We’re re-releasing one of our favorite episodes from the past year with Lisa Feldman Barrett.
Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is among the top one percent most cited scientists in the world for her revolutionary research in psychology and neuroscience. She is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University. She also holds appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior.
Her books include Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain and How Emotions are Made. She has published over 240 peer-reviewed, scientific papers appearing in Science, Nature Neuroscience, and other top journals. Dr. Barrett has been called “the most important affective scientist of our time”.
In this episode, I talk to renowned neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett about emotions and the brain. She reveals what the true function of the brain is⎯and it’s not for thinking. We also discuss the impact of past experiences on our cognition and what we can do to overcome our own detrimental patterns. Further into our discussion, Dr. Lisa challenges the traditionally held view that emotions are universal. In her own theory of constructed emotion, she argues that variability in emotional expression exists due to socialization and language differences. We also touch on the topics of hallucinogens, culture, education, relationships, and authoritarianism.
Website: lisafeldmanbarrett.com
Twitter: @LFeldmanBarrett
Topics
00:01:42 Lisa’s interest in clinical psychology
00:03:53 A biological approach to emotions
00:06:29 Why do we have a neocortex?
00:14:49 The default mode network
00:21:47 The brain is not for thinking
00:25:06 Authoritarianism during economic hardship
00:32:04 Psychological entropy
00:35:33 The brain weather forecast
00:44:16 The mind-brain problem
00:47:37 Relationships are reflexive
00:51:46 Emotional expression isn’t universal
00:58:35 Why you shouldn’t trust psychology textbooks / 6 universal emotions?
01:03:03 Reaching out to Paul Ekman
01:10:42 The theory of constructed emotion
01:16:49 The role of socialization and language in emotions
01:23:43 The never-ending domain-general vs domain-specific debate in cognitive science
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Isaac Prilleltensky || The Need to Matter
George Bonanno || The New Science of Resilience
Steven Pinker || Why Rationality Matters
Annie Murphy Paul || The Extended Mind
Kathryn Paige Harden || Genetic Inequality, IQ, and Education
Nick Gillespie || Libertarianism, Soft Parenting, and Cancel Culture
Richard Ryan || Self-Determination Theory & Human Motivation
Ron Friedman || Reverse Engineering Greatness
Brad Stulberg || Finding Groundedness
Irvin Yalom || Existential Psychotherapy
Heather McGhee || What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
Gary Heil || Choose Love, Not Fear in the Workplace
Jon Levy || The Art and Science of Cultivating Influence
Gleb Tsipursky || Cognitive Bias in Relationships
Michael Lewis || A Doctor Shares Life Lessons From His Experiences with Michael Jordan and Abraham Maslow
Colin DeYoung || Rethinking Mental Illness
Jordan Peterson || Chatting About Human Nature
Paul Wong || Existential Positive Psychology
Kristin Neff || Fierce Self-Compassion
Daniel Goleman || Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence
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