The Science Of Feelings

What are emotions and why do we experience them? In the last 50 years or so, psychological science has shed light on the essence of what makes us human—why we experience a range of feelings from joy to sadness, anger to fear, and compassion to contempt. Yet, the science of emotion remains mostly inaccessible to the curious reader and those outside academic circles. This book is a story of our emotions; a story of why and how we feel as human beings. It is a tale of our emotions, told by philosophers, biologists, neuroscientists, sociologists, and economists. Drawing on the rich psychological research on emotions, this book invites you to revisit your emotions and to better appreciate and understand how feeling states define us and our humanity.

A guide to understanding why and how we feel as human beings. This book explores the different emotions we experience, the way they shape and influence our lives, and how essential they have always been to us. What are emotions and why do we experience them? In the last 50 years or so, psychological science has shed light on the essence of what makes us human--why we experience a range of feelings from joy to sadness, anger to fear, and compassion to contempt. Yet, the science of emotion remains mostly inaccessible to the curious reader and those outside academic circles. This book is a story of our emotions; a story of why and how we feel as human beings. It is a tale of our emotions, told by philosophers, biologists, neuroscientists, sociologists, and economists. Drawing on the rich psychological research on emotions, this book invites you to revisit your emotions and to better appreciate and understand how feeling states define us and our humanity.

Some investigators have argued that emotions, especially animal emotions, are illusory concepts outside the realm of scientific inquiry. However, with advances in neurobiology and neuroscience, researchers are demonstrating that this position is wrong as they move closer to a lasting understanding of the biology and psychology of emotion. In Affective Neuroscience, Jaak Panksepp provides the most up-to-date information about the brain-operating systems that organize the fundamental emotional tendencies of all mammals. Presenting complex material in a readable manner, the book offers a comprehensive summary of the fundamental neural sources of human and animal feelings, as well as a conceptual framework for studying emotional systems of the brain. Panksepp approaches emotions from the perspective of basic emotion theory but does not fail to address the complex issues raised by constructionist approaches. These issues include relations to human consciousness and the psychiatric implications of this knowledge. The book includes chapters on sleep and arousal, pleasure and fear systems, the sources of rage and anger, and the neural control of sexuality, as well as the more subtle emotions related to maternal care, social loss, and playfulness. Representing a synthetic integration of vast amounts of neurobehavioral knowledge, including relevant neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neurochemistry, this book will be one of the most important contributions to understanding the biology of emotions since Darwins The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals

Preeminent psychologist Lisa Barrett lays out how the brain constructs emotions in a way that could revolutionize psychology, health care, the legal system, and our understanding of the human mind. “Fascinating . . . A thought-provoking journey into emotion science.”—The 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.

Do you want more free book summaries like this? Download our app for free at https://www.QuickRead.com/App and get access to hundreds of free book and audiobook summaries. Learn About the Secret Life of the Brain When you feel sad, angry, happy, or anxious, what is really going on inside of you? For centuries, scientists have believed that our emotions come from a part of the brain that is triggered by our environment: the excitement for an upcoming holiday, the fear of losing a loved one, or the anxiety of meeting a deadline for work. These emotions seem uncontrollable and as if they surface automatically from within, eventually finding themselves on the expressions of our faces and in how we carry ourselves. People have long believed this theory about emotions since the days of Plato. But what if everything we know about emotions is wrong? Psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett gathers the latest scientific research and evidence to reveal that our common-sense ideas about emotions are long outdated. Instead of emotions being pre-programmed into our brains and bodies, emotions are much more complex than previously thought, and Dr. Barrett aims to prove how our emotions are shaped by our experiences and personal history.

We’ve all been told that thinking rationally is the key to success. But at the cutting edge of science, researchers are discovering that feeling is every bit as important as thinking. You make hundreds of decisions every day, from what to eat for breakfast to how you should invest, and not one of those decisions would be possible without emotion. It has long been said that thinking and feeling are separate and opposing forces in our behavior. But as Leonard Mlodinow, the best-selling author of Subliminal, tells us, extraordinary advances in psychology and neuroscience have proven that emotions are as critical to our well-being as thinking. How can you connect better with others? How can you make sense of your frustration, fear, and anxiety? What can you do to live a happier life? The answers lie in understanding your emotions. Journeying from the labs of pioneering scientists to real-world scenarios that have flirted with disaster, Mlodinow shows us how our emotions can help, why they sometimes hurt, and what we can learn in both instances. Using deep insights into our evolution and biology, Mlodinow gives us the tools to understand our emotions better and to maximize their benefits. Told with his characteristic clarity and fascinating stories, Emotional explores the new science of feelings and offers us an essential guide to making the most of one of nature’s greatest gifts.

Why do you feel the way you do? Emotions are the world's universal language. Understand them, and you understand yourself-and others. Packed with thought-provoking articles on mindfulness, on connecting emotionally with others, and on freeing your feelings, The Science of Emotions, a new Special Edition from the Editors of TIME draws from the trusted reporting of TIME magazine to help you get in touch with you. Three distinct sections - "Know Yourself," "Connect with Others," and "Free Your Feelings" help you unlock your emotional intelligence, tame social media envy, understand why we cry, learn how to read body language and more. You'll also discover the secrets to mental toughness, learn how to let go of guilt, discover the upside of a bad mood, and learn the eight easy ways to get happier. Filled with photos, infographics and illustrations, including a photo essay on joy, this empowering collection offers a full-circle view of feelings ranging from despair to elation, and reveals how to harness emotions to build a richer life.

From one of the world’s leading neuroscientists: a succinct, illuminating, wholly engaging investigation of how biology, neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence have given us the tools to unlock the mysteries of human consciousness “One thrilling insight after another ... Damasio has succeeded brilliantly in narrowing the gap between body and mind.” —The New York Times Book Review In recent decades, many philosophers and cognitive scientists have declared the problem of consciousness unsolvable, but Antonio Damasio is convinced that recent findings across multiple scientific disciplines have given us a way to understand consciousness and its significance for human life. In the forty-eight brief chapters of Feeling & Knowing, and in writing that remains faithful to our intuitive sense of what feeling and experiencing are about, Damasio helps us understand why being conscious is not the same as sensing, why nervous systems are essential for the development of feelings, and why feeling opens the way to consciousness writ large. He combines the latest discoveries in various sciences with philosophy and discusses his original research, which has transformed our understanding of the brain and human behavior. Here is an indispensable guide to understand­ing how we experience the world within and around us and find our place in the universe.