Lost Connections, It's Not Always Depression, How Emotions Are Made The Secret Life of the Brain

It's Not Always Depression explores the idea that emotions shape thoughts more than we are often taught. It suggests that, to understand our thoughts and our wider sense of self, we need to experience and pay attention to emotions. In this context, the book points to the importance of considering emotions alongside approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy or medication when addressing psychological suffering.

In How Emotions Are Made, psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett revisits a long-standing view of emotion, tracing it back to Plato, and questions whether it is correct. Drawing on scientific evidence, she argues that common assumptions about emotions are out of date and may be harmful. The book presents emotions not as universally pre-programmed responses, but as psychological experiences constructed by each person, shaped by personal history, physiology and environment.

Included titles

• Lost Connections
• It's Not Always Depression
• How Emotions Are Made
• The Secret Life of the Brain

Synopses

It's Not Always Depression

This book challenges the idea that thoughts primarily drive emotions, proposing instead that emotions play a leading role in shaping thoughts. It argues that experiencing emotions is essential to understanding thoughts and the self, and highlights the value of addressing emotions when responding to psychological suffering.

How Emotions Are Made

Lisa Feldman Barrett examines a traditional understanding of emotion and asks whether it is mistaken. Using scientific evidence, she argues that widely held beliefs about emotions are outdated and potentially dangerous. The book describes emotions as experiences that individuals construct, influenced by personal history, physiology and environment.

Lost Connection

This book notes that depression and anxiety are at epidemic levels and asks why. It refers to scientific evidence pointing to nine different causes, some rooted in biology and most linked to the way people live today.