You and Betty and the Nancy's and Bill's and Joes and Jane's will find in the study of science

a richer, more rewarding life.

I'm Andravis Gantus.

Welcome to another episode of Inquiring Minds.

This is a podcast that explores the space for science and society collide.

We want to find out what's true, what's left to discover,

and why it matters.

Emotions are running high these days, whether it's a result of the pandemic or the election

or Thanksgiving coming up.

And we often hear people talk about this idea that we have two brains,

our lizard or reptilian brain that is where our instincts and impulses begin

and that can take over in moments of high emotion.

And our rational, newly evolved brain that allows us to override some of

those impulses and make better decisions. Sometimes you even hear of a third brain, the limbic

system, which is about motivated behaviors and essentially our emotional regulation. But the neuroscience

doesn't support this idea of a triune brain,

nor does it support this idea that emotions are just automatic and that they are hardwired into your body or your brain.

Instead, as Lisa Feldman-Barratt describes, emotions are constructed in the moment by different systems that interact across the whole brain

and that are influenced by a lifetime of learning. So as we navigate the next few weeks, which

might be difficult for all of us, I thought it might be good to talk to Lisa Feldman-Barratt

about these ideas and get a deeper understanding of how our brains actually work. In addition to a book that came out in 2017 called How Emotions Are Made,

The Secret Life of the Brain,

...