Lisa Feldman Barrett

Lisa Feldman Barrett is an American psychologist and pioneer in the field of emotion science. She has written several books on the subject, including Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain, How Emotions are Made, and The Structure of Emotional Pain.

Lisa Feldman Barrett earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology at McGill University, in 1982. She then attended Harvard University and obtained a Doctorate of Psychology in 1986. She worked as a research scientist in psychological clinics in the Boston area for several years, before joining the faculty at Stony Brook University in 1993. From 2002-2006 she served as the founding and current director of the Neuroimaging Laboratory at Northeastern University.

Most of Lisa Feldman Barrett's research focuses on the biological mechanisms associated with emotion. She and her research team are interested in how the brain metabolizes experiences, giving rise to emotion, and how the brain's structure affects the manner in which we experience life. By studying the brain in both healthy and pathological circumstances, they gain insight into what is happening beneath the surface when emotions are experienced.

In her book Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain (2019), Lisa Feldman Barrett explains that, contrary to popular belief, the brain is not a set of automatic, instinctual behaviors, but instead is constantly learning how to adapt and change. As a result, the brain is not a static organ that responds the same way to life’s stimuli, but instead is constantly learning and evolving. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the nuances of our emotions, helping us to better identify and express them in healthy ways.

In her book How Emotions are Made (2017), Lisa Feldman Barrett introduces new ideas about the nature of emotion. She argues that our emotions are not simply “hard-wired” responses that we have no control over, but instead are the product of how our brains interpret the information around us. The idea, also known as construction theory, claims that all emotional feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, even so-called “basic” emotions, are a product of context. As a result, by paying attention to our environment, we can begin to understand the roots of our emotional experiences and create our own personalized stories about them.

In her book The Structure of Emotional Pain (2019), Lisa Feldman Barrett explains how emotional pain, such as that felt from grief and trauma, can disrupt the smooth functioning of the brain. She argues that this type of trauma can have long-term, detrimental effects on our lives and relationships, and that understanding the structure of emotional pain is important for healing and moving forward.

Overall, Lisa Feldman Barrett has done invaluable work not just in the field of emotion and neuroscience, but in understanding the complexities of our interior lives. Her work is highly respected by the scientific community, and she has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the William James Book Award and the Society of Experimental Social Psychology Senior Investigator Award. She has also been included in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her work continues to provide insight into how the emotions we experience can shape our lives, ultimately giving us the power to create the life we want.