Thrilled to Death: How the Endless Pursuit of Pleasure Is Leaving Us Numb

By Archibald D. Hart

Book Overview

A fascinating exploration of the profound loss of pleasure in our daily lives and the seven steps for restoring it. Pleasure. We know what it feels like and many of us spend our days trying to experience it. But can too much pleasure actually be bad for us Yes, says Dr. Archibald Hart, clinical psychologist and expert in behavorial psychology. Backed by recent brain-imaging research, Dr. Hart shares that to some extent, our pursuit of extreme and overstimulating thrills hijacks our pleasure system and robs us of our ability to experience pleasure in simple things. We are literally being thrilled to death. In this insightful book, Dr. Hart explores the stark rise in a phenomenon known as anhedonia, an inability to experience pleasure or happiness. Previously linked only to serious emotional disorders, anhedonia is now seen as a contributing factor in depression (specifically nonsadness depression) and in the growing number of people who complain of profound boredom. This emotional numbness and loss of joy are results of the overuse of our brain's pleasure circuits. In Thrilled to Death, Dr. Hart explains the processes of the brain's pleasure center, the damaging trends of overindulgence and overstimulation, the signs and problems of anhedonia, and the seven important steps we must take to recover our wonderful joy in living.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0849918529
• ISBN13: 9780849918520
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Now I know why Laura Ingalls could be thrilled by a corn cob doll...

Ever feel overstimulated - like if the power went off and all the batteries ran out, it wouldn't be the worst thing? Then you can relate to the premise of Thrilled to Death:. Dr. Hart puts words to what nags at the back of the mind, that constant entertainment causes a general dulling of the ability to experience pleasure in kids and adults alike. The book's not preachy, but is scientifically supported. Now I finally know why Laura Ingalls could be thrilled by a corn cob doll when it takes a new episode of The Office to do the same for me. Have no fear, Dr. Hart doesn't leave us hanging, he gives suggestions on how to be able to enjoy the simple things once again.

Great Book

This is an important book, by a distinguished scholar. Everyone should read this book. It is extremely well written, clear and easy to understand, despite the neuroscience. The message is convincing -- we are thrilling ourselves to death, wearing out the pleasure circuits in the brain with more and more stimulation, and ruining our potential for happiness for years to come, maybe forever. We need to get back to the little pleasures in life.

Excellent Book!

Dr. Hart's book is brilliant on how we are abusing the pleasure center with all our multi-tasking. Every parent needs to read this book and see what is happening to our generation. He is years ahead of his time with his research and many books will follow this theory.

Better than I expected

Thrilled to Death By Dr. Archibald D. Hart Dr. Hart explains anhedonia as the reduced ability to experience pleasure. The lack of the ability to experience pleasure affects every aspect of our lives: sexuality, addictions, relationships, spirituality... He shares how the fast paced lives we live and the increasing numbers of electronic gadgets we use in our day to day lives rob us of the ability to feel pleasure and cause us to feel numb to everything except the most extreme pleasure eliciting activities. Where as in the past anhedonia was only seen in clients with major depression or other severe mental illnesses it is more and more common to see it as the illness and not just a symptom. Dr. Hart shows in several simple diagrams how the feeling of pleasure is lost as anhedonia develops due to over stimulation and a flooding of dopamines which raises the threshold barrier that enjoyment must cross in order to reach the pleasure center of the brain, requiring major pleasures which are commonly found in drugs and other addicting behaviors to cross the high threshold. This brings to mind an often quoted "law" stated in my family home the "law of diminishing returns" which in simple terms is the fact that the first candy bar always taste far better than the 2nd, 5th, 10th... I wonder if this could be attributed to the pleasure center's threshold being raised by each successive candy bar eaten. As more is learned about our brains and how they work is discovered and researched it is becoming apparent that the ability to feel pleasure and feelings of happiness with your life are closely intertwined. I found it useful and insightful that Dr. Hart included many self tests: stress level, internet addiction, test for anhedonia, laughter, anhedonia in children, multitasking addiction, emotional eating... To help the reader gauge where they fall in needing to put the second half of the book to use in their life where Dr. Hart gives seven steps in the recovery process of being able to experience pleasure even in life's smallest pleasure giving moments. The seven steps are: 1. Seek the right form of pleasure 2. Recapture the joy of little things 3. Control your adrenaline 4. Use humor to enhance your happiness 5. Develop appreciation and gratitude 6. Master relaxation and meditation 7. Make space for things that matter. If you or someone you love has been experiencing a lack of feelings towards things that used to give you pleasure or you find in general you feel numb much of the time this is the book you are looking for although you might not have known it. I especially think it would be a helpful read for parents as they evaluate what is important in their children's lives to keep and what to opt out of for the health of their children and themselves.