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.

You aren't at the mercy of your emotions -- your brain creates them

Emotions are not automatic reactions coded into our brains from birth, but predictions our brains construct using past experiences. A jury in a high-profile case mistook a stone-faced stare for lack of remorse, illustrating how easily people misread feelings in others. Decades of research show that physical sensations and facial expressions alone do not reveal specific emotions. With practice, people can actually shape how they experience and interpret emotions, gaining more control than once believed.

Emotions Are Built, Not Hardwired Into The Brain

*Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain* 

*How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain*

emotions

brain

science

humanity

society

personal growth

TED Institute Talk

Lisa Feldman Barrett: You aren't at the mercy of your emotions -- your brain creates them