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Alegria, Culpa, Raiva, Amor
“Giovanni Frazzetto nos leva por uma viagem pelos sentimentos de raiva, culpa, ansiedade, tristeza, alegria, amor – e sublinha o quão longe a ciência agora pode ir em suas explicações, antes que tenhamos que recorrer a outros tipos de exploradores da vida interior: os poetas e os filósofos.” – The Guardian Inspirado em perguntas ouvidas ao longo da sua carreira como neurocientista, o autor dividiu o livro em seis emoções: raiva, culpa, medo e ansiedade, tristeza, empatia e amor. Cada uma delas é contextualizada com recentes descobertas científicas e experiências pessoais. Sobre o autor: Giovanni Frazzetto nasceu e cresceu na costa leste da Sicília, na Itália. Em 1995, após o ensino médio, mudou para o Reino Unido para estudar Ciências no University College de Londres e, em 2002, tornou-se Ph.D. pelo Laboratório Europeu de Biologia Molecular em Heidelberg, na Alemanha. Desde que era apenas um aluno, Frazzetto tem pesquisado e escrito sobre a relação entre a ciência, a sociedade e a cultura em publicações como a revista Nature. Foi também um dos fundadores da Sociedade Europeia de Neurociência, além de criador da Escola Transdisciplinar de Neurociência. Por seus esforços acadêmicos, ele foi laureado em 2008 com o Prêmio John Kendrew de Jovem Cientista. Ele também é autor de contos e peças de teatro inspirados em ciência e nas mais diversas manifestações artísticas. Giovanni Frazzetto vive entre Londres e Berlim, onde trabalha no Instituto de Estudos Avançados.
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First published February 3, 2014
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About the author
Giovanni Frazzetto
9 books21 followersGiovanni Frazzetto grew up on the South-East coast of Sicily. After high school, he moved to the UK to study science at University College London and in 2002 he received a PhD from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg. In his work, Giovanni connects literature and science. He has contributed to the international magazines Nature and Science and has written for Haaretz, the Irish Times, the Financial Times, Village Magazine, the Huffingtom Post and Psychology Today.
In 2008, for his cross-disciplinary and science communication efforts he was awarded the John Kendrew Young Scientist Award. Giovanni loves the sea, cooking, multimedia storytelling, whistling and learning foreign languages. He is fluent in Italian, German and French, and has conversational Portuguese, Greek and Russian and basic Hebrew. He has started to learn Irish. He is not good at giving street directions.
He now lives in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland.
In 2008, for his cross-disciplinary and science communication efforts he was awarded the John Kendrew Young Scientist Award. Giovanni loves the sea, cooking, multimedia storytelling, whistling and learning foreign languages. He is fluent in Italian, German and French, and has conversational Portuguese, Greek and Russian and basic Hebrew. He has started to learn Irish. He is not good at giving street directions.
He now lives in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 25, 2014
Joy, Guilt, Anger, Love: What Neuroscience Can and Can’t Tell Us about How We Feel by Giovanni Frazzetto
“Joy, Guilt, Anger, Love" is an engaging book on what neuroscience can tell us about our emotions. Neuroscientist, Dr. Giovanni Frazzetto’s narrates amusing personal stories in which he applies the latest of neuroscience with the purpose of describing scientifically how we feel. This
interesting 321-page book includes the following seven chapters: 1. Anger: Hot Eruptions, 2. Guilt: An Indelible Stain, 3. Anxiety: Fear of the Unknown, 4. Grief: Presence in the Absence, 5. Empathy: The Truth Behind the Curtains, 6. Joy: Fragments of Bliss, and 7. Love: Syndromes and Sonnets.
Positives:
1. Engaging and accessible prose.
2. Neuroscience is one of my favorite topics. This book focuses on our emotions.
3. The book is laid out logically and is very easy to follow and understand. Frazzetto is very likeable and does a good job of balancing a narrative of his personal experiences with neuroscience.
4. Good use of diagrams to help the reader understand basic neuroscience.
5. Does a very good job throughout the book of disclosing what we do know versus what we don’t know scientifically about our emotions. Acknowledges that neuroscience is in its infancy and we must be careful not to jump to conclusions. “However, no neuroscientist would ever tell you that variation in a gene such as MAOA is alone sufficient to determine violent behavior or to make someone a criminal.”
6. Surprisingly, makes great use of lesser-known contributions of Charles Darwin. “In 1872, about a dozen years after On the Origin of Species, Darwin published a beautiful volume called The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, his biggest legacy to the field of psychology.”
7. One of the great disclosures of neuroscience is the compelling link between our brains and behavior, particularly when the brain has been damaged.
8. The importance of emotions in decision making. “Damasio’s ground-breaking experiments entirely revised the predominant theories that confined decision-making to the realm of rationality and established a new theory according to which emotion is essential in decision-making and our most seemingly rational choices. Emotion and reason are not two exclusive functions of the brain. There exists a mutual dependency between the two.”
9. An interesting look at aggression. “In the case of antisocial and violent behavior, factors as diverse as childhood abuse or neglect, unstable family relationships or exposure to violence have all been found to be influential.” “It is the presence of the gene in combination with a hostile environment that increases the possibility of developing antisocial behavior.”
10. A good job of describing what neuroscience has learned about guilt and how guilt is connected to concepts of moral purity. “For me at least, there’s no way gazing at an fMRI image can help draw definite conclusions about the sense of guilt, nor map its exact locus, let alone find out how to assuage it.”
11. Good advice on how to handle anxiety. “We can learn to avoid being gripped by anxiety, not by worrying or withdrawing from life – for this would simply reinforce our anxiety symptoms – but by actively turning away from negative thoughts, engaging in pleasurable activities and adopting constructive behavior.”
12. The future of psychiatric neuroscience. “Research in psychiatric neuroscience is heading towards the identification of biomarkers. These are measurable biological values that work as proof of some distinct change in the body. For instance, high levels of gonadotropin in a woman’s urine are the biomarker of her pregnancy.”
13. Amusingly, uses theatre as a vehicle to teach readers about empathy. “The power of the mirror neurons has resonated widely within the theatre world especially, because it provides a fresh theory to probe the mysterious and tacit understanding between actors and audience.”
14. Presents peculiar aspects of pleasure and joy. “In fact, of the many emotional sounds she used to probe the auditory capacity of the mirroring system, laughter was the most powerful. Basically, just hearing someone laugh can prompt a smile on your face.”
15. The health benefits of being positive. “In general, a positive disposition does improve physical health. Feeling calm, cheerful and strong as opposed to sad, tense or angry can even increase your resistance to developing a cold!”
16. A look at the science of happiness. “Seven main factors that contribute to happiness: health, employment, income, freedom, personal values, family, and social relationships and friends.” “Of all the factors influencing our emotional well-being, by far the most significant is the establishment of social and emotional bonds.”
17. Provocative questions. “So, the question is: can love be studied in the laboratory and trapped in a test tube? Indeed, from a neuroscience perspective, love is still only sparsely understood. Neuroscientists have the curiosity and ambition to dissect the wonder of love into its neural components. An increasing number of studies involving genetics, neurochemistry and brain imaging have sought to explain all phases and kinds of love, from the passionate establishment of romantic bonds to sexual pleasure, maternal love, relationship attachment and the desolate experience of rejection.”
18. Many examples of how the brain functions. “In the case of fear, the brain is plastic: its neuronal wiring and the genetic expression underlying it can be actively changed. Epigenetic modification continues even after childhood. Whatever happened in childhood, there is still room for change, development and discovery.”
19. A good epilogue that wraps everything nicely. “The fact that emotion guides reasoning overturns centuries of mistaken assumptions about our rationality and the way we face choices. That our emotional experience writes itself somehow in our bodies, in our neurons, to guide our instinct and intuition, and that we may have discovered where in the brain this inscription occurs is an irresistible notion. Equally, the discovery of the plasticity of the brain is of great relevance if we think of its meaning and importance in, for instance, overriding unwanted patterns of fear, or even honing our approach to love. There is endless wonder in the images of neuroscience. Yet they do not cover the entire breadth of an emotion.”
20. Notes and references and a formal bibliography provided.
Negatives:
1. The book lacks depth, it’s intended for the masses and Dr. Frazzetto clearly made the decision to go for clarity and accessibility over neuroscientific jargon.
2. Many topics of interest within neuroscience were not covered. As an example, are there gender differences in the brain?
3. Some North American readers may be put off by the use of British English. Words like learnt are used over learned, as an example.
In summary, I had fun with this book. It’s light, entertaining and provides good information on what we know scientifically about our emotions. I also like very much that Dr. Frazzetto doesn’t oversell neuroscience and recognizes the challenges involved. Accessible for the masses, I recommend it!
Further recommendations: “We Are Our Brains” D.F. Swaab, “Human” by Michael S. Gazzaniga, “Decisive” and “Switch” by Chip and Dan Heath “The Chemistry Between Us” by Larry Young and Brian Alexander, “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely, “Subliminal” by Leonard Mlodinow, “The Science of Love” by Robin Dunbar, ” by Martin E. P. Seligman, “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell, “The Believing Brain” by Michael Shermer, and “The Tell-Tale Brain” by V.s. Ramachandran. All books reviewed by your truly.
“Joy, Guilt, Anger, Love" is an engaging book on what neuroscience can tell us about our emotions. Neuroscientist, Dr. Giovanni Frazzetto’s narrates amusing personal stories in which he applies the latest of neuroscience with the purpose of describing scientifically how we feel. This
interesting 321-page book includes the following seven chapters: 1. Anger: Hot Eruptions, 2. Guilt: An Indelible Stain, 3. Anxiety: Fear of the Unknown, 4. Grief: Presence in the Absence, 5. Empathy: The Truth Behind the Curtains, 6. Joy: Fragments of Bliss, and 7. Love: Syndromes and Sonnets.
Positives:
1. Engaging and accessible prose.
2. Neuroscience is one of my favorite topics. This book focuses on our emotions.
3. The book is laid out logically and is very easy to follow and understand. Frazzetto is very likeable and does a good job of balancing a narrative of his personal experiences with neuroscience.
4. Good use of diagrams to help the reader understand basic neuroscience.
5. Does a very good job throughout the book of disclosing what we do know versus what we don’t know scientifically about our emotions. Acknowledges that neuroscience is in its infancy and we must be careful not to jump to conclusions. “However, no neuroscientist would ever tell you that variation in a gene such as MAOA is alone sufficient to determine violent behavior or to make someone a criminal.”
6. Surprisingly, makes great use of lesser-known contributions of Charles Darwin. “In 1872, about a dozen years after On the Origin of Species, Darwin published a beautiful volume called The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, his biggest legacy to the field of psychology.”
7. One of the great disclosures of neuroscience is the compelling link between our brains and behavior, particularly when the brain has been damaged.
8. The importance of emotions in decision making. “Damasio’s ground-breaking experiments entirely revised the predominant theories that confined decision-making to the realm of rationality and established a new theory according to which emotion is essential in decision-making and our most seemingly rational choices. Emotion and reason are not two exclusive functions of the brain. There exists a mutual dependency between the two.”
9. An interesting look at aggression. “In the case of antisocial and violent behavior, factors as diverse as childhood abuse or neglect, unstable family relationships or exposure to violence have all been found to be influential.” “It is the presence of the gene in combination with a hostile environment that increases the possibility of developing antisocial behavior.”
10. A good job of describing what neuroscience has learned about guilt and how guilt is connected to concepts of moral purity. “For me at least, there’s no way gazing at an fMRI image can help draw definite conclusions about the sense of guilt, nor map its exact locus, let alone find out how to assuage it.”
11. Good advice on how to handle anxiety. “We can learn to avoid being gripped by anxiety, not by worrying or withdrawing from life – for this would simply reinforce our anxiety symptoms – but by actively turning away from negative thoughts, engaging in pleasurable activities and adopting constructive behavior.”
12. The future of psychiatric neuroscience. “Research in psychiatric neuroscience is heading towards the identification of biomarkers. These are measurable biological values that work as proof of some distinct change in the body. For instance, high levels of gonadotropin in a woman’s urine are the biomarker of her pregnancy.”
13. Amusingly, uses theatre as a vehicle to teach readers about empathy. “The power of the mirror neurons has resonated widely within the theatre world especially, because it provides a fresh theory to probe the mysterious and tacit understanding between actors and audience.”
14. Presents peculiar aspects of pleasure and joy. “In fact, of the many emotional sounds she used to probe the auditory capacity of the mirroring system, laughter was the most powerful. Basically, just hearing someone laugh can prompt a smile on your face.”
15. The health benefits of being positive. “In general, a positive disposition does improve physical health. Feeling calm, cheerful and strong as opposed to sad, tense or angry can even increase your resistance to developing a cold!”
16. A look at the science of happiness. “Seven main factors that contribute to happiness: health, employment, income, freedom, personal values, family, and social relationships and friends.” “Of all the factors influencing our emotional well-being, by far the most significant is the establishment of social and emotional bonds.”
17. Provocative questions. “So, the question is: can love be studied in the laboratory and trapped in a test tube? Indeed, from a neuroscience perspective, love is still only sparsely understood. Neuroscientists have the curiosity and ambition to dissect the wonder of love into its neural components. An increasing number of studies involving genetics, neurochemistry and brain imaging have sought to explain all phases and kinds of love, from the passionate establishment of romantic bonds to sexual pleasure, maternal love, relationship attachment and the desolate experience of rejection.”
18. Many examples of how the brain functions. “In the case of fear, the brain is plastic: its neuronal wiring and the genetic expression underlying it can be actively changed. Epigenetic modification continues even after childhood. Whatever happened in childhood, there is still room for change, development and discovery.”
19. A good epilogue that wraps everything nicely. “The fact that emotion guides reasoning overturns centuries of mistaken assumptions about our rationality and the way we face choices. That our emotional experience writes itself somehow in our bodies, in our neurons, to guide our instinct and intuition, and that we may have discovered where in the brain this inscription occurs is an irresistible notion. Equally, the discovery of the plasticity of the brain is of great relevance if we think of its meaning and importance in, for instance, overriding unwanted patterns of fear, or even honing our approach to love. There is endless wonder in the images of neuroscience. Yet they do not cover the entire breadth of an emotion.”
20. Notes and references and a formal bibliography provided.
Negatives:
1. The book lacks depth, it’s intended for the masses and Dr. Frazzetto clearly made the decision to go for clarity and accessibility over neuroscientific jargon.
2. Many topics of interest within neuroscience were not covered. As an example, are there gender differences in the brain?
3. Some North American readers may be put off by the use of British English. Words like learnt are used over learned, as an example.
In summary, I had fun with this book. It’s light, entertaining and provides good information on what we know scientifically about our emotions. I also like very much that Dr. Frazzetto doesn’t oversell neuroscience and recognizes the challenges involved. Accessible for the masses, I recommend it!
Further recommendations: “We Are Our Brains” D.F. Swaab, “Human” by Michael S. Gazzaniga, “Decisive” and “Switch” by Chip and Dan Heath “The Chemistry Between Us” by Larry Young and Brian Alexander, “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely, “Subliminal” by Leonard Mlodinow, “The Science of Love” by Robin Dunbar, ” by Martin E. P. Seligman, “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell, “The Believing Brain” by Michael Shermer, and “The Tell-Tale Brain” by V.s. Ramachandran. All books reviewed by your truly.
November 6, 2018
I enjoyed the bits about neuroscience and research - made me want to learn more. I was less interested in the digressions into the author's life, especially when he was talking about (his own) poetry.
August 19, 2017
The relationship between the scientific working of the brain and the impact on emotions has been brought out nicely. The recent developments in neuroscience have helped us understand us better and also find ways of being in a particular state of emotion. Am sure this is a pioneering effort and needs to be read.
February 13, 2019
A real renaissance mix of art, philosophy, and science.
The author casually drops mention of his relationship with another man in the last chapter (on love). Which is as it should be, sexuality doesn't make a difference to science.
I also have thoughts about the moral dilemma he presents in the chapter on guilt.
So, two scenarios: in one, you’re at a wedding and there’s a drowning child and to rescue her you’ll have to ruin your expensive suit or dress or shoes or whatever. In the second, there’s a starving child in Africa and your financial contribution can save her life.
The Anger Guilt Joy Love book is arguing that it’s the emotional valence that makes the one situation obvious and the other nebulous.
I say that there’s more than emotions at play, but also community connections. Like “yeah, you ruin your suit, and then everyone at the wedding hails you as a hero. The ruined suit gains you social credit as a sacrifice you’ve made.”
And in the second situation, who is this writer of a letter to you? You don’t know them, you don’t have any reason to trust them. There’s no payoff for sending them money, no visible reward in return.
Humans are social animals, and context (and connections!) are important to take into account when figuring out what makes us tick.
The author casually drops mention of his relationship with another man in the last chapter (on love). Which is as it should be, sexuality doesn't make a difference to science.
I also have thoughts about the moral dilemma he presents in the chapter on guilt.
So, two scenarios: in one, you’re at a wedding and there’s a drowning child and to rescue her you’ll have to ruin your expensive suit or dress or shoes or whatever. In the second, there’s a starving child in Africa and your financial contribution can save her life.
The Anger Guilt Joy Love book is arguing that it’s the emotional valence that makes the one situation obvious and the other nebulous.
I say that there’s more than emotions at play, but also community connections. Like “yeah, you ruin your suit, and then everyone at the wedding hails you as a hero. The ruined suit gains you social credit as a sacrifice you’ve made.”
And in the second situation, who is this writer of a letter to you? You don’t know them, you don’t have any reason to trust them. There’s no payoff for sending them money, no visible reward in return.
Humans are social animals, and context (and connections!) are important to take into account when figuring out what makes us tick.
October 4, 2019
“Joy, Guilt, Anger, Love: What Neuroscience Can and Can’t Tell Us About How We Feel” is an alluring book that consists of a mix with intricate research on how neuroscience is behind emotions along with readable, personal stories. This book gives insight on how our emotions might work which is something that is not often talked about. Because of how the author provides his personal experiences, it is an easy read and a great way to dive into the world of psychology and neuroscience. This book is laid out logically and easy to follow. The facts are researched thoroughly with case studies, evidence, and examples in a non-intimidating way. Frazzetto does a fascinating job of balancing his personal experiences and emotions with neuroscience. Throughout the book, he explains what we do know and what we don’t know scientifically about our emotions. The recent developments in neuroscience help us find ways of being in a particular state of emotion and how we deal with them. This book caused me to think about the role emotions play into our lives and how they can affect us. This is a very informative and compelling read. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about psychology or how the mind can work and develop. Overall, I was captivated by this riveting book.
January 27, 2020
This is exactly the kind of book I needed to read at this point in my life. Frazzetto has seven chapters for seven emotions: anger, guilt, anxiety, grief, empathy, joy, and love. Each topic includes a mix of literary quotes, personal connections to his life, neuroscience, and most importantly, wisdom. Because he isolates each emotion as a topic, the focus on his message remains consistently clear.
For example, his chapter on Empathy I found amazing. He uses the stage and actors to demonstrate his point--actors mine routinely the feelings embedded in the text to portray which requires them to see how another person feels--thus, look to actors to be the most empathetic people around--they model empathy. Since I have been known to act in community theater shows, I immediately connected to this chapter.
Additionally, I gained from reading about Anxiety (Fear) and how it cripples us. Guilt showed me that I have the tendency to adopt shame from my actions when all I really needed to do was make amends and correct my pattern. Joy is one of my favorite chapters...inspirational. I want to live in the realm of joy. Reading Frazzetto helped me to see how.
For example, his chapter on Empathy I found amazing. He uses the stage and actors to demonstrate his point--actors mine routinely the feelings embedded in the text to portray which requires them to see how another person feels--thus, look to actors to be the most empathetic people around--they model empathy. Since I have been known to act in community theater shows, I immediately connected to this chapter.
Additionally, I gained from reading about Anxiety (Fear) and how it cripples us. Guilt showed me that I have the tendency to adopt shame from my actions when all I really needed to do was make amends and correct my pattern. Joy is one of my favorite chapters...inspirational. I want to live in the realm of joy. Reading Frazzetto helped me to see how.
June 26, 2019
Not quite what I was hoping for, but I was largely going off of conjecture. Imagine a neuroscience 101 class on emotions and that is basically what we have here. It was good, but it wasn't anything particularly great or useful. Just a quick rundown from a historical, anecdotal, practical, and scientific view. It could use about 1/3 less explanation, particularly with physical signs for each emotion (smiling, furrowed brows, etc.) and the history of the science behind studying each emotion (Darwin, Freud, etc.). That probably makes it sound more boring than it was. It still had some interesting knowledge and it had some great definitions for what differing emotions are (anxiety, grief, pleasure/joy, etc.). I would probably not really recommend it unless someone expressly said they like neuroscience and just want basic rundowns of emotions from that perspective.
December 6, 2021
This book had the best explanation on anxiety that encapsulated all of my midlife search. It did it so masterfully “Ultimately, anxiety is also the manifestation of a tacit awareness that something is missing or wrong in our lives, or that our values and aspirations are out of focus or under threat”. I now understand the knot in my throat on the weekends.
I loved all parts. Maybe except the part about empathy and so much focus on theatre.
I didn’t expect to love this book so much, but was enthralled. It masterfully intertwines science with philosophy, with art and poetry, and ultimately helps the reader understand the why behind those nagging or overwhelming feelings that sometime overtake us.
Lastly it is not US centric which I appreciated. Frazetto honors his heritage and brings a truly global thinking to his piece. Nice job!
I loved all parts. Maybe except the part about empathy and so much focus on theatre.
I didn’t expect to love this book so much, but was enthralled. It masterfully intertwines science with philosophy, with art and poetry, and ultimately helps the reader understand the why behind those nagging or overwhelming feelings that sometime overtake us.
Lastly it is not US centric which I appreciated. Frazetto honors his heritage and brings a truly global thinking to his piece. Nice job!
April 21, 2020
I enjoyed this book..was a bit hard for me due to the scientific neuroscience information, and i come from a completely different background, yet, the author tried to simply it..i loved how he connected emotions to philosophy and art..this mix between neuroscience, emotions, science, philosophy, and art was really amazing and captivating..thank you
December 29, 2021
Didn't finish, very interesting stuff, but not an easy read.
July 3, 2022
Well-written and credible
November 14, 2022
Great writing and some good insights but maybe they were a bit few and far between at times.
Read
November 29, 2022Not finished
October 26, 2023
Very boring stories to describe each feeling and a lot of scientific background was missing..
April 6, 2014
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This book offers a fascinating glimpse into the neuroscience behind emotions; something not normally thought about when dealing with emotions on an everyday basis.
Before reading this book I hadn't really thought much about emotion. Emotion was just something that one experiences many times throughout the day, whether it's anger, joy, or some other emotion. This book really caused me to think about the role that emotions play in our lives and the neurological reasoning behind those emotions. It really was an informative read.
The author, a neuroscientist himself, does a really good job of introducing the reader to a generally foreign topic in a non-intimidating way. There are many mentions to different parts of the brain throughout this book and the author does a fantastic job of explaining what we know those parts of the brain are used for in a way that is easy for even the most basic reader to understand.
The one thing that I didn't really like about this book, or the authors writing style, was the fact that he talked about himself a lot. The author begins each chapter with a personal experience or story about himself. At the beginning of the book I wasn't as distracted by the authors constant preoccupation with his personal experiences but the end of the book the constant personal stories began to wear on me. I wish the author had kept the information impersonal and not try to relate all of the information to his experiences in the hopes that the reader was able to read too.
In the end I would have to say that this book is definitely an interesting read, if you can get past the authors constant personal stories. I found that by about 60% of the way through the book I was too frustrated with the personal stories to even want to finish, even though I found the information interesting.
I received this book for review purposes via NetGalley.
This book offers a fascinating glimpse into the neuroscience behind emotions; something not normally thought about when dealing with emotions on an everyday basis.
Before reading this book I hadn't really thought much about emotion. Emotion was just something that one experiences many times throughout the day, whether it's anger, joy, or some other emotion. This book really caused me to think about the role that emotions play in our lives and the neurological reasoning behind those emotions. It really was an informative read.
The author, a neuroscientist himself, does a really good job of introducing the reader to a generally foreign topic in a non-intimidating way. There are many mentions to different parts of the brain throughout this book and the author does a fantastic job of explaining what we know those parts of the brain are used for in a way that is easy for even the most basic reader to understand.
The one thing that I didn't really like about this book, or the authors writing style, was the fact that he talked about himself a lot. The author begins each chapter with a personal experience or story about himself. At the beginning of the book I wasn't as distracted by the authors constant preoccupation with his personal experiences but the end of the book the constant personal stories began to wear on me. I wish the author had kept the information impersonal and not try to relate all of the information to his experiences in the hopes that the reader was able to read too.
In the end I would have to say that this book is definitely an interesting read, if you can get past the authors constant personal stories. I found that by about 60% of the way through the book I was too frustrated with the personal stories to even want to finish, even though I found the information interesting.
I received this book for review purposes via NetGalley.
August 1, 2015
fMRI and...poetry, can they explain Joy, Guilt, Anger and Love?
Poets would have thought that they had them all figured out. Now neuroscientists are trying to do the same and going farther: by pinpointing the exact location of different feelings. Countless subjects had had their head probed and scanned over the past hundred years, are we close?
For something that is so complex, science has not proven conclusive in mapping out the region responsible for each emotion. But we are getting close, we knew roughly where they are.
The book presented an interesting take on the subject. The mention of an experiment that won the IgNobel Prize would have demonstrated the elusiveness of emotion. The used of poetry and other art forms in parallel to the countless fMRI experiments was probably the intention of the author to show us how difficult and full of fraud the processes had been. One should really look at these findings with a pinch of salt. This is not to downplay the importance of the search, but we should be careful of someone sounding too "authoritative".
In the end, neuroscience can and cannot tell us about how we feel. Some might find this conclusion frustrating. But this might be the truth for now and we just have to live with this uncertainty until we have a breakthrough in technology.
Poets would have thought that they had them all figured out. Now neuroscientists are trying to do the same and going farther: by pinpointing the exact location of different feelings. Countless subjects had had their head probed and scanned over the past hundred years, are we close?
For something that is so complex, science has not proven conclusive in mapping out the region responsible for each emotion. But we are getting close, we knew roughly where they are.
The book presented an interesting take on the subject. The mention of an experiment that won the IgNobel Prize would have demonstrated the elusiveness of emotion. The used of poetry and other art forms in parallel to the countless fMRI experiments was probably the intention of the author to show us how difficult and full of fraud the processes had been. One should really look at these findings with a pinch of salt. This is not to downplay the importance of the search, but we should be careful of someone sounding too "authoritative".
In the end, neuroscience can and cannot tell us about how we feel. Some might find this conclusion frustrating. But this might be the truth for now and we just have to live with this uncertainty until we have a breakthrough in technology.
March 28, 2016
The book was like the adult companion to the movie Inside Out. It delved into each emotion and the neuroscience of the emotion, the brain functionality and the historical research. If you are a neuroscientist or just out of Psychology school then it is light on science. However if you like me are a little out of school, then it was a great refresher on important research. I enjoyed the personal stories of the emotions and the connection to the research and physiology.
May 23, 2014
A little wordy, but quite interesting.
Some interesting science-y facts, and also some intuitive reflections on emotions.
I also appreciated that the author illuminates what science can and cannot (perhaps yet) illuminate for us on this subject.
Some interesting science-y facts, and also some intuitive reflections on emotions.
I also appreciated that the author illuminates what science can and cannot (perhaps yet) illuminate for us on this subject.
June 20, 2014
Beautifully written. The author articulates feelings we experience all the time but have a hard time putting into words. I enjoyed reading this book and learning what lies at the basis of our emotions.
April 28, 2015
Giovanni Frazzetto's journey into neuroscience led him full circle to find, experience and understand joy, guilt, anger and love. He was a delightful guest on a recent episode of our tv show, Books du Jour. Watch him here: https://youtu.be/ZPgB86EF4ww
May 24, 2015
This book is written in a very informative way, flooding readers with a lot of neuroscience findings and historical/cultural facts, which makes it overall a pleasurable reading experience. Personally, I enjoy the chapters on anxiety and love.
April 27, 2014
hilarious ... this is my favorite quote " Each time we face a situation, we register its positive or negative emotional charge. It's as if we stored emotional knowledge in our brain".
July 6, 2014
This was a fine book. Not one of the exceptional ones. There are others that offer a more thorough (and engaging) discussions of what neuroscience offers for the every day.
February 13, 2016
Neuroscience and the primary emotions.
April 11, 2016
This was an interesting book but very accessible. The history of neuroscience is so interesting. I would write a longer review, but I listened to it. I'm not as good reviewing audiobooks.
November 16, 2017
This book takes a look at recent neuroscience studies relating to emotions.
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August 3, 2017I thought that this book was easy to get into, I was afraid that the neuroscience part of it might be too boring or too hard for me to understand but the author made it very approachable and the way he writes made it enjoyable to read. I definitely understand emotions from a different view point now.
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