The feeling brain
Subtitle: the biology and psychology of emotions
By: Elizabeth Johnston and Leah Olson
Contributors: Olson, Leah (Biologist)
Edition: First edition.
Series: A Norton professional book
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 388
ISBN-13: 9780393706659
Subjects: Affective neuroscience; Neuropsychology; Emotions; Physiological aspects
Description: "After years of neglect by both mainstream biology and psychology, the study of emotions has emerged as a central topic of scientific inquiry in the vibrant new discipline of affective neuroscience. Elizabeth Johnston and Leah Olson trace how work in this rapidly expanding field speaks to fundamental questions about the nature of emotion. What is the function of emotions? What is the role of the body in emotions? What are "feelings," and how do they relate to emotions? Why are emotions so difficult to control? Is there an emotional brain? The authors tackle these questions and more in this "tasting menu" of cutting-edge emotion research. They build their story around the path-breaking 19th century works of biologist Charles Darwin and psychologist and philosopher William James. James's 1884 article "What Is an Emotion?" continues to guide contemporary debate about minds, brains, and emotions, while Darwin's treatise on "The Expression of Emotions in Animals and Humans" squarely located the study of emotions as a critical concern in biology. Throughout their study, Johnston and Olson focus on the key scientists whose work has shaped the field, zeroing in on the most brilliant threads in the emerging tapestry of affective neuroscience. Beginning with early work on the brain substrates of emotion by such workers such as James Papez and Paul MacLean, who helped define an emotional brain, they then examine the role of emotion in higher brain functions such as cognition and decision-making. They then investigate the complex interrelations of emotion and pleasure, introducing along the way the work of major researchers such as Antonio Damasio and Joseph LeDoux. In doing so, they braid diverse strands of inquiry into a lucid and concise introduction to this burgeoning field, and begin to answer some of the most compelling questions in the field today. How does the science of "normal" emotion inform our understanding of emotional disorders? To what extent can we regulate our emotions? When can we trust our emotions and when might they lead us astray? How do emotions affect our memories, and vice versa? How can we best describe the relationship between emotion and cognition? Johnston and Olson lay out the most salient questions of contemporary affective neuroscience in this study, expertly situating them in their biological, psychological, and philosophical contexts. They offer a compelling vision of an increasingly exciting and ambitious field for mental health professionals and the interested lay audience, as well as for undergraduate and graduate students."--Book jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: What is an emotion?; title: The; title: early work on defining emotion: from William James to appraisal theory  :; title: Divisions of the nervous system -- -- The; title: Limbic system version of the emotional brain  :; title: Limbic system structures -- -- The; title: functions of emotions: basic emotional systems -- -- The; title: neutral substrates of fear and anxiety : -- The; title: stress system ;; title: Divisions of the prefrontal cortex ;; title: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) -- -- The; title: role of the body in emotions and decision making --; title: Reward: liking, wanting, and learning :; title: Structures of the reward system --; title: Body and mind: the linkage of interoception and emotion --; title: Emotion and memory :; title: Subdivisions of memory --; title: Feelings-as-information: how affect influences thought and judgment --; title: Emotion-cognition interactions: attention, perception, and neuroeconomics --; title: Emotion regulation ---- Conclusion: What is an emotion -- now?