The Molecule of More

THE MOLECULE OF MORE

we  absorb have the  potential to  inspire a  flurry of new  ideas, enhancing 
our  ability to  find  new  solutions to  the  problems we  face. And that’s a 
wonderful thing. Creating something new, something that has never
been conceived of  before is,  by  definition, surprising. Because it  is 
always new, creation is the most durable of the dopaminergic pleasures.

STIR IT UP

Creativity is an excellent way to mix together dopamine and H&N.
We discussed a particular kind of creativity in chapter four, a creativity
achieved by dismantling conventional models of reality. It’s an extraor-
dinary creativity in which the creator is driven to pursue his work to the
exclusion of all other aspects of life, such as family and friends. Lonely
and  obsessed, people with breakthrough ideas are  usually dissatisfied. 
Dopamine predominates, and H&N circuits wither. But there are more
ordinary forms of creativity that anyone can practice, acts of creation
that promote balance, rather than dopaminergic dominance.
Woodworking, knitting, painting, decorating, and sewing are
old-fashioned activities that don’t get much attention in our modern
world—which is exactly the point. These activities don’t require smart-
phone apps or high-speed internet. They require brains and hands
working together to create something new. Our imagination conceives
the project. We develop a plan to carry it out. Then our hands make it
real.
A  business executive working in  financial services spent his  days 
brooding over stock options, asset derivatives, foreign exchange rates,
and other imaginary beasts. He was wealthy and miserable. His misery
drove him to see a mental health specialist, and a few months later he
had rediscovered his passion for painting, a hobby he had abandoned
decades ago. “I can’t wait to get home at the end of the day,” he told
his  doctor. “Last night I  painted for  four  hours, and  I  didn’t even realize 
the time had gone by.”
Not everyone has the time or inclination to learn how to paint, but
that doesn’t mean that creating beauty is out of reach. Coloring books