[Rebroadcast] Break Through Your Brain’s Predictions

In this book, Andy Clark explores the theory that the brain is a powerful, dynamic prediction engine that mediates our experience of both body and world. He illustrates how reality is a complex synthesis of sensory information and expectation, and how this predictive process shapes all human experience, from mundane to sublime. Clark discusses the implications for mental health, society, and our understanding of conditions such as chronic pain and mental illness, suggesting new approaches to treatment. The book also delves into how perception is a form of controlled hallucination and how our minds are entangled with our environments and internal states.

In this book, Lisa Feldman Barrett presents a new neuroscientific explanation of emotions, overturning the widely held belief that emotions are automatic, universal, and hardwired in different brain regions. Instead, she argues that emotions are constructed in the moment through a unique interplay of brain, body, and culture. Barrett's theory, known as the 'Theory of Constructed Emotions,' suggests that emotions are highly individualized and vary by culture. The book explores how this new understanding has significant implications for fields such as psychology, medicine, law, parenting, and national security. Barrett uses clear, readable prose and practical examples to make her complex theories accessible to a broad audience.