Is There a Predictive Processing Model for Emotion?

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The brain is always predicting what it thinks will happen, and then checking what actually happens against that prediction. People often have emotional scripts drawn from their own experiences that lead them to expect certain kinds of emotional experiences in the future. Our past can greatly affect how we assess present situations. Anxious people tend to interpret events in a bad way - if i see a mole on my skin I might immediately think cancer.

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 this episode, he sits down with science writer Annie Murphy Paul to discuss where emotions come from, how they motivate us, and what we can do to control them.

Episode Recommendations:

RATIONALITY: Steven Pinker’s Love Song to Critical Thinking

FEELING & KNOWING: Unlocking the Secrets of Consciousness (with Antonio Damasio)

EXTENDED MIND: Want to Get Smarter? Try Thinking Outside of Your Brain (with Annie Murphy Paul)

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