logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2021
1h 35m

Best of: We don’t just feel emotions. We...

Vox
About this episode

How do you feel right now? Excited to listen to your favorite podcast? Anxious about the state of American politics? Annoyed by my use of rhetorical questions?

These questions seem pretty straightforward. But as my guest today, psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett, points out there is a lot more to emotion than meets the mind.

Barrett is a superstar in her field. She’s a professor of psychology at Northeastern University, holds appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and has received various prestigious awards for her pioneering research on emotion. Her most recent book How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain argues that emotions are not biologically hardwired into our brains but constructed by our minds. In other words, we don’t merely feel emotions — we actively create them.

Barrett’s work has potentially radical implications. If we take her theory seriously, it follows that the ways we think about our daily emotional states, diagnose illnesses, interact with friends, raise our children, and experience reality all need some serious adjusting, if not complete rethinking.

If you enjoyed this episode, you should check out:

A mind-expanding conversation with Michael Pollan

The cognitive cost of poverty (with Sendhil Mullainathan)

Will Storr on why you are not yourself 

A mind-bending, reality-warping conversation with John Higgs

Book recommendations: 

Naming the Mind by Kurt Danzinger 

The Island of Knowledge by Marcelo Gleiser 

The Accidental Species by Henry Gee

Sense and Nonsense by Kevin L. Laland

Credits:

Producer and Editor - Jeff Geld

Researcher - Roge Karma

Recording engineer - Cynthia Gil

Field engineer - Joseph Fridman

The Ezra Klein Show is a production of the Vox Media Podcast Network

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Jun 30
If AI can do your classwork, why go to college?
What’s the point of college if no one’s actually doing the work? It’s not a rhetorical question. In the age of AI, it's incredibly easy for students to offload their assignments. AI tools can write essays, make study guides, and even complete whole assignments. So what is the poi ... Show More
59m 21s
Jun 16
Is Trump winning?
We’re nearly six months into Donald Trump’s second term as president, and a lot of us are still trying to figure out what that actually means. Not just politically. But culturally. What kind of country are we living in? And what kind of future are we heading toward? In today’s ep ... Show More
52m 31s
Jun 9
A right-wing economist makes his case
For decades, the American right has stayed on brand: the economy. Low taxes. Free markets. Deregulation. Those have been the buzzwords for more than half a century. But that doctrine is now being challenged by other conservatives who envision a future in which America’s trade def ... Show More
1h 8m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2022
EMOTIONAL: Do Your Feelings Make You Smarter?
We all strive to think rationally. But it doesn’t always do us much good. Cutting-edge science has revealed that if we want to sharpen our thinking, we need to feel our feelings. That science is the subject of “Emotional,” a new book by theoretical physicist Leonard Mlodinow. In ... Show More
49m 13s
Nov 2022
Can You Really Trust Your Feelings? | Lisa Feldman Barrett & John Dunne
A common idea in the west is that our feelings or emotions should be viewed with suspicion, superseded or overridden by rational thought, and that your mind is a battleground between emotions and rationality. But on the show today, guests Lisa Feldman Barrett and John Dunne are g ... Show More
46m 14s
Sep 2023
Sadistic Empathy: Are There Downsides to Empathy?
Healthy//ToxicHealthy versus Toxic is a podcast where licensed mental health professionals explore what makes a relationship healthy or unhealthy. Our hosts aim to provide a scientifically informed perspective on what factors go into making healthy relationships, how to build sec ... Show More
18m 10s
Aug 2019
Where Do Emotions Come From?
“We don’t actually detect things in the world,” says neuroscientist and psychologist Lisa Barrett. “We infer what we expect to see.” Barrett is the author of How Emotions are Made, a book that overturns a lot of what we thought we knew about the mind and brain. For one, we aren’t ... Show More
47m 56s
Nov 2021
Best of the Archives: How Your Emotions Are Made | Lisa Feldman Barrett
Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is at the forefront of understanding human emotions: what they are, why humans evolved to have them, how they’re different from feelings, and what science says about how to manage them. She is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeas ... Show More
1h 7m
Jan 2022
Welcome to More Than A Feeling
Most of us have gotten at least a little emotional at some point recently. It’s natural. But why do we have emotions and how much should we pay attention to them on any given day? Can we learn to skillfully choose which emotions to listen to and which ones to just let move on by? ... Show More
6m 35s
May 2022
Far Flung presents: More Than A Feeling
Great news—Far Flung will be back for another season in June. We can't wait to take you on ten new audio journeys across the world, from Puerto Rico to Nepal to Somalia to Chicago and beyond. But before that, something different. We're sharing an episode of another podcast Saleem ... Show More
36m 4s
Nov 2023
Best of Series: Surprising Truths about the Human Brain with Lisa Feldman Barrett
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 o ... Show More
1h 29m
Oct 2023
Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett: How to Understand Emotions
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, Ph.D., a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University who is a world expert in the science of emotions. She explains what emotions are and how the brain represents and integrates signals from our body and ... Show More
2h 36m
May 2024
The Neuroscience Of: Emotional Regulation, Relationships, Body Image, And Intuition | Emma Seppälä
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- A research-backed plan for getting your sh*t together in every possible sphere. We’re going to talk about some smart strategies today with Emma Seppälä, Ph.D ... Show More
1h 3m