The Pulse

WHYY

Go on an adventure into unexpected corners of the health and science world each week with award-winning host Maiken Scott. The Pulse takes you behind the doors of operating rooms, into the lab with some of the world's foremost scientists, and back in time to explore life-changing innovations. The Pulse delivers stories in ways that matter to you, and answers questions you never knew you had.

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The Pulse

Episodes (192)

Thursday So Many Cravings, So Few Rewards: Understanding How Dopamine Works
Thu Apr 9th What Greenland Can Teach Us About The Earth’s Past and Future
Thu Apr 2nd Inside the Boom of Urgent Care: How It’s Changing American Medicine

The Pulse

Apr 16, 2026
50½ minutes
45 MB

Science writer Michaeleen Doucleff was sitting on a beautiful beach with her daughter, but she couldn’t relax. She kept reaching for her phone, checking it over and over. She was frustrated but couldn’t stop. Why was she doing this? In her new book, “Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child's Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods,” Doucleff explores how devices can hijack our brain’s reward system to keep us coming back for more, even after the pleasure is gone.

The Pulse

So Many Cravings, So Few Rewards: Understanding How Dopamine Works

WHYY

00:00 -49:34