The World's Best Book Summaries
How are culture and depression connected? Which cultural influences predispose you to depression? According to Martin Seligman’s studies in psychology, modern culture has primed you to be at risk of developing depression. Seligman advocates for overcoming cultural pessimism and embracing optimism while keeping a balanced (realist) perspective. Read on to learn why culture and depression are so closely connected, according to Seligman.
Are you responsible for your own feelings? What is the scientific explanation of biology and emotions? Neuroscientist and psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett created the new “theory of constructed emotions” after an in-depth examination of past psychological experiments. Barrett’s findings reveal that you are responsible for your own feelings because emotions are not innate—they’re constructed by you. Read on to learn why you are responsible for your own feelings, according to Barrett’s theory of emotions.
What does psychological research say about innate emotions? Why are innate emotions now considered to be an outdated concept? Where do your emotions actually come from? In her book, How Emotions Are Made, Lisa Feldman Barrett analyzes and critiques outdated concepts of human emotions, developing a new theory based on neuroscience and her background in psychology. Barrett’s research shows that innate emotions are an outdated illusion of past experiments. Read on to learn why innate emotions don’t exist and where emotions actually come from, according to Barrett.
How can poetry explain having a bad body image? What did Rupi Kaur’s negative self-image teach her? As she explores the struggle of having a bad body image, Rupi Kaur’s poetry in her book, The Sun and Her Flowers, expresses feelings of depression, envy, and longing. Kaur’s poetry gives intimate details of how women, especially women of color, come to terms with negative body image. Keep reading to learn about Rupi Kaur’s experience of having a bad body image, expressed through poetry.
Want to learn how to be more optimistic? How can you become an optimist if you’re naturally pessimistic? In Martin Seligman’s book, Learned Optimism, Seligman explains how you don’t have to live your life being pessimistic just because you weren’t conditioned to be an optimist. Seligman believes anyone can learn optimism by cultivating a balanced mindset. Read on to learn Seligman’s advice for how to be more optimistic, including a short exercise at the end.
What does emotional development mean in early childhood? Why is emotional development so important for children, according to psychology? Lisa Feldman Barrett’s book, How Emotions Are Made, explains a new theory of emotions, according to Barrett’s background in neuroscience and psychology. Barrett’s new theory of constructed emotions impacts the meaning and importance of emotional development for young children. Read on to find out the meaning of emotional development in early childhood, according to Barrett’s new theory.
What is your “predictive brain,” according to psychology? How do humans use prediction to maintain well-being? Your predictive brain is in charge of monitoring all of your body’s needs, according to neuroscientist and psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett. In her studies of the brain and emotions, Barrett found that the predictive brain plays a large role in regulating your mood, too. Read on to learn more about the function of your predictive brain, according to Barrett’s research.
What are some of the best poems about love from Rupi Kaur? What does Kaur say about falling in and out of love? In The Sun and Her Flowers, Rupi Kaur’s poems about love explore both the celebration of new love and the heartache of loss and abuse. Her poetry demonstrates a journey toward self-love, realizing she is deserving of safe, healthy relationships. Keep reading for an overview of Rupi Kaur’s poems about love in The Sun and Her Flowers.
How does a person create a false sense of entitlement? Why is it harmful to themselves and others? According to psychologist Martin Seligman, unearned self-esteem leads to a false sense of entitlement by making people believe it’s not necessary to work hard for success. Seligman says this is in part due to societal pressure to always maintain high self-esteem. Read on to learn the causes and dangers of a false sense of entitlement, according to Seligman.
How can you better understand other people’s feelings? What are the benefits of empathizing with others? If you want to understand other people’s feelings, you need to first understand your own emotions, according to Lisa Feldman Barrett. Barrett is a neuroscientist and psychologist who has devoted herself to deconstructing old theories of emotions to create a new, more accurate theory. Read on to learn the myths and truths Barrett has identified about understanding other people’s feelings.