Super Stimulated: How Our Biology Is Being Manipulated to Create Bad Habits – and What We Can Do About It: The ultimate New Year, New Me book for 2026
by Nicklas Brendborg
Narrated by Joe Leat
Why Listen?
Brendborg's science on why we're slaves to our phones and junk food hits different when Joe Leat walks you through it—he makes the neurobiology feel personal, not preachy. If you've ever wondered why willpower alone never worked, this audiobook finally explains why.
About This Audiobook
Scientist Nicklas Brendborg exposes how modern technology and consumer culture exploit ancient evolutionary wiring to trap humans in destructive behavioral loops. Drawing on research from biology and neuroscience, he reveals how superstimuli—artificially enhanced versions of things our brains evolved to crave—manipulate our reward systems and drive compulsive behaviors around food, technology, and social media. Brendborg demonstrates how corporations deliberately engineer these irresistible triggers, creating products that hijack natural survival instincts in ways that ultimately harm our physical and mental health.
Joe Leat delivers Brendborg's scientific insights with clarity and conviction, maintaining an accessible tone that prevents the material from feeling overly academic. His measured pacing allows listeners to absorb complex biological concepts while building momentum during the book's practical sections on breaking free from manipulative design. Leat's performance strikes an ideal balance between authoritative expertise and genuine concern, making the narrator feel like a knowledgeable guide rather than a distant lecturer. The audio format particularly suits this material, as listeners can absorb the strategies while away from the very devices and environments the book critiques.