Jim's Mowing founder Jim Penman is standing for the Libertarian party in November's Victorian election. In a new book, he argues that modern life has made our brains insensitive to dopamine, leading to declining birthrates.
The Dopamine Theory
Penman's book, The Birth-rate Crisis: the Hidden Catastrophe in the Global Decline, suggests that over-exposure to sex, porn, social media, gambling, drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and other stimuli has desensitized the brain to dopamine. This, he claims, reduces interest in faith, community, marriage, and having children.
He writes: "Scientific interventions may become necessary" to reverse the trend. Penman has invested millions in epigenetic research and believes gene editing, drugs, or pheromones could restore dopamine sensitivity.
Global Birthrate Decline
Birthrates have fallen worldwide, with most countries below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman. Australia's rate is 1.48. Government policies like the baby bonus have failed to change this trajectory.
Penman states: "We've proposed a more controversial possibility: that the birthrate crisis may ultimately require a biological solution and not just a cultural one."
Personal Experience
Penman, who has 10 children and would have liked more, shares his own experience. For five years after puberty, his only sexual outlet was nocturnal emissions. He believes this lack of sexual activity made his brain unusually sensitive to dopamine.
He argues that limiting sexual activity, even within marriage, can increase dopamine sensitivity, though frequent sex may have negative effects balanced by positive ones like strengthening marriage.
Political Context
Penman is running for the Libertarian party, but his views align with global "pro-natalist" movements, mostly from the US right. Elon Musk has called the collapsing birthrate the "biggest danger civilisation faces by far."
However, research suggests women's liberation, education, and contraception have contributed to the decline. Polling shows policies like working from home, parental leave, subsidized childcare, and affordable housing could encourage more births.
Dopamine Evidence
Dr. Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation, warns that smartphones are turning us into dopamine junkies, leading to depression. She advises stepping away from screens and doing difficult things for delayed pleasure.
Penman goes further, advocating medical treatments. His research company, Epigenes Australia, studies how calorie restriction mimics could reset the brain. He notes that female rats with restricted food are more attentive to their young.
His team plans human experiments using sweat, but regulations make it expensive in Australia, prompting a move to China.
Future Research
Penman is exploring GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, which reduce interest in alcohol, smoking, and gambling. He also considers gene editing with CRISPR technology to induce effects similar to calorie restriction, making marriage and children more appealing.
The book is due to be self-published in October, with proceeds funding further research.
