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Loy Machedo's Book Review: The Compass of Pleasure by David J. Linden

836 views · Published 4 April 2013 · 4:57 · Indexed 24 October 2026

Channel: Loy Machedo · 2013 · Education

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Ever since I read books on the Human Mind & Human Behavior notably by authors like Jonah Lehrer, Malcom Galdwell, Dan Aierly, Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner and Sam Harris, I have become deeply fascinated with the world of Neuroscience, Cognitive Science and Psychology.

In a Nutshell, what this book is about?
A Scientific explanation to why we are addicted to the following:
1. Sex
2. Unhealthy & Rich Food
3. Exercise
4. Drugs
5. Gambling
6. Meditation
7. God
8. And anything else!

The Compass of Pleasure however hovers around the style of Roy Baumeister (Will Power), Jonah Lehrer (How We Decide) and David Kessler (The End of Overeating) but with one major difference. And if you are curious to know the difference -- read the paragraph I have taken from the book:

"These included other dopamine receptor types, the dopamine transporter that mediates reuptake into the synaptic terminal of dopamine that has been released into the synaptic cleft (Figure 1.4), and the enzyme COMT (catechol-O-methlytranferase), which breaks down dopamine and some other related neurotransmitters. Genes encoding proteins that are one step removed from the direction action of dopamine can also be significant. For example, activation of dopamine receptors results in the chemical modification of a protein called DARPP-32, and variation of DARPP--32 gene is predictive of exploratory behavior, a correlate of addiction".

If you found this paragraph tough -- then imagine reading a whole book filled with information like this. That takes some stamina and patience to read.

So, the books is very detailed and very well-explained. However, this is not a book for the light hearted or for those who are looking for a breezy simple lovable book. One has to spend some time reading and re-reading the information stated here. Or else, it would result in total confusion.

What did I like about the book?
The book is more like a technical manual. It has so much of information and research being dumb-down to the level of a lay person's understanding, that one must appreciate and applaud the author for taking so much pain in giving us so much goodness.

What I didn't like about the book?
The book does not give you any firm conclusion -- of any sort. It just leaves you with the information and with even more questions than when you first walked in -- which obviously you and I cannot answer. To put it in simple words -- it does not serve as a map that shows you the direction from where you are to where you want to go but rather talks to you about what landmarks you can find in this map.

Moment of Truth
A highly informative yet complex book with a fantastic insight into the human mind and its addictions. However, falls short into reaching conclusions of any sort and guiding the reader to a definitive close. It is more like a very interesting science school text book for adults curious to know the human mind.

This is not a book meant for light reading. Purchase it only if you have a desire to learn more about the different parts & aspects of the functioning of the human mind. Which includes quite a number of new terminologies.

Overall Rating
7 out of 10.

Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com | loymachedo.tv

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