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Summary of The Emotional Life of Your Brain 

4.5 . 540 reviews

Short summary

“The Emotional Life of Your Brain” explains breakthrough research that will change the way you see yourself and everyone you know. Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley provide answers to questions about our identity, origins of our minds, and how to find peace and become kinder. Richard Davidson is a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as founder and chair of the Center for Healthy Minds. Sharon Begley is an American journalist who is the senior science writer for Stat, the publication from The Boston Globe that covers stories related to the life sciences. They present scientific proof that shows that meditation and other cognitive practices actually change the brain. We can learn to modify our most difficult emotional habits and create new and more fruitful ones namely keener attention, more attunement to others, and more connection to your own intuition.

Table of content

  • Summary of The Emotional Life of Your Brain
  • About the author
  • What is The Emotional Life of Your Brain about?
  • Who should read The Emotional Life of Your Brain
  • Topics in The Emotional Life of Your Brain
first key point

Emotions are central to the functions of the brain and to the life of the mind

Listen the first key point
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Research in neuroscience has revealed something fundamental about the emotional life of the brain — that each of us is characterized by an “emotional style”. Other classification systems that illuminate the vast diversity of ways to be human include emotional state, emotional traits, personality, and temperament.

An emotional state is the smallest, most fleeting unit of emotion. It is usually triggered by an experience such as completing a major project at work, working extra hours, getting a surprise gift on your birthday, or feeling you’re the only one not invited to a party. Emotional states can also arise from purely mental activities such as daydreaming, the anticipation of the future, or introspection. Irrespective of what triggers emotional states, they tend to dissipate as each gives way to the next.

A mood is a feeling that persists for minutes, hours, or even days. When a feeling characterizes you for years, it becomes an emotional trait. An emotional trait increases the likelihood that you will experience an emotional state because it lowers the threshold needed to feel such an emotional state.
“Emotional style is a consistent way of responding to the experiences of our lives. It is governed by specific, identifiable brain circuits and can be measured using objective laboratory methods.” ~ Richard Davidson
Emotional style influences the likelihood of feeling particular emotional states, traits, and moods.
They are much closer to underlying brain systems than emotional states or traits. They are the atoms of our emotional lives — the fundamental building blocks.

We all desire a world where we can live in harmony with ourselves and others. Agreeableness is vital to achieving this harmony. People who are extremely agreeable are empathic, considerate, friendly, generous, and helpful. To understand the brain basis of agreeableness, then, we need to probe more deeply into the underlying emotional styles that comprise it. Becoming more familiar with your emotional style is the first and most important step in transforming it. This summary highlights the research findings and practical implications of the research that can guide your own personal transformation.
second key point

Anything having to do with human behavior, feelings, and ways of thinking arises from the brain

This means that any valid classification scheme must be based on the brain. Since emotional style is closest to the brain, it is important to study them to be able to describe people more accurately. Personality, the most popular way of describing people, is not fundamental because it is not grounded in identifiable neurological mechanisms. Personality consists of a set of high-level qualities that comprise particular emotional traits and emotional styles. Unlike personality, emotional style is traceable to specific, characteristic brain signature.
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third key point

One-size-fits-all assumptions are even less valid in the realm of emotion than they are in medicine

fourth key point

We have the power to change our brains in ways that will shift where we fall on each of the 6 dimensions of emotional style

fifth key point

While you may not be able to move yourself from one extreme dimension to the other, it is possible to shift several points in either direction

sixth key point

Your ability to learn from mistakes and postpone immediate gratification in favor of a payoff in the future depends on your outlook dimension

seventh key point

Well-being therapy is a technique that has been shown to move people toward the positive end of the outlook dimension

eighth key point

Mindfulness meditation is an effective strategy for regulating your level of self-awareness

ninth key point

The attention dimension of emotional style is controlled by activity in the prefrontal cortex and the parietal cortex

tenth key point

To have a healthy emotional life, you need to be able to feel and respond to your own emotions

eleventh key point

Research on emotional and social intelligence argue for greater social intuition but too much of it can distract you from functioning at your best

twelfth key point

Conclusion

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What is The Emotional Life of Your Brain about?

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.