How emotions are made : the secret life of the brain Lisa Feldman Barett

First published: 2017. Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-368) and index.

A new theory of how the brain constructs emotions that could revolutionize psychology, health care, law enforcement, and our understanding of the human mind. 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. Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose theory of emotion is driving a deeper understanding of the mind and brain, is 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. Instead, she has shown that emotion is constructed in the moment, by core systems that interact across the whole brain, aided by a lifetime of learning. This new theory means that you play a much greater role in your emotional life than you ever thought.