The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live--and How You Can Change Them

by Richard J. Davidson, Sharon Begley (Contribution by)

Overview

What is your emotional fingerprint?

Why are some people so quick to recover from setbacks? Why are some so attuned to others that they seem psychic? Why are some people always up and others always down? In his thirty-year quest to answer these questions, pioneering neuroscientist Richard J. Davidson discovered that each of us has an Emotional Style, composed of Resilience, Outlook, Social Intuition, Self-Awareness, Sensitivity to Context, and Attention. Where we fall on these six continuums determines our own “emotional fingerprint.”

Sharing Dr. Davidson’s fascinating case histories and experiments, The Emotional Life of Your Brain offers a new model for treating conditions like autism and depression as it empowers us all to better understand ourselves—and live more meaningful lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780452298880
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/24/2012
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.78(h) x 0.64(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Richard J. Davidson is a professor and director of the W. M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior and the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Sharon Begley is the senior health and science correspondent at Reuters. She is the bestselling author of Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Scientific Quest xi

Chapter 1 One Brain Does Not Fit All 1

Chapter 2 The Discovery of Emotional Style 13

Chapter 3 Assessing Your Emotional Style 43

Chapter 4 The Brain Basis of Emotional Style 67

Chapter 5 How Emotional Style Develops 91

Chapter 6 The Mind-Brain-Body Connection, or How Emotional Style Influences Health 113

Chapter 7 Normal and Abnormal, and When "Different" Becomes Pathological 137

Chapter 8 The Plastic Brain 161

Chapter 9 Coming Out of the Closet 177

Chapter 10 The Monk in the Machine 199

Chapter 11 Rewired, or Neurally Inspired Exercises to Change Your Emotional Style 225

Acknowledgments 253

Notes 259

Index 273

What People are Saying About This

Deepak Chopra

Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley have created a pioneering look at the brain chemistry of our emotions. By looking at Davidson's scientific proof that meditation and other cognitive practices actually change the brain, the authors enable all of us to genuinely modify our most difficult emotional habits and create new and more fruitful ones. Look forward to cultivating keener attention, having more attunement to others, and being more connected to your own intuition. It's all possible—and this book shows you how. (Deepak Chopra, author of How to Know God)

Martin E. P. Seligman

"What a gift from the world's leading neuroscientist who works on what makes life worth living. This is a must-read for everyone who is interested in positive psychology." -Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., author of Learned Optimism

From the Publisher

"The Emotional Life of Your Brain is an eye-opener, replete with breakthrough research that will change the way you see yourself and everyone you know. Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley make a star team: cutting-edge findings formulated in a delightful, can't-put-it-down read. I loved this book." -Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., author of Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman

The Emotional Life of Your Brain is an eye-opener, replete with breakthrough research that will change the way you see yourself and everyone you know. Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley make a star team: cutting edge findings formulated in a delightful, can't-put-it-down read. I loved this book. (Daniel Goleman, author Emotional Intelligence)

Jack Kornfield

The best book I know on how to use the exciting discoveries of neuroscience to change your life. A fabulous read - a scientific adventure story like Sherlock Holmes meeting Watson and Crick with the Dalai Lama as their advisor. (Jack Kornfield, author of The Wise Heart)

Editorial Reviews

"Whether he is measuring neural activity in the laboratory or climbing the Himalayas to meet the Dalai Lama, Davidson is an inveterate explorer who has spent a lifetime probing the deep mystery of human feeling. Don't miss this smart and lively book by the world's foremost expert on emotion and the brain."—Daniel Gilbert, Ph.D., author of Stumbling on Happiness

"The Emotional Life of Your Brain is an eye-opener, replete with breakthrough research that will change the way you see yourself and everyone you know.  Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley make a star team: cutting-edge findings formulated in a delightful, can't-put-it-down read.  I loved this book."—Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence

"What a gift from the world's leading neuroscientist who works on what makes life worth living. This is a must-read for everyone who is interested in positive psychology."—Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., author of Learned Optimism

From the Publisher

A preeminent neurological researcher describes the latest findings on personality and emotional styles—how they are inherited, what life experiences impact them, and how we can improve them. Though the book is replete with psychological abstractions and experimental studies, it unfolds smoothly because of its conversational language, down-to-earth stories, and the authors’ optimism about our potential for growth. Arthur Morey’s serious interpretation adds fitting gravitas to this cutting-edge information. His approach invokes respect for the authors’ efforts and the importance of their findings relating to critical mental health challenges. He also demonstrates an outstanding ability to highlight important passages with carefully managed vocal energy. His sensitivity to the sweeping flow of this content brings the program’s 11 hours together with satisfying coherence. T.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2012 - AudioFile