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Product Description
TLS
'Unites anecdote, science and jovial self-help with frankness and clarity.'
Product Description
Is pleasure selfish and are we selfish to pursue it, scientifically speaking?
This is a book about the lengths people will go to nuzzle out some pleasure – and the scientific reasons that lie behind those impulses, written in an accessible and entertaining way.
Paul Martin looks at changing attitudes to pleasure over the centuries, including religious and philosophical lawgiving on the subject, before moving on to the scientific hardwiring that supports all this human frenzy. He also looks at chemical pleasures, at our attempts to bottle the pleasure-giving principle for easy access and regular self-medication – from caffeine to heroin, from tobacco to glue. Which brings us to addiction, and the darker side of pleasure’s many moons – before coming back full circle to the therapeutic bliss of pleasure, its key role in an individual’s health, and that least-promoted, most-undervalued, but most satisfying daily pleasure of all – sweet sleep.
--This text refers to the Perfect Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Paul Martin will tell you about the sex lives of orangutans; and the reported sex lives of the ancient Caeasars, of the Earl of Rochester and Charles 2nd.
In between all that he has an interesting thesis to propound. What drives people to sex, drugs and chocolate - and also towards behavioural additions, such as workaholism - is not a disorder of pleasure in the brain but a disorder of desire. This is shown both by experiments with brain circuitry, but also by observing rats - apparently you can tell by looking at them whether or not they're enjoying themselves, and you can hook them on things they transparently don't enjoy.
This points to interesting questions about the nature of happiness, about which the author has also written a book (I haven't read it at the time of writing this review).
I'd have welcomed a serious look at the thinking of others who've considered (a) disorders of desire - particularly psychoanalysts, who have theories about people getting "stuck" at developmental phases, and also theories about people going down the "wrong" development track; and (b) the thinking of philosophers and the good life for man. For example, utilitarians who believe in a calculation of the greatest pleasure for the greatest number look very different from those who believe it's all about happiness, or choice about desirable forms of life from behind a veil of ignorance.
The book ends with some suggestions about how to enjoy pleasure best. Quite interesting - and potentially I might even take some notice of Paul Martin's advice - but by that point in the book you feel pleasure's obviously a bit of a side-line in terms of what really makes us all tick.
But: well worth reading.
In between all that he has an interesting thesis to propound. What drives people to sex, drugs and chocolate - and also towards behavioural additions, such as workaholism - is not a disorder of pleasure in the brain but a disorder of desire. This is shown both by experiments with brain circuitry, but also by observing rats - apparently you can tell by looking at them whether or not they're enjoying themselves, and you can hook them on things they transparently don't enjoy.
This points to interesting questions about the nature of happiness, about which the author has also written a book (I haven't read it at the time of writing this review).
I'd have welcomed a serious look at the thinking of others who've considered (a) disorders of desire - particularly psychoanalysts, who have theories about people getting "stuck" at developmental phases, and also theories about people going down the "wrong" development track; and (b) the thinking of philosophers and the good life for man. For example, utilitarians who believe in a calculation of the greatest pleasure for the greatest number look very different from those who believe it's all about happiness, or choice about desirable forms of life from behind a veil of ignorance.
The book ends with some suggestions about how to enjoy pleasure best. Quite interesting - and potentially I might even take some notice of Paul Martin's advice - but by that point in the book you feel pleasure's obviously a bit of a side-line in terms of what really makes us all tick.
But: well worth reading.
Format:Hardcover
This was the book that got me into non-fiction. This is the first non-fiction book I ever read for pleasure and still the best one I have found despite my current obsession with them. The writing style lures you into the book. It is thoroughly entertaining while still maintaining it's scientific value. Paul Martin manages to present only the information which is interesting scientifically or socially with excellent explanation and touches of humor where appropriate. Easily accessible to people in their late teens and upwards with little or no scientific background. This book explores the areas which are often not discussed (for example the chapter on masturbation) and this honest, un-biased look into sex, drugs and chocolate is the best of the best.
This book may not be suitable for someone wanting a book for academic studies. Though if the topic intrigues you generally and you want to be entertained and intrigued while learning, I highly recommend this book.
This book may not be suitable for someone wanting a book for academic studies. Though if the topic intrigues you generally and you want to be entertained and intrigued while learning, I highly recommend this book.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm really enjoying reading this book. The author has a great style of writing, and only drifted off into statistics-land in two places. The rest was interesting, and well written.
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