Description
Emotions feel automatic, like uncontrollable reactions to things we think and experience. Scientists have long supported this assumption by claiming that emotions are hardwired in the body or the brain. Today, then again, the science of emotion is in the course of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology–and this paradigm shift has far-reaching implications for us all.
Leading the charge is psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose theory of emotion is driving a deeper understanding of the mind and brain, and shedding new light on what it means to be human. Her research overturns the widely held belief that emotions are housed in different parts of the brain and are universally expressed and recognized. As an alternative, she has shown that emotion is constructed in the moment, by core systems that interact across the whole brain, aided by an entire life of learning. This new theory means that you play a much greater role in your emotional life than you ever thought. Its repercussions are already shaking the foundations not only of psychology but also of medicine, the legal system, child-rearing, meditation, and even airport security.
Why do emotions feel automatic? Does rational thought truly keep watch over emotion? How does emotion impact disease? How are you able to make your children more emotionally intelligent? How Emotions Are Made answers these questions and plenty of more, revealing the up to date research and intriguing practical applications of the new science of emotion, mind, and brain.