The Myths of Emotional Expression and Their Societal Impact

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Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett: How to Understand Emotions

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CHAPTER

The Myths of Emotional Expression and Their Societal Impact

This chapter challenges the idea that facial expressions are universally understood indicators of emotion. It examines the real-world ramifications of misjudging emotions, particularly in the legal system, and emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of emotional complexity.

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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 the environment around us to create our unique emotional states. We discuss the relationship between emotions and language, how our specificity of language impacts our emotional processing, the role of facial expressions in emotions, and how emotions relate to sleep, movement, nutrition and the building and reinforcement of social bonds. We also discuss actionable tools for how to regulate feelings of uncertainty and tools to better understand the emotional states of others. This episode ought to be of interest to anyone curious about the neuroscience and psychology underlying emotions and for those who seek to better understand themselves and relate to others and the world in richer, more adaptive ways.

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