Book Review: The Neuroscience of Emotion:  A New Synthesis

Emotions, while ubiquitous across species and one of the most common topics of conversation, are still, it seems, misunderstood. Do emotions have biological roots and, if so, where? And how do physiological factors influence how emotions are felt, expressed, and understood? For Ralph Adolphs and David J. Anderson, developing a comprehensive science of emotions began with trying to create a framework that is scientifically rigorous, inclusive, cumulative, and yet provides clear operationalization of the relevant concepts of emotions. Their new book, The Neuroscience of Emotion: A New Synthesis, offers a new way to understand emotions, one that will leave you thinking differently about how emotions work and why they are so important. “If you are most people, you feel convinced that, because you have emotions, you know a lot about what emotions are, and how they work. We believe you are almost certainly wrong,” write Adolphs and Anderson. We wrongly assume many things about emotion, and gaining insight into emotion means moving past these assumptions. For one thing, there are many more than four primary emotions, and they are not irreducible. The authors address this, saying, “There is scant evidence that “joy”, “fear”, or “anger” are irreducible and do not share component parts. Equally plausible is an alternative view in which each of these emotions is made up of a collections of components, or building blocks, some of which are shared by other emotions.” W...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Anger Book Reviews Disorders General Grief and Loss Happiness Memory and Perception Neuroscience Personality Psychology Emotions Feelings The Neuroscience of Emotion Source Type: news