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.
Bio
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”.
Website: lisafeldmanbarrett.com
Twitter: @LFeldmanBarrett
Topics
00:00:27 Lisa’s interest in clinical psychology
00:03:14 A biological approach to emotions
00:05:32 Why do we have a neocortex?
00:14:01 The default mode network
00:19:27 The brain is not for thinking
00:22:48 The rise of authoritarianism during chaos
00:29:52 Psychological entropy
00:33:26 Predictions are based from past experiences
00:42:23 The mind-brain problem
00:44:36 Relationships are reflexive
00:50:02 Emotional expression isn’t universal
00:56:53 Why you shouldn’t trust psychology textbooks
01:01:20 Reaching out to Paul Ekman
01:08:53 The theory of constructed emotion
01:15:43 The role of socialization and language in emotions
01:20:13 The never-ending domain-general vs domain-specific debate in cognitive science
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