TED@IBM
Lisa Feldman Barrett: You aren't at the mercy of your emotions -- your brain creates them
Filmed:
Readability: 4.1
5,299,612 views
Can you look at someone's face and know what they're feeling? Does everyone experience happiness, sadness and anxiety the same way? What are emotions anyway? For the past 25 years, psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett has mapped facial expressions, scanned brains and analyzed hundreds of physiology studies to understand what emotions really are. She shares the results of her exhaustive research -- and explains how we may have more control over our emotions than we think.
Lisa Feldman Barrett - Neuroscientist, psychologist, author
Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with positions in psychiatry and radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Full bio
Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with positions in psychiatry and radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
My research lab sits about a mile
from where several bombs exploded
from where several bombs exploded
0
877
4626
00:17
during the Boston Marathon in 2013.
1
5527
2377
00:21
The surviving bomber,
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev of Chechnya,
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev of Chechnya,
2
9036
3937
00:24
was tried, convicted
and sentenced to death.
and sentenced to death.
3
12997
2792
00:28
Now, when a jury has to make the decision
4
16791
2286
00:31
between life in prison
and the death penalty,
and the death penalty,
5
19101
3675
00:34
they base their decision largely
on whether or not the defendant
on whether or not the defendant
6
22800
4635
00:39
feels remorseful for his actions.
7
27459
2541
00:42
Tsarnaev spoke words of apology,
8
30024
2725
00:44
but when jurors looked at his face,
9
32773
2204
00:47
all they saw was a stone-faced stare.
10
35001
3000
00:52
Now, Tsarnaev is guilty,
there's no doubt about that.
there's no doubt about that.
11
40300
3301
00:55
He murdered and maimed innocent people,
12
43982
3418
00:59
and I'm not here to debate that.
13
47424
1969
01:01
My heart goes out
to all the people who suffered.
to all the people who suffered.
14
49417
2900
01:04
But as a scientist, I have to tell you
15
52668
2706
01:07
that jurors do not
and cannot detect remorse
and cannot detect remorse
16
55398
4342
01:11
or any other emotion in anybody ever.
17
59764
3563
01:16
Neither can I, and neither can you,
18
64572
3048
01:19
and that's because emotions
are not what we think they are.
are not what we think they are.
19
67644
3063
01:22
They are not universally
expressed and recognized.
expressed and recognized.
20
70731
3404
01:26
They are not hardwired brain reactions
21
74485
3643
01:30
that are uncontrollable.
22
78152
1317
01:32
We have misunderstood
the nature of emotion
the nature of emotion
23
80997
2270
01:35
for a very long time,
24
83291
2490
01:37
and understanding what emotions really are
has important consequences for all of us.
has important consequences for all of us.
25
85805
4858
01:43
I have studied emotions as a scientist
for the past 25 years,
for the past 25 years,
26
91687
3924
01:47
and in my lab, we have probed human faces
by measuring electrical signals
by measuring electrical signals
27
95635
5550
01:53
that cause your facial muscles to contract
to make facial expressions.
to make facial expressions.
28
101209
3806
01:57
We have scrutinized
the human body in emotion.
the human body in emotion.
29
105742
4115
02:01
We have analyzed
hundreds of physiology studies
hundreds of physiology studies
30
109881
3595
02:05
involving thousands of test subjects.
31
113500
2643
02:08
We've scanned hundreds of brains,
32
116167
1707
02:09
and examined every
brain imaging study on emotion
brain imaging study on emotion
33
117898
3110
02:13
that has been published
in the past 20 years.
in the past 20 years.
34
121032
2325
02:15
And the results of all of this research
are overwhelmingly consistent.
are overwhelmingly consistent.
35
123929
5158
02:22
It may feel to you
like your emotions are hardwired
like your emotions are hardwired
36
130445
5224
02:27
and they just trigger and happen to you,
37
135693
3150
02:30
but they don't.
38
138867
1302
02:32
You might believe that your brain
is prewired with emotion circuits,
is prewired with emotion circuits,
39
140984
5175
02:38
that you're born with emotion
circuits, but you're not.
circuits, but you're not.
40
146183
3309
02:41
In fact, none of us in this room
have emotion circuits in our brain.
have emotion circuits in our brain.
41
149516
4001
02:45
In fact, no brain on this planet
contains emotion circuits.
contains emotion circuits.
42
153541
4325
02:51
So what are emotions, really?
43
159432
1968
02:55
Well, strap on your seat belt,
because ...
because ...
44
163185
3166
02:59
emotions are guesses.
45
167815
2118
03:02
They are guesses that your brain
constructs in the moment
constructs in the moment
46
170482
5793
03:08
where billions of brain cells
are working together,
are working together,
47
176299
4095
03:12
and you have more control
over those guesses
over those guesses
48
180418
3077
03:15
than you might imagine that you do.
49
183519
1976
03:19
Now, if that sounds preposterous to you,
or, you know, kind of crazy,
or, you know, kind of crazy,
50
187352
3626
03:23
I'm right there with you, because frankly,
if I hadn't seen the evidence for myself,
if I hadn't seen the evidence for myself,
51
191002
4508
03:27
decades of evidence for myself,
52
195534
2056
03:29
I am fairly sure
that I wouldn't believe it either.
that I wouldn't believe it either.
53
197614
2626
03:32
But the bottom line is that emotions
are not built into your brain at birth.
are not built into your brain at birth.
54
200675
5547
03:39
They are just built.
55
207655
1643
03:43
To see what I mean, have a look at this.
56
211289
2445
03:46
Right now, your brain
is working like crazy.
is working like crazy.
57
214648
4683
03:51
Your neurons are firing like mad
trying to make meaning out of this
trying to make meaning out of this
58
219355
4087
03:55
so that you see something
other than black and white blobs.
other than black and white blobs.
59
223466
3136
03:58
Your brain is sifting
through a lifetime of experience,
through a lifetime of experience,
60
226626
4483
04:03
making thousands of guesses
at the same time,
at the same time,
61
231133
2835
04:05
weighing the probabilities,
62
233992
1985
04:08
trying to answer the question,
63
236001
1896
04:09
"What is this most like?"
64
237921
2072
04:12
not "What is it?"
65
240017
1229
04:13
but "What is this most like
in my past experience?"
in my past experience?"
66
241270
3376
04:16
And this is all happening
in the blink of an eye.
in the blink of an eye.
67
244951
2915
04:19
Now if your brain is still struggling
to find a good match
to find a good match
68
247890
4540
04:24
and you still see black and white blobs,
69
252454
2534
04:27
then you are in a state
called "experiential blindness,"
called "experiential blindness,"
70
255012
4209
04:31
and I am going to cure you
of your blindness.
of your blindness.
71
259245
3887
04:35
This is my favorite part.
Are you ready to be cured?
Are you ready to be cured?
72
263156
2539
04:37
(Cheers)
73
265719
1795
04:39
All right. Here we go.
74
267538
1736
04:43
(Gasps)
75
271849
2373
04:48
All right.
76
276648
1293
04:49
So now many of you see a snake,
77
277965
4235
04:54
and why is that?
78
282224
1509
04:55
Because as your brain is sifting
through your past experience,
through your past experience,
79
283757
4642
05:00
there's new knowledge there,
80
288423
1429
05:01
the knowledge that came
from the photograph.
from the photograph.
81
289876
2150
05:04
And what's really cool is that
82
292491
2234
05:06
that knowledge which you just
acquired moments ago
acquired moments ago
83
294749
2762
05:09
is changing how you experience
these blobs right now.
these blobs right now.
84
297535
4642
05:15
So your brain is constructing
the image of a snake
the image of a snake
85
303134
3224
05:18
where there is no snake,
86
306382
2127
05:20
and this kind of a hallucination
87
308533
2563
05:23
is what neuroscientists like me
call "predictions."
call "predictions."
88
311120
3452
05:26
Predictions are basically
the way your brain works.
the way your brain works.
89
314995
3786
05:30
It's business as usual for your brain.
90
318805
2516
05:33
Predictions are the basis
of every experience that you have.
of every experience that you have.
91
321345
3247
05:36
They are the basis
of every action that you take.
of every action that you take.
92
324616
2723
05:39
In fact, predictions are what allow you
to understand the words that I'm speaking
to understand the words that I'm speaking
93
327363
5143
05:44
as they come out of my --
94
332530
1650
05:47
Audience: Mouth.
Lisa Feldman Barrett: Mouth. Exactly.
Lisa Feldman Barrett: Mouth. Exactly.
95
335024
2596
05:49
Predictions are primal.
96
337644
3395
05:53
They help us to make sense
of the world in a quick and efficient way.
of the world in a quick and efficient way.
97
341063
3413
05:56
So your brain does not react to the world.
98
344500
4579
06:02
Using past experience,
99
350809
1907
06:04
your brain predicts and constructs
100
352740
3162
06:07
your experience of the world.
101
355926
1901
06:12
The way that we see emotions in others
are deeply rooted in predictions.
are deeply rooted in predictions.
102
360057
5812
06:17
So to us, it feels like
we just look at someone's face,
we just look at someone's face,
103
365893
2999
06:20
and we just read the emotion
that's there in their facial expressions
that's there in their facial expressions
104
368916
3785
06:24
the way that we would read
words on a page.
words on a page.
105
372725
2225
06:26
But actually, under the hood,
your brain is predicting.
your brain is predicting.
106
374974
4230
06:31
It's using past experience
based on similar situations
based on similar situations
107
379228
3910
06:35
to try to make meaning.
108
383162
1690
06:36
This time, you're not
making meaning of blobs,
making meaning of blobs,
109
384876
2501
06:39
you're making meaning of facial movements
110
387401
2729
06:42
like the curl of a lip
or the raise of an eyebrow.
or the raise of an eyebrow.
111
390154
3253
06:46
And that stone-faced stare?
112
394194
1706
06:48
That might be someone
who is a remorseless killer,
who is a remorseless killer,
113
396341
4999
06:53
but a stone-faced stare might also mean
114
401364
1912
06:55
that someone is stoically
accepting defeat,
accepting defeat,
115
403300
3289
06:58
which is in fact what Chechen culture
prescribes for someone
prescribes for someone
116
406613
3791
07:02
in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's situation.
117
410428
2277
07:05
So the lesson here
118
413958
2283
07:08
is that emotions that you seem
to detect in other people
to detect in other people
119
416265
4430
07:12
actually come in part
from what's inside your own head.
from what's inside your own head.
120
420719
4723
07:17
And this is true in the courtroom,
121
425466
2572
07:20
but it's also true in the classroom,
122
428062
2959
07:23
in the bedroom,
123
431045
2043
07:25
and in the boardroom.
124
433112
1988
07:28
And so here's my concern:
125
436366
1858
07:30
tech companies
which shall remain nameless ...
which shall remain nameless ...
126
438248
2919
07:34
well, maybe not.
127
442047
1150
07:35
You know, Google, Facebook --
128
443221
1452
07:36
(Laughter)
129
444697
3412
07:40
are spending millions of research dollars
to build emotion-detection systems,
to build emotion-detection systems,
130
448133
5683
07:45
and they are fundamentally
asking the wrong question,
asking the wrong question,
131
453840
3030
07:48
because they're trying to detect
emotions in the face and the body,
emotions in the face and the body,
132
456894
4944
07:53
but emotions aren't in your face and body.
133
461862
2814
07:57
Physical movements
have no intrinsic emotional meaning.
have no intrinsic emotional meaning.
134
465137
4230
08:03
We have to make them meaningful.
135
471741
1955
08:05
A human or something else
has to connect them to the context,
has to connect them to the context,
136
473720
3585
08:09
and that makes them meaningful.
137
477329
1786
08:11
That's how we know
that a smile might mean sadness
that a smile might mean sadness
138
479139
5786
08:16
and a cry might mean happiness,
139
484949
3032
08:20
and a stoic, still face might mean
140
488005
3562
08:23
that you are angrily plotting
the demise of your enemy.
the demise of your enemy.
141
491591
3531
08:29
Now, if I haven't already
gone out on a limb,
gone out on a limb,
142
497873
3397
08:33
I'll just edge out on that limb
a little further and tell you
a little further and tell you
143
501294
3388
08:36
that the way that you experience
your own emotion
your own emotion
144
504706
3436
08:40
is exactly the same process.
145
508166
2881
08:43
Your brain is basically
making predictions, guesses,
making predictions, guesses,
146
511071
4691
08:47
that it's constructing in the moment
147
515786
2286
08:50
with billions of neurons working together.
148
518096
4209
08:55
Now your brain does come
prewired to make some feelings,
prewired to make some feelings,
149
523106
4287
08:59
simple feelings that come
from the physiology of your body.
from the physiology of your body.
150
527417
4802
09:04
So when you're born,
151
532243
1684
09:05
you can make feelings
like calmness and agitation,
like calmness and agitation,
152
533951
4394
09:10
excitement, comfort, discomfort.
153
538369
2404
09:13
But these simple feelings
are not emotions.
are not emotions.
154
541266
3023
09:16
They're actually with you
every waking moment of your life.
every waking moment of your life.
155
544313
3833
09:20
They are simple summaries
of what's going on inside your body,
of what's going on inside your body,
156
548694
4581
09:25
kind of like a barometer.
157
553299
1458
09:27
But they have very little detail,
158
555908
2072
09:30
and you need that detail
to know what to do next.
to know what to do next.
159
558004
2903
09:32
What do you about these feelings?
160
560931
1782
09:35
And so how does your brain
give you that detail?
give you that detail?
161
563061
2254
09:37
Well, that's what predictions are.
162
565339
1754
09:39
Predictions link
the sensations in your body
the sensations in your body
163
567117
3429
09:42
that give you these simple feelings
164
570570
1810
09:44
with what's going on
around you in the world
around you in the world
165
572404
2055
09:46
so that you know what to do.
166
574483
1349
09:47
And sometimes,
167
575856
1477
09:49
those constructions are emotions.
168
577357
5038
09:54
So for example, if you were
to walk into a bakery,
to walk into a bakery,
169
582419
4755
09:59
your brain might predict
that you will encounter
that you will encounter
170
587198
3809
10:03
the delicious aroma of freshly baked
chocolate chip cookies.
chocolate chip cookies.
171
591031
4079
10:07
I know my brain would predict
172
595531
1735
10:09
the delicious aroma of freshly baked
chocolate cookies.
chocolate cookies.
173
597290
2607
10:11
And our brains might cause
our stomachs to churn a little bit,
our stomachs to churn a little bit,
174
599921
2991
10:14
to prepare for eating those cookies.
175
602936
2961
10:17
And if we are correct,
176
605921
1731
10:19
if in fact some cookies
have just come out of the oven,
have just come out of the oven,
177
607676
3023
10:22
then our brains will
have constructed hunger,
have constructed hunger,
178
610723
2942
10:25
and we are prepared
to munch down those cookies
to munch down those cookies
179
613689
3928
10:29
and digest them in a very efficient way,
180
617641
2374
10:32
meaning that we can eat a lot of them,
181
620039
1825
10:33
which would be a really good thing.
182
621888
1745
10:36
You guys are not laughing enough.
I'm totally serious.
I'm totally serious.
183
624160
2524
10:38
(Laughter)
184
626708
3817
10:42
But here's the thing.
185
630549
1150
10:43
That churning stomach,
186
631723
2404
10:46
if it occurs in a different situation,
187
634151
2150
10:48
it can have a completely
different meaning.
different meaning.
188
636325
2000
10:50
So if your brain were to predict
a churning stomach
a churning stomach
189
638349
3555
10:53
in, say, a hospital room
while you're waiting for test results,
while you're waiting for test results,
190
641928
4999
10:58
then your brain will be constructing dread
191
646951
2699
11:01
or worry or anxiety,
192
649674
2499
11:04
and it might cause you to, maybe,
193
652197
3698
11:07
wring your hands
194
655919
2491
11:10
or take a deep breath or even cry.
195
658434
2562
11:13
Right? Same physical sensation,
same churning stomach,
same churning stomach,
196
661808
4673
11:18
different experience.
197
666505
1485
11:20
And so the lesson here
198
668678
1699
11:22
is that emotions which seem
to happen to you
to happen to you
199
670401
4135
11:26
are actually made by you.
200
674560
2476
11:32
You are not at the mercy
of mythical emotion circuits
of mythical emotion circuits
201
680115
5024
11:37
which are buried deep inside
some ancient part of your brain.
some ancient part of your brain.
202
685163
3440
11:42
You have more control over your emotions
203
690006
3682
11:45
than you think you do.
204
693712
1555
11:47
I don't mean that you can
just snap your fingers
just snap your fingers
205
695291
2279
11:49
and change how you feel the way
that you would change your clothes,
that you would change your clothes,
206
697594
4184
11:53
but your brain is wired
207
701802
2507
11:56
so that if you change the ingredients
that your brain uses to make emotion,
that your brain uses to make emotion,
208
704333
6032
12:02
then you can transform
your emotional life.
your emotional life.
209
710389
3166
12:06
So if you change those ingredients today,
210
714274
2832
12:09
you're basically teaching your brain
how to predict differently tomorrow,
how to predict differently tomorrow,
211
717130
4888
12:14
and this is what I call
being the architect of your experience.
being the architect of your experience.
212
722042
5071
12:20
So here's an example.
213
728605
1253
12:23
All of us have had a nervous feeling
before a test, right?
before a test, right?
214
731771
3410
12:27
But some people experience
crippling anxiety before a test.
crippling anxiety before a test.
215
735974
4469
12:32
They have test anxiety.
216
740467
1308
12:35
Based on past experiences of taking tests,
217
743406
4690
12:40
their brains predict
a hammering heartbeat,
a hammering heartbeat,
218
748120
3325
12:43
sweaty hands,
219
751469
1419
12:44
so much so that they are unable
to actually take the test.
to actually take the test.
220
752912
5500
12:50
They don't perform well,
221
758436
1262
12:51
and sometimes they not only fail courses
but they actually might fail college.
but they actually might fail college.
222
759722
4397
12:57
But here's the thing:
223
765131
1151
12:59
a hammering heartbeat
is not necessarily anxiety.
is not necessarily anxiety.
224
767036
3812
13:02
It could be that your body
is preparing to do battle
is preparing to do battle
225
770872
5135
13:08
and ace that test ...
226
776031
1484
13:10
or, you know, give a talk
227
778449
2175
13:12
in front of hundreds of people
on a stage where you're being filmed.
on a stage where you're being filmed.
228
780648
3596
13:16
(Laughter)
229
784268
1595
13:17
I'm serious.
230
785887
1246
13:19
(Laughter)
231
787158
1738
13:21
And research shows
that when students learn
that when students learn
232
789529
4461
13:26
to make this kind
of energized determination
of energized determination
233
794014
2731
13:28
instead of anxiety,
234
796769
1441
13:30
they perform better on tests.
235
798234
2096
13:33
And that determination seeds their brain
to predict differently in the future
to predict differently in the future
236
801145
4894
13:38
so that they can get their butterflies
flying in formation.
flying in formation.
237
806063
3031
13:41
And if they do that often enough,
238
809507
2152
13:43
they not only can pass a test
239
811683
2548
13:46
but it will be easier for them
to pass their courses,
to pass their courses,
240
814255
3024
13:49
and they might even finish college,
241
817303
2961
13:52
which has a huge impact
on their future earning potential.
on their future earning potential.
242
820288
4268
13:57
So I call this emotional
intelligence in action.
intelligence in action.
243
825458
3230
14:01
Now you can cultivate
this emotional intelligence yourself
this emotional intelligence yourself
244
829930
3584
14:05
and use it in your everyday life.
245
833538
2266
14:07
So just, you know,
246
835828
1885
14:09
imagine waking up in the morning.
247
837737
1580
14:11
I'm sure you've had
this experience. I know I have.
this experience. I know I have.
248
839341
2435
14:13
You wake up and as you're emerging
into consciousness,
into consciousness,
249
841800
2635
14:16
you feel this horrible dread,
250
844459
3191
14:19
you know, this real wretchedness,
251
847674
2001
14:21
and immediately, your mind starts to race.
252
849699
2682
14:24
You start to think about
all the crap that you have to do at work
all the crap that you have to do at work
253
852405
3080
14:27
and you have that mountain of email
254
855509
1708
14:29
which you will never
dig yourself out of ever,
dig yourself out of ever,
255
857241
2895
14:32
the phone calls you have to return,
256
860160
1826
14:34
and that important meeting across town,
257
862010
1872
14:35
and you're going to have to fight traffic,
258
863906
2039
14:37
you'll be late picking your kids up,
259
865969
1721
14:39
your dog is sick, and what
are you going to make for dinner?
are you going to make for dinner?
260
867714
2824
14:42
Oh my God.
261
870562
1183
14:43
What is wrong with your life?
262
871769
1506
14:45
What is wrong with my life?
263
873299
1586
14:46
(Laughter)
264
874909
5470
14:52
That mind racing is prediction.
265
880403
2523
14:55
Your brain is searching
to find an explanation
to find an explanation
266
883510
4722
15:00
for those sensations in your body
that you experience as wretchedness,
that you experience as wretchedness,
267
888256
5620
15:05
just like you did with the blobby image.
268
893900
3928
15:10
So your brain is trying to explain
what caused those sensations
what caused those sensations
269
898950
5515
15:16
so that you know what to do about them.
270
904489
2000
15:19
But those sensations
271
907242
1612
15:20
might not be an indication
that anything is wrong with your life.
that anything is wrong with your life.
272
908878
3048
15:24
They might have a purely physical cause.
273
912296
2812
15:27
Maybe you're tired.
274
915132
1215
15:28
Maybe you didn't sleep enough.
275
916371
1430
15:29
Maybe you're hungry.
276
917825
1350
15:31
Maybe you're dehydrated.
277
919199
1576
15:33
The next time that you feel
intense distress,
intense distress,
278
921691
5599
15:39
ask yourself:
279
927314
1711
15:41
Could this have a purely physical cause?
280
929049
3690
15:45
Is it possible that you can transform
281
933208
3608
15:48
emotional suffering
into just mere physical discomfort?
into just mere physical discomfort?
282
936840
3976
15:54
Now I am not suggesting to you
283
942182
2444
15:56
that you can just perform
a couple of Jedi mind tricks
a couple of Jedi mind tricks
284
944650
2921
15:59
and talk yourself out of being depressed
285
947595
2992
16:02
or anxious or any kind
of serious condition.
of serious condition.
286
950611
4515
16:07
But I am telling you
287
955150
1635
16:08
that you have more control
over your emotions than you might imagine,
over your emotions than you might imagine,
288
956809
3873
16:12
and that you have the capacity
289
960706
1896
16:14
to turn down the dial
on emotional suffering
on emotional suffering
290
962626
3081
16:17
and its consequences for your life
291
965731
2134
16:19
by learning how to construct
your experiences differently.
your experiences differently.
292
967889
2852
16:24
And all of us can do this
293
972112
1754
16:25
and with a little practice,
we can get really good at it,
we can get really good at it,
294
973890
2891
16:28
like driving.
295
976805
1245
16:30
At first, it takes a lot of effort,
296
978074
1760
16:31
but eventually it becomes
pretty automatic.
pretty automatic.
297
979858
2254
16:35
Now I don't know about you,
298
983302
1308
16:36
but I find this to be
a really empowering and inspiring message,
a really empowering and inspiring message,
299
984634
5320
16:41
and the fact that it's backed up
by decades of research
by decades of research
300
989978
2635
16:44
makes me also happy as a scientist.
301
992637
2909
16:47
But I have to also warn you
that it does come with some fine print,
that it does come with some fine print,
302
995570
3143
16:50
because more control
also means more responsibility.
also means more responsibility.
303
998737
4666
16:57
If you are not at the mercy
of mythical emotion circuits
of mythical emotion circuits
304
1005225
4249
17:01
which are buried deep
inside your brain somewhere
inside your brain somewhere
305
1009498
2297
17:03
and which trigger automatically,
306
1011819
2113
17:05
then who's responsible,
307
1013956
2657
17:08
who is responsible when you behave badly?
308
1016637
2118
17:12
You are.
309
1020422
1150
17:14
Not because you're culpable
for your emotions,
for your emotions,
310
1022028
3022
17:17
but because the actions
and the experiences that you make today
and the experiences that you make today
311
1025074
4988
17:22
become your brain's
predictions for tomorrow.
predictions for tomorrow.
312
1030086
2825
17:25
Sometimes we are responsible for something
313
1033775
2866
17:28
not because we're to blame
314
1036665
2637
17:31
but because we're the only ones
who can change it.
who can change it.
315
1039326
3071
17:35
Now responsibility is a big word.
316
1043750
2425
17:38
It's so big, in fact,
317
1046199
1722
17:39
that sometimes people feel the need
to resist the scientific evidence
to resist the scientific evidence
318
1047945
5539
17:45
that emotions are built and not built in.
319
1053508
3500
17:50
The idea that we are responsible
for our own emotions
for our own emotions
320
1058860
4272
17:55
seems very hard to swallow.
321
1063156
2743
17:59
But what I'm suggesting to you
is you don't have to choke on that idea.
is you don't have to choke on that idea.
322
1067027
3802
18:02
You just take a deep breath,
323
1070853
1380
18:04
maybe get yourself
a glass of water if you need to,
a glass of water if you need to,
324
1072257
2938
18:07
and embrace it.
325
1075219
1156
18:08
Embrace that responsibility,
326
1076399
1651
18:10
because it is the path
to a healthier body,
to a healthier body,
327
1078074
4428
18:14
a more just and informed legal system,
328
1082526
3917
18:18
and a more flexible
and potent emotional life.
and potent emotional life.
329
1086467
2841
18:21
Thank you.
330
1089935
1151
18:23
(Applause)
331
1091110
4461
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lisa Feldman Barrett - Neuroscientist, psychologist, authorLisa Feldman Barrett, PhD is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with positions in psychiatry and radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Why you should listen
Twenty-five years ago, Lisa Feldman Barrett ran a series of psychology experiments whose conclusions seemed to defy common sense. It turned out common sense was wrong, and has been for 2,000 years. The result is a radical, new theory of how the brain creates emotions and a novel view of human nature.
Dr. Barrett is now a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Director of the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory (IASLab) at Northeastern University, with research appointments in the departments of psychiatry and radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She has published more than 200 peer-reviewed research papers in top scientific journals on emotion, psychology, and neuroscience. She educates the public about science with her articles for the New York Times and other media outlets. Her research teams span the globe, studying people in the West, the East and remote parts of Africa.
Lisa Feldman Barrett | Speaker | TED.com