Examines emotions and psychological disorders from a biological perspective, analyzing what emotions are, how they operate in the brain, and how they influence everyday lives. 20,000 first printing.
Joseph LeDoux, a professor at the Center for Neural Science at New York University, has written the most comprehensive examination to date of how systems in the brain work in response to emotions, particularly fear. Among his fascinating findings is the work of amygdala structure within the brain. The amygdala mediates fear and other responses and actually processes information more quickly than other parts of the brain, allowing a rapid response that can save our lives before other parts of the brain have had a chance to react. He also offers findings and theories on how the brain handles--and in many cases, buries--extremely traumatic experiences. In all, a compelling read about the mysteries of emotions and the workings of the brain.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

The Emotional Brain...:

This appears to be an excellent study about human emotions but I am having a very difficult time plowing through this book. This is some of the most high-brow reading I have done for some time. This is not entertaining and should not be purchased for that purpose. I hope to be able to finish this book but at the rate I am going, I'm not sure how soon that might occur. This is a well-written, well-researched book but perhaps it takes a special brain to assimilate all of this information. I can see how this... more info

an important read for those wondering re addictions:

To understand the "NOW" questions re addictions, therapist should be informed re "emotional life" and neurotransmitters--in the Limbic Brain System. Most health care is moving to the cellular level.
DNA information is increasing -- but not at the time this book was written.

Fascinating:

As a mental health practitioner, I am constantly reminded that much of what people present as emotional difficulties are more accurately described as neurological difficulties. LeDoux's writing is articulate, timely, and extremely useful clinically. When I first heard about this work when I was in grad school, it literally changed the way I thought about such common mental illnesses as depression and (most of all) anxiety. I would be MUCH less successful in my treatment of these disorders now if I did not... more info

A needed book of emotions and their role in the brain:

Having read LeDoux's other work, I was pleased with this work, much as I enjoyed his previous work. In this book LeDoux explores the role of emotions in neuroscience. He does a fairly thorough job of explaining the history of the study of emotions through both psychology and neuroscience. I found his arguments about the limbic system persuasive, and his analysis of fear and also the memory intriguing.
If there's one complaint I have, it's that I wish he'd focused on other emotions besides fear. He... more info

Similar Products: