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How Emotions Are Made

The Secret Life of the Brain

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How Emotions Are Made

By: Lisa Feldman Barrett
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
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About this listen

“Fascinating... A thought-provoking journey into emotion science.” - Wall Street Journal

“A singular book, remarkable for the freshness of its ideas and the boldness and clarity with which they are presented.” - Scientific American

“A brilliant and original book on the science of emotion, by the deepest thinker about this topic since Darwin.” - Daniel Gilbert, best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness

The science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology. Leading the charge is psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose research overturns the long-standing belief that emotions are automatic, universal, and hardwired in different brain regions. Instead, Barrett shows, we construct each instance of emotion through a unique interplay of brain, body, and culture. A lucid report from the cutting edge of emotion science, How Emotions Are Made reveals the profound real-world consequences of this breakthrough for everything from neuroscience and medicine to the legal system and even national security, laying bare the immense implications of our latest and most intimate scientific revolution.

“Mind-blowing.” - Elle

“Chock-full of startling, science-backed findings... An entertaining and engaging read.” - Forbes

©2017 by Lisa Feldman Barrett. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
Biological Sciences History & Philosophy Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Emotions Human Brain Thought-Provoking Health Inspiring Medicine Mental Health

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All stars
Most relevant
I would argue that this book (and Behave, by Prof Robert Sapolsky) are two books that should be as important reading in the 21st century as the Bible has historically been considered in previous centuries.

A life changing read

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I found it interesting and mainly enjoyed it, though I found some parts frustrating. I would say she rather overestimates the "socially constructed" aspect, which is certainly significant but she often seems to overlook the fact that our social constructions are very heavily constrained by the practicalities and difficulties of our lives. Also she uses the idea to argue in rather different directions, which do not always seem to be consistent.
Some important aspects of her view are left right to the end, which caused me some problem in forming a clear picture of what she was saying in the earlier chapters.
The supposed exposition of Darwin's theory (in "The expression of emotion in man and animals") seems very misleading to me. I would strongly suggest reading that in the original (or listing to the audio version) as that is certainly an interesting book and is very different to how Lisa tells it.
Omits to mention any semantic/linguistic oriented study of emotions (eg Wittgenstein) which in some aspects has quite a lot in common with what Lisa seems to be saying.

An interesting book but has a few faults

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I find this book incredibly use full. I am studying psychotherapy and wanted to ground since of the psychological theories in neuro science. this book has a particularly useful angle. is well read and even humble in it's limitations. it challenges old concepts and brings up new possibilities.

rip the triune brain

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Really interesting view of emotions. Very well explained and will make you think hard about all you think you know!

Very thought provoking!

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I've recently re-read this book by Lisa Feldman Barrett. Her conceptualization is important. And once again I was struck by the importance for a society to put words into experiences and collectively deal with personal human issues. In my home country (Sweden) there is a social construct called "The Law of Jante". Originally these "laws" appears in the novel "A Fugitive Covers His Tracks" published in 1933 by the Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose. In many ways, I don't agree with him, especially when it comes to the paranoic parts of his ideas. Instead, I think people, in general, are more friendly and inclusive than this opprepressive perspective. Nevertheless, when it comes to preparedness and predictions we all need concepts that helps us "construct" our experiences. The better we in awareness interpret things we encounter, the better we can navigate complex social structures. Just by making a documentation on the shame and pride parameters in the Jante Laws does Sandemose's list help us to understand our own reactions when we are socially exposed and vulnerable. So, when LFB says that our experiences aren't essentially and emotionally categorized in black or white, we have to produce a gray scale. Obviously, it takes an aware and conscious mind some effort to create 50 shades of gray between stubbornly rigid categories. And somehow the Law of Jante is a starting point to do just that, putting words and concepts into the shame and hurt pride experience: 1. You're not to think you are anything special. 2. You're not to think you are as good as we are. 3. You're not to think you are smarter than we are. 4. You're not to imagine yourself better than we are. 5. You're not to think you know more than we do. 6. You're not to think you are more important than we are. 7. You're not to think you are good at anything. 8. You're not to laugh at us. 9. You're not to think anyone cares about you. 10. You're not to think you can teach us anything. 11. Perhaps you don't think we know a few things about you? The similarities to the "The Tall Poppy Syndrome" is obvious. So, the phenomenon is not necessary a Scandinavian thing, of course, all cultures have sublime controls that regulate social behaviours.

A re-read

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