Hunt, Gather, Parent. If you''re having trouble managing your child''s screen time or diet, it''s not you. It''s your environment. Devices and foods in our lives today don''t play by the same neurological rules as they did a decade ago. And parents haven''t been given the information they need to handle these new forces in our lives. Until now. Engineers and app developers have used scientific knowledge of dopamine and how it works in children''s brains in order to sell them games, gadgets and screens, and to buy their attention. This book will empower parents with this same scientific knowledge, but instead show them how to use to reinforce other activities, habits and lifestyle choices that are more positive, healthy and productive. This book explains how shifting your child''s behaviour isn''t about teaching them will power or setting strict limits, but rather about understanding and harnessing the power of dopamine. Through four steps, it''ll demonstrate how to weaken neurological pathways established by devices and ultra-processed foods, and then how to create new pathways that lead children to want high-quality activities - ones that genuinely fulfil their biological and emotional needs, whilst giving your child a 21st-century superpower: the ability to concentrate on challenging tasks for extended periods of time, without distraction. As the author puts it ''For the first time in history, children experience frequent surges of dopamine inside a critical region of their brains involved with motivation and habit formation. Much of what you''ve heard about these surges is outdated or misleading. No, dopamine isn''t the molecule of happiness. And it doesn''t give children pleasure. These myths actually amplify the problem, making it harder for you and your children to form high-quality and healthy habits.'' ...

Autorentext

Michaeleen Doucleff has reported for NPR's Science Desk for more than decade and is the author of the New York Times bestseller Hunt, Gather, Parent. 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 spent nearly a decade as a research chemist, including a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. She has a doctorate of chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor of science from the California Institute of Technology. She lives with her husband and daughter in Texas.

Klappentext

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.