pull us to technology like magnets, every day, many times a day. Over the past decade, neuroscientists have finally begun to figure out how these surges alter our choices, our habits, and even our moods. We've learned how dopamine can drive adults and kids to engage in activities that we don't actually enjoy--activities that can make us feel sad, lonely, anxious, and depressed. When Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD, the New York Times bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent, decided to address her family's screen time and dependence on processed foods, she found that scientific study after scientific study refuted nearly all the claims she'd read in the media about dopamine and the supposed reasons we're so inclined to pick up our phones or raid the pantry. She took this new neuroscience and psychology and merged it with practical experience, shifting the power dynamic back to families: instead of devices and foods controlling us, we control them, and both screens and the pantry become tools rather than burdens. Dopamine Kids is a five-step operating manual for habit remodeling that is tailored for parents and their children. After rediscovering what's most important for your family, you'll learn how to create successful boundaries around screens and ultraprocessed foods; replace screen time with equally enticing activities; remove triggers that pull children toward screens and junk food; and, finally, celebrate your family's choices before, during, and after trying new hobbies. These five steps weaken the neurological pathways established by devices and make dopamine work in your favor to get kids to want to pursue high-quality activities that reduce anxiety, create better moods, and diversify interests. Dr. Doucleff's research culminates in a four-week plan to create screen-free sanctuaries that protect conversations, focus, sleep, and adventure. After reading Dopamine Kids, you will be empowered to create habits that genuinely fulfill your family's biological and emotional needs, bring true fulfillment and purpose to their lives, and improve their behavior, happiness, and confidence. The Anxious Generation alerted you to the danger of screens, but the demands of the twenty-first century require that you use them anyway. Dopamine Kids is your handbook for solving that fundamental problem of our times--and teaching your kids to have a healthy relationship with technology and food.