The biggest myths about emotions, debunked | Lisa Feldman Barrett
The Well・2 minutes read
Emotions are not hardwired at birth but are created by the brain in response to sensory information, shaping thoughts and actions. Lisa Feldman Barrett emphasizes the variability in emotional experiences and highlights the importance of understanding that emotions are constructed by the brain based on past experiences.
Insights
- Emotions are not hardwired at birth but are created by the brain in response to sensory information, shaping our feelings of pleasantness or unpleasantness.
- Lisa Feldman Barrett highlights the variability in emotional experiences among individuals, emphasizing that emotions are not events that happen to us but are constructed by the brain based on past experiences, allowing us to actively shape our present and future by investing in new activities and learning to predict and act differently.
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Recent questions
How are emotions created in the brain?
Emotions are not events that happen to you but are created by the brain as a response to sensory information from the body.
Can emotions be controlled?
Emotions are often misunderstood, with myths suggesting they are hardwired at birth and produced reactively by the brain, leading to moral judgments based on emotional control.
What influences emotional experiences?
Lisa Feldman Barrett, a professor at Northeastern University, highlights the lack of consensus among scientists on defining emotions, emphasizing the variability in emotional experiences among individuals.
How can individuals shape their emotional experiences?
Understanding that emotions are constructed by the brain based on past experiences allows individuals to actively shape their present and future experiences by investing in new activities and learning to predict and act differently.
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Summary
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Emotions: Brain's Construct, Not Hardwired Reactions
- Emotions are often misunderstood, with myths suggesting they are hardwired at birth and produced reactively by the brain, leading to moral judgments based on emotional control.
- Lisa Feldman Barrett, a professor at Northeastern University, highlights the lack of consensus among scientists on defining emotions, emphasizing the variability in emotional experiences among individuals.
- Emotions are not events that happen to you but are created by the brain as a response to sensory information from the body, resulting in feelings of pleasantness or unpleasantness.
- Emotions are not synonymous with feelings but are instances where the brain tells a story about bodily changes in response to external stimuli, shaping every thought, decision, and action in life.
- Understanding that emotions are constructed by the brain based on past experiences allows individuals to actively shape their present and future experiences by investing in new activities and learning to predict and act differently.
