Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

  • The Compass of Pleasure

  • How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good
  • By: David J. Linden
  • Narrated by: Sean Pratt
  • Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (15 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Compass of Pleasure

By: David J. Linden
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £17.99

Buy Now for £17.99

Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

A leading brain scientist's look at the neurobiology of pleasure - and how pleasures can become addictions. Whether eating, taking drugs, engaging in sex, or doing good deeds, the pursuit of pleasure is a central drive of the human animal. In The Compass of Pleasure Johns Hopkins neuroscientist David J. Linden explains how pleasure affects us at the most fundamental level: in our brain. As he did in his award-winning book, The Accidental Mind, Linden combines cutting-edge science with entertaining anecdotes to illuminate the source of the behaviors that can lead us to ecstasy but that can easily become compulsive. Why are drugs like nicotine and heroin addictive while LSD is not? Why has the search for safe appetite suppressants been such a disappointment? The Compass of Pleasure concludes with a provocative consideration of pleasure in the future, when it may be possible to activate our pleasure circuits at will and in entirely novel patterns.
©2011 David J. Linden (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp
Brain & Nervous System Genetics Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Gambling Psychology
Show More Show Less
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Accidental Mind cover art
How to Analyze People cover art
Evolve Your Brain cover art
The Storytelling Animal cover art
Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded) cover art
What the F cover art
Emotional Intelligence cover art
The Marshmallow Test cover art
How Emotions Are Made cover art
The Language Instinct cover art
The Upward Spiral cover art
The Mind and the Brain cover art
Louder Than Words cover art
The Molecule of More cover art
Your Brain at Work cover art
Consciousness and the Brain cover art

Critic reviews

“Linden's conversational style, his abundant use of anecdotes, and his successful coupling of wit with insight makes the book a joy to read.” ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Compass of Pleasure

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Ms Lewis

Science gurus may love but not for me

So I picked this thinking it might help me understand & work with a chocolate addiction- in short it didn’t- its way too science-y & as an audiobook it fails. WTH references such as GUM-SDK I was lost 75% throughout the book.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful