How Emotions Are Made

A new theory of how the brain constructs emotions is revolutionizing psychology, health care, law enforcement, and our understanding of the human mind. Emotions feel automatic—uncontrollable reactions to things we think and experience. Scientists have long supported this assumption by claiming that emotions are hardwired in the body or the brain. Today, however, the science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution driven by psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett's theory of emotion. Her research overturns the widely held belief that emotions are housed in different parts of the brain and are universally expressed and recognized. Now, she is showing us what it means to be human.