Preeminent psychologist Lisa Barrett lays out how the brain constructs emotions in a way that could revolutionize psychology, health care, the legal system, and our understanding of the human mind.

Lisa Feldman Barrett is at the forefront of a revolution in how we understand our innermost feelings. Her research overturns accepted beliefs about emotions’ mechanics, proving that every emotion you feel is constructed in the moment, through an elaborate interplay of brain, body, and culture—rather than being an automatic, spontaneous reaction to your thoughts and experiences. No two instances of anger or happiness look alike, nor do we experience them passively. Her discoveries are already reverberating throughout the fields of psychology, medicine, criminal justice, parenting, education, meditation, governance, and even airport security.

In How Emotions Are Made, Barrett offers a lucid, engaging report from the cutting edge of psychology and neuroscience, revealing the many real-world consequences of this new science of emotion.