Reframing Emotions for a Different Experience

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In this chapter, they discuss how emotions can be perceived and experienced differently based on the individual's understanding and interpretation. They explain that the physical sensations associated with emotions, such as an increased heart rate and sweating, can be reinterpreted as a different emotion, rather than anxiety. They provide an example of how the speaker reframed their high arousal before giving a TED Talk as determination instead of anxiety. They emphasize the importance of understanding and experiencing emotions in a different way rather than trying to eliminate them.

Emotions are like opinions — everyone has them. Thanks to the pioneering research of today’s guest, we know that it’s possible to transform our feelings by changing how we think and talk about them. Lisa Feldman Barrett is a psychologist and neuroscientist at Northeastern University and Harvard Medical School. In this episode, Lisa and Adam bust myths about how emotions are constructed in the brain and experienced in the body. They discuss the surprising evidence that language doesn’t just describe emotions — it shapes them. And they examine how managing your emotions is easier than you may realize. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts