The Emotional Brain - by Joseph LeDoux (Paperback)

About the Book

This compelling firsthand look at the research Daniel Goleman relied on for his bestselling book "Emotional Intelligence" describes in vivid, accessible detail where our emotions come from, what purpose they serve, and how the brain systems underlying them evolved. 44 photos & illustrations.

Book Synopsis

What happens in our brains to make us feel fear, love, hate, anger, joy? Do we control our emotions, or do they control us? Do animals have emotions? How can traumatic experiences in early childhood influence adult behavior, even though we have no conscious memory of them? In The Emotional Brain, Joseph LeDoux investigates the origins of human emotions and explains that many exist as part of complex neural systems that evolved to enable us to survive.

One of the principal researchers profiled in Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence, LeDoux is a leading authority in the field of neural science. In this provocative book, he explores the brain mechanisms underlying our emotions -- mechanisms that are only now being revealed.

Review Quotes

"[The Emotional Brain] is vivid and convincing in its description of the central mechanisms of emotion, and is directly applicable to understanding anxiety, the most common ingredient of emotional disorders. It's a terrifically good book."
-- Keith Oatley, New Scientist

"The Emotional Brain is an excellent introduction to the strange history of the neurobiology of emotion and a preview of what lies ahead."
-- Antonio R. Damasio, Scientific American

"Engrossing and engaging..."
-- Richard Restak, The New York Times Book Review

"Highly accessible...LeDoux's musical and literary references reveal a man clearly in touch with his own emotional feelings. All said, The Emotional Brain is a stimulating and thoughtful work and is essential reading for any serious student of human emotion."
-- Raymond J. Dolan, Nature

"Joseph LeDoux is a superb guide to that ultimate frontier in understanding our emotional life, the brain."
-- Daniel Goldman, author of Emotional Intelligence