I write fiction that tries to push us to see our lives in the context of a different world. But Lisa Barrett’s book on how emotions generate inside us makes fiction unnecessary.
This absolutely changed how I view reality. The story world of our lives – what we consider “reality” – is something that exists in the dark, unlit cavern of our skull.
Our brains are constantly creating our own idea of what’s real “out there”, predicting what will happen in the next few microseconds. The data coming in from eyes, ears, nose, and skin is only used to keep our dream-world in check… most of the time. But sometimes we prefer our preconceived world to the real one our senses are telling us about.
Barrett focuses on how all these concepts in our head intermingle with sensory input to create a flash micro-story that condenses it to a “feeling”, what we call an emotion. You have to read this one.
Preeminent psychologist Lisa Barrett lays out how the brain constructs emotions in a way that could revolutionize psychology, health care, the legal system, and our understanding of the human mind. “Fascinating . . . A thought-provoking journey into emotion science.”—The Wall Street Journal “A singular book, remarkable for the freshness of its ideas and the boldness and clarity with which they are presented.”—Scientific American “A brilliant and original book on the science of emotion, by the deepest thinker about this topic since Darwin.”—Daniel Gilbert, best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness The science of emotion is in the midst of a…
According to this book, I have a lopsided, quirky brain. I dive deep into the details.
Most people have those beautiful brains with balanced hemispheres, able to take in the big picture and keep it all in perspective. I’ve been envious all my life, but no more. Now I’m ok with being a lopsided, detail-diving nerd.
Dr. Chantel Pratt, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Washington, gives a sense of just how big, unique and wonderfully complex the brain is.
The topic of neuroscience investigates an organ containing more than 80 billion neurons, with millions of them talking with one another at any given second. When I grasp the breadth and complexity of the brain, it makes me consider how our ideas about religion come to be. Is it all a foolishly simplified delusion? Or is there a quiet force playing with all those brain cells?
From University of Washington professor Chantel Prat comes The Neuroscience of You, a rollicking adventure into the human brain that reveals the surprising truth about neuroscience, shifting our focus from what’s average to an understanding of how every brain is different, exactly why our quirks are important, and what this means for each of us.
With style and wit, Chantel Prat takes us on a tour of the meaningful ways that our brains are dissimilar from one another. Using real-world examples, along with take-them-yourself tests and quizzes, she shows you how to identify the strengths and weakness of your own…
After more than 30 years as a pastor, and with a mushrooming list of neuroscience books in my library, I became dissatisfied with the typical anti-science responses common in the church.
Dr. Timothy Keller brought a nice challenge to an either-or world of science v faith. Neuroscience gives an incredible perspective from which to see how I process spiritual ideas. But Keller also brings an intellectually satisfying response to the claim that science disproves the spiritual world in general and Christianity specifically.
His ideas helped me reevaluate how the worlds of spirituality and science navigate the networks of my brain.
A New York Times bestseller people can believe in-by "a pioneer of the new urban Christians" (Christianity Today) and the "C.S. Lewis for the 21st century" (Newsweek).
Timothy Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics, and even ardent believers, have about religion. Using literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and potent reasoning, Keller explains how the belief in a Christian God is, in fact, a sound and rational one. To true believers he offers a solid platform on which to stand their ground against the backlash to religion created by the…
Set in the heart of urban Seattle, Death of the Antagonist is a page turning epic battle fought on the front lines of the mind and treads a thin line between science and the spiritual realm, traveling intersections that exist where neither discipline violates the other, but are inextricably linked.
