American Mania: When More Is Not Enough

by Peter C. Whybrow

Book Overview

Peter C. Whybrow, director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, grounds the extraordinary achievements and excessive consumption of the American nation in an understanding of the biology of the brain's reward system offering for the first time a comprehensive and physical explanation for the addictive mania of consumerism American Mania presents a clear and novel vantage point from which to understand the most pressing social issues of our...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 039332849X
• ISBN13: 9780393328493
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

An Extraordinary and Important Book for our Time

In these troubling days of American narcissism and self-perceived supremacy, the charge of "anti-Americanism" has gone to such laughably ridiculous lengths ("Freedom Fries") that it's no surprise that such a charge would be slung toward this book and its author for daring to scientifically, psychologically -- and yes, morally and socially -- question the current status quo. That the CITIZENS of this great nation-experiment called America were long ago renamed and reclassified as mere CONSUMERS, and by the corporate culture that now controls every facet of our lives and well being -- to ME, that is what is TRULY "anti-American," my friend. Too many of us have unthinkingly, willingly accepted it, despite the dysfunctional, personal results (obesity, anxiety, depression, etc.) that are outlined in this book. It appears that we have adapted our definition of "the pursuit of happiness" toward working our self-centered butts off, no matter the personal costs of physical or mental health, so that we can "shop till we drop" and "accumulate" -- and all the while becoming isolated from family, neighbors and community -- the very social fabric that once defined the substance and strength of this great nation. Having rejected the current model some time ago, refocusing and recommitting my life toward active involvement in the social and community relationships that have redefined "happiness and success" for me, this book simply resonates with reality and truth. Further, and most importantly, it not only explains why, as descendants and members of America's "immigrant culture," we are predisposed to the "addiction to more" that once held me in its grip, but it proposes the very cure I discovered through my own agonized searching -- a recommitment and active involvement in neighbor/community relationships. Dr. Whybrow states, "Ironically, the same tools and technologies that have enabled America to achieve Adam Smith's `universal opulence' have also compromised the social anchors that the old philosopher took for granted." Yes, Adam Smith, the god of free market capitalism, wrote about more than "Wealth of Nations" -- and in fact, that entire volume presupposed a continued structure, membership, and concern with the COMMUNITY ENTITY. " `The man whom we naturally love the most,' Smith wrote in The Theory of Moral Sentiments - the book that established his reputation as a thinker - `is he who joins to...his own original and selfish feelings, the most exquisite sensibility...and sympathetic feelings of others'." The very fact that Adam Smith's name is more easily and closely associated with "Wealth of Nations" than with "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" is a telling indictment of our current culture. That we might, everyone, re-read "Moral Sentiments" followed by an equally careful read of "American Mania"... "No man is an island unto himself" are words whose proof we are now living. For those of you who are uncomfortable, but can't put your finge

An important and thought-provoking Zeitgeist book!

This is a warning-shot tome such as Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," Christopher Lasch's "The Culture of Narcissism" and Jonathan Schell's "The Fate of the Earth." It articulates what many of us have been thinking (and worrying) about, and it has the potential to shake us up and change the way we look at ourselves, how we live, and the kind of crazy, fast-paced world we've created.

a rich analysis and a fascinating read

this is a rich and loving book. yes, its a cautionary tale... but its told from the perspective of a wise person of our culture, someone who wants to preserve its best elements, and wants to steer us clear of potential hazards. this is a book for anyone who loves what is great about america, who wants to celebrate america, who wants to preserve its best elements, and im afraid anyone who wants to reduce it to america bashing is missing a great gift. im not an academic, or a big tent thinker.... but this writer clearly is. in a culture when you get airtime by either being a narrow specialist or spewing easy wide ideas from a narrow foundation, how lucky we are to have a man like peter whybrow join the national discussion. here is a man who is a scientist, a historian, who has passion for music and culture, who loves both city and country, a wise observer of the everyday, and most importantly, a man who chose america as his place to shine. this book is not only for academics, but for anyone who is interested in community building and making the place they live a better one. whybrow never says that the mania he describes is relegated to america only, but because if its intellectual and cultural history, america is on the leading edge of this phenomenon the mania he describes as a "high" is in fact, achieved in a society that aspires to high accomplishment. but who can doubt his diagnosis? we are, in fact, a manic society. and it is precisely because this county is on the leading edge of the diagnosis that we can be on the leading edge of the solution. we can take this wise man's prescription and pull ourselves back from a brink we don't want. to analyze our values. to control our own destiny, not have history and genetics control it for us. i loved this book and was inspired by it. i hope others pick it up and feel the same. this is a great read, not just for academics but for social and community leaders, thinking individuals, people who want to gently nudge this country in to a place of strength built out of sanity and love.

Is America Manic?

Dr. Peter Whybrow's American Mania: When More Is Not Enough Reviewed by Dr. David Gregory As a cultural anthropologist, I spent decades studying the problems and opportunities of international labor migration. Later, I left academia and immersed myself in the world of international commerce and finance. My experience has left me hard to impress. I am impressed with Dr. Peter Whybrow's book, American Mania: When More is Not Enough. I found it insightful, challenging and ultimately empowering. Dr. Whybrow invites us to look at where we have arrived after three incredible centuries, to contemplate the paradoxes of our unique prosperity and its current effects on our physical health, our state of mind, the quality of our social relations, and the future direction of our nation. He does so from a unique perspective derived from his expertise in medicine, neuroscience and evolutionary biology. His deep concern is that the "fabulous" turbo-paced, technologically driven society we Americans have built is outpacing our physiological abilities to adjust and may therefore be unsustainable. Presenting facts and provocative case studies, he offers a convincing argument that, "In our compulsive drive for more, we are making ourselves sick." As a people we are suffering from obesity, the burdens of debt, and shallow social relations fractured by unbridled self-interest. As a result, we are taking an increasing amount of drugs in a desperate attempt to treat stress-related diseases, depression, and high blood pressure. "We are sleeping less, working longer, spending less time with our families in the manic rush to earn more money to buy more goods that leave us wanting more." At least one critic has implied that Dr. Whybrow is a Luddite, clinging to the past and disdaining technology and technological progress, in fact, Dr. Whybrow is a staunch advocate of the benefits technology and has used it to address a variety of medical illnesses. He has played a prominent role in the development of modern technologies to better understand how the brain works and has pioneered innovative treatments for some of the more malignant forms of manic-depressive illness. He has dedicated his book to his brother, John Whybrow, a leader of technologically driven enterprises. If you look on the web, you will see that John Whybrow was the Executive Vice President of Royal Philips Electronics in Holland. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Blue Tooth, wireless technologies. The author of American Mania knows what he is talking about as a result of his academic background and medical expertise. He also knows what he is talking about as a result of his own personal experience in striving and achieving within the force fields presented by American institutions. He is the Director of one of the world's most prominent Institutes of Neuroscience and Human behavior with a yearly budget of 250 million dollars and a faculty and staff of 3,800 people dedicated to research, te

Insightful and Illuminating Book

Nickname : Ram Location, Macon, Georgia, USA. Real Name : Ramanathan S Manavasi In his book "Our Culture of Pandering" , Paul Simon, a Director of the Public Policy Institute at the University of Southern Illinois clearly and pointedly discusses several issues -taxes, social security, civil liberties, crime - that invite pandering. The brilliant and prophetic book "Why America's Children Cannot Think" authored by Peter Kline argues passionately for viable solutions to America's educational crisis. It offers solutions to our children concerning interpretation skills in the highly competitive information age. What we see in America normally is a weird intermingling of high ideals with gross materialism, the lofty and vulgar cheek to cheek. The people who detest USA take a look at this odd conjunction and assume the materialistic America is the real America. The real America, they insist, is the resource wasting, TV-drenched unreflective part of the earth. The President's talk about freedom, the high toned language is just a cover, they say, for the quest for oil. Desire for riches, dominion and war. Viewed in this context, the recent magnum opus of Dr. Peter S Whybrow's "American Mania-- When More Is Not Enough" is a wonderful and comprehensive analysis of the disease that afflicts us all. Drawing upon detailed case studies and alarming statistics of obesity, depression, and panic disorders, offers compassionate guidance offers compassionate guidance. Interestingly, he suggests that our immigrant heritage accounts for our compulsion to push for more. Migrants are by nature risk takers and reward seekers, and we've concentrated tens of millions of them in America. The shared mythology in USA is that we can each enjoy fame and fortune and live in opulence at the top of the social pyramid. All can be first and all can be wealthy. Why is America at the leading edge of this? Why do we seem to be more maniacal than other countries? We are definitely out there in front, whatever index you use --- the amount we work, the amount we spend, how much we eat. Only 2 percent of the world's population moves in the migrant sense. Most people die within 50 miles of where they were born. He explains succinctly how food is a symptom of our dysphoria --- it's easy to know when you're hungry but not when your satiated. The average time in McDonald's is 11 minutes, even if you eat there. So there's this urgency, and you go right past your ability to tell whether you're hungry or not, and before you know it, you've eaten too much. After analyzing dysphoria, he comes to affluence. Extraordinary choice itself is affluence. Extraordinary amounts of information coming in through a little handheld instrument . . . how many people do you know who are checking their e-mail every 10 minutes? The reason for that is that the body has no real upper limits. It's not like going to the gas station and you put the pump into the tank and it automatic