How Emotions Are Made The Secret Life of the Brain

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Lisa Feldman Barrett is a leading expert on the psychology of emotion, and in How Emotions Are Made, she lays out her revolutionary ideas about our seemingly innate human reactions in accessible and truly compelling chapters. The theories in this book have far-reaching implications, but there are also immediate takeaways for anyone who has struggled to make sense of their emotions. Recommended By Renee P., Powells.com

"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

"Everything you thought you knew about what you feel and why you feel it turns out to be stunningly wrong. Lisa Barrett illuminates the fascinating new science of our emotions, offering real-world examples of why it matters in realms as diverse as health, parenting, romantic relationships and national security." Peggy Orenstein, author of Girls & Sex

"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

"This meticulous, well-researched, and deeply thought-out book reveals new insights about our emotions — what they are, where they come from, why we have them. For anyone who has struggled to reconcile brain and heart, this book will be a treasure; it explains the science without short-changing the humanism of its topic." Andrew Solomon, best-selling author of Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon

"Most of us make our way through the world without thinking a lot about what we bring to our encounters with it. Lisa Feldman Barrett does — and what she has to say about our perceptions and emotions is pretty mind-blowing." Elle

"Prepare to have your brain twisted around as psychology professor Barrett takes it on a tour of itself...Her enthusiasm for her topic brightens every amazing fact and theory about where our emotions come from...each chapter is chockablock with startling insights...Barrett’s figurative selfie of the brain is brilliant." Booklist (Starred Review) 

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.

LISA FELDMAN BARRETT, Ph.D., is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Psychiatry and Radiology. She received a National Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer Award for her groundbreaking research on emotion in the brain, and is an elected member of the Royal Society of Canada. She lives in Boston.