How Emotions Are Made
'How Emotions Are Made did what all great books do. It took a subject I thought I understood and turned my understanding upside down' – Malcolm Gladwell, author of Talking to Strangers
When you feel anxious, angry, happy, or surprised, what's really going on inside of you?
Perhaps you thought of your emotions as automatic and reactive, a response to the world around you. The thrill of seeing an old friend, the fear of losing someone you love – each of these sensations seems to arise automatically and uncontrollably.
But pioneering neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett will shatter everything you think you know with a compelling new argument: emotions aren't universally pre-programmed into our brains and bodies, but rather are unique psychological experiences constructed through our personal history, physiology, and environment.
Relationships, health, parenting, even national security – emotions have serious implications for them all. How Emotions are Made offers a radical new framework that finally, truly, explains what you’re feeling – and why it matters so much.