What are emotions?

Are emotions something that happen to you, or are they bodily signals we interpret? Does everyone show emotions in the same way — that is, are there particular markers of the face or the body that always mean anger, sadness, or joy? And what does this have to do with Charles Darwin, the truth about facial expressions, or the movie Inside Out? Join Eagleman with this week’s guest, neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of hundreds of papers and “How Emotions are Made”, for a deep dive into the truth about our feelings.

Episode Audio

Episode Video

More Information:

Barrett LF. (2017). How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. Mariner Books.

Lisa Feldman Barrett’s TED Talk. (2017). You aren’t at the mercy of your emotions — your brain creates them.

Darwin C. (1872). The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Penquin Classics.

Barrett LF, Russell JA, editors. (2014) The psychological construction of emotion. Guilford Publications

Barrett LF (2021). Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain. Mariner Books

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