How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think - and Live--and How You Can Change Them

What a very smart and very kind man. His research is complex but his writing is fun and humble and very comprehensible, and his approach is to help without writing a self-help book focused on doing better and getting ahead: just on being more self-aware, a little smarter, and genuinely nice. Great for parents, too, who are pretty clueless but want to help their children grow up being - and becoming -- happy, creative, productive, generous, helpful, and a joy to be with.

This book can be boring and long-winded, one that you have to force yourself to read. There is some very valuable ideas and information in here that could be used to improve people's lives, but you're going to have to plow through the autobiography of a boring nerdy guy to extract it.

The book was backed with scientific facts and learning about our Emotional Life Styles was extremely interesting. The authors' suggestions about how we can change these life styles through mindful meditation to make our lives and relationships easier was also a revelation. The book was written in a easy-going witty style.

It was assigned reading for a course that I took. At first. I found the book interesting. I had the opportunity to visit the facility where Dr. Davidson performed his research. I was curious about any differences that may have been discovered between left handed versus right handed people. I was told that left handed people were not allowed to participate. The reason behind this decision was that it would have been too costly to modify the equipment. I think that the book ought to be renamed, "The Emotional Life of the Right Handed Brain".

A lifetimes work, generously documented and shared. It tells a story of the brain but also of the science and research community and the way the western world has slowly taken on board other learnings.

I saw Davidson interviewed on Charlie Rose and had to get this book and it does not disappoint. As a psychotherapist, I am immediately integrating Davidson's research into my practice as well as my daily life. A must read for anyone is who interested in current neuroscience and it's application.

A lifetimes work, generously documented and shared. It tells a story of the brain but also of the science and research community and the way the western world has slowly taken on board other learnings.

I saw Davidson interviewed on Charlie Rose and had to get this book and it does not disappoint. As a psychotherapist, I am immediately integrating Davidson's research into my practice as well as my daily life. A must read for anyone is who interested in current neuroscience and it's application.

Those of us committed to personal growth will find much that is rewarding in "The Emotional Life of Your Brain." Davidson draws on an array of scientific experiments and studies to develop a set of ideas that can add to our understanding of how the "emotional brain" works, how its unique patterns affect the way we think, feel, and live, and how we can change them.

Three of these ideas are worth highlighting here. The first is that contrary to the way we tend to think about it, personality and temperament, though innate, are not fixed or immutable. That traditional view was reinforced in the age of genetics by "The dogma that `genetic equals unchangeable.'" If a "negative" trait (say shyness) is inherited and in your genes, you're stuck with it. Instead, says Davidson, "plasticity is intrinsic to the brain," and its "ability to change its structure and function in significant ways" extends into adulthood and "through the life of the individual."

The second idea is that such "change can come about in response to experiences we have as well as to the thoughts we think." Traits that are genetically based can be altered because "the mere presence of a gene is not sufficient for the trait for which it codes to be expressed. A gene must also be turned on, and studies . . . have shown that life experiences can turn genes on or off." Thus, "In terms of the shopworn debate called nature vs. nurture, nurture is able to act on nature." Our brain can be altered by these "experiences as well as by conscious, intentional effort . . . through the intentional cultivation of specific mental qualities or habits."

And, thirdly, the reason such change is possible is that head and heart are more closely linked in the brain than previously thought: "the barricade that psychology had erected between reason and emotion has no basis in fact." Emotion involves neural activity in the right and in the left side of the brain, in the amygdala and in the prefrontal cortex. "The circuitry of the emotional brain often overlaps with that of the rational, thinking brain," so that "Emotion works with cognition in an integrated and seamless way to enable us to navigate the world of relationships, work, and spiritual growth."

These ideas have broad implications. They suggest that we are not irremediably shaped by our genes, upbringing, environment, or of this or that neural circuitry in our limbic system. We are not at the mercy of our emotions. We can change because our brain can change.

The question of course is how. Davidson answers this question in the terms of traditional psychology by focusing on personality and temperament, offering a new classification of these traits which he calls "Emotional Style." His claim is that "Understanding the neural underpinnings of the six dimensions of Emotional Style can empower you to recognize your own" overall style and apply various techniques he recommends to change it in the direction you desire.

Briefly stated, the six dimensions are: Resilience (how fast you recover from adversity); Outlook (optimist vs. pessimist); Social Intuition (how adept you are at picking up social signals); Self-Awareness (how well you are in touch with your feelings); Sensitivity to Context (how well you adapt your emotional responses to a given context); and Attention (how well you can focus).

To get an idea of the problems that arise with Davidson's model, let us consider an example he gives of a situation involving two of these categories: "You might be irritable for a whole day after a morning argument with a coworker but not realize that your funk is the result of being Slow to Recover (This ability to introspect and understand our own emotions is an aspect of the Self-Awareness dimension)."

Now, suppose I answer the book's questionnaires for these categories, identify their neural correlates in the brain, conclude my styles are "Slow to Recover" and "Self-Opaque," and follow Davidson's techniques in the back of the book so that, assuming they work, I'm able to recover faster after my morning argument with my coworker.

Does that improve my relationship with my coworker? Not necessarily. In fact, it could even worsen it, for the more successfully I reduce their negative impact on me and the faster I recover from these arguments the easier it is to continue having them. They just won't bother me that much anymore. But they may bother my co-worker, other colleagues, and my boss. My "resilience" could actually end up making a lot of people unhappy, affect my work, and even cost me my job.

This is because traits of personality and temperament do not necessarily correlate with the rightness or wrongness of what I'm doing. They are not moral categories. A high degree of optimism can lead me to take unreasonable risks in business or the stock market and leave me in financial ruin. High social intuition, self-awareness, and sensitivity to context can all help me manage myself better the better to lie and manipulate people. Being highly focused can help me succeed in my career even as it leads me to neglect my family and fail as a spouse and as a parent.

In the situation cited by Davidson, I need to look at more than my "emotional style." I need to look at what I might be doing wrong, at the moral dimensions of the situation. This means looking at my character, understood as a moral category. Traits of character determine whether a trait of personality or temperament serves a morally worthy or unworthy end, whether it works for good or for ill. But Davidson's model, which is based on personality and temperament to the exclusion of character, makes no provision for such considerations.

A more effective model for personal growth is found in the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, whose principles, it should be noted, can be practiced by anyone. One of these principles is the discipline of self-examination, where I make an inventory of my character defects and associated emotions, taking into account the positive character traits and associated emotions which can displace and replace them. Considered principles of the good life, these positive character traits are traditionally known as virtues, among which, honesty, for instance, is essential to the process of self-examination.

Honestly looking at myself in the above situation, I might find that my "funk" is the result of my nursing a resentment against my coworker. I may be "irritable" because I'm still angry over something she said or did that affected something that is important to me (e.g. my self-esteem), and I've been obsessing about it all day. Upon further examination, I may discover that I said or did something which started or contributed to the argument, and that behind my words and actions there were certain character defects at work, perhaps impatience, or unkindness, or intolerance. My adversity, as is often the case with many of us, may have been self-inflicted.

Having made such an examination, I move to take corrective action by practicing other applicable principles. Where I am in the wrong, I promptly and humbly admit it, and I sincerely make amends. Where my coworker is in the wrong, I forgive, turn the matter over, and let go of any ill feelings.

By practicing these principles, I can surrender my resentment and obsession, reconcile with my coworker, and restore peace and harmony to our relationship. Not only do I recover from negative emotions myself, but I can help my coworker to do the same. My recovery goal is not self-centered. I'm not selfishly concerned only about my own well-being.

Depending on the situation, I will find other principles that can help me to recover from adversity: after a loss, for instance, acceptance of the things I cannot change, and gratitude for the things I still do have. By practicing such principles day in and day out and in situation after situation, I am engaging in the kind of conscious, intentional, and repeated effort which Davidson says can help me to acquire the habits which can alter my brain and reshape my thoughts and emotions. I will become better at recovering from adversity, but my recovery will reflect fundamental character and emotional changes, not just an improved personality trait (more resilient).

That personality and temperament are malleable, that emotion and cognition work in an integrated manner, and that experience and thought can reshape the brain are important ideas in Davidson's book. When it comes to translating these ideas into practice, however, the 12 Steps remain the best program of action.

The book delves way too much into the methodology behind his studies and sometimes I felt like I was back in school. A lot of ego in his work too. Nothing new learned really. Who's giving this 5 stars?

it is interesting to learn that specific & identifyable areas in the brain are connected to different emotions. illuminating. it should change the juridicial view on crimes & their punishment.

Based on my short stay with this book, I developed the opinion that Richard Davidson is more interested in the wonders of his own discoveries than how he might actually help people. Perhaps this book should be reserved for psych or neuroscience students.

The Emotional Life of Your Brain is easily read and understood. It is informative, interesting, and written in a style that is personal and humorous, at times. I use it as a textbook in a graduate education class that I teach and my students are very enthused about discussing the content.

This book has some good insights in the classification of emotional types and the plasticity of the brain. However, too many pages are devoted to the authors recounting their academic achievements and personal anecdotes (I learned from another review that in fact the book was "ghost-written", which explains a lot). Also, there's a lot of explanation about the workings of the brain areas, which is certainly relevant, but not exactly an exciting read.

How does the emotional aspect of the brain REALLY work? If we knew that, we could control some of our impulses and feelings and perhaps do what we set out to do, experience life with more joy and stop worrying or being angry. So this book is a unique look at emotions from the actual physiology, chemistry and psychology of the brain in terms of science, not psychotherapy.

If you were to read this and combine it with a book on "Emotional IQ" such as , it could be a breakthrough in living your life and accomplishing what you want to do more effectively.

So, what are some of the aspects of the "emotional life" of the brain, or let's say, the characteristics of a healthy emotional life? They are Resilience, Outlook, Social Intuition, Self-Awareness, Sensitivity to Context and Attention.

Let's look at each:

Resilience

We all take blows from life, I can attest to that. And lately, there has been a lot of natural adversity, look around, how many of your friends have lost jobs or even their homes in the economic turmoil we've seen? I'll bet you can point all around you, even to yourself. Overcoming what happens to us takes resilience or the ability to function despite taking hits. The better your brain is at handling screaming messages of "OH NO! ...or worse) while you attempt to extricate yourself, the better. And the better for your family. The author characterizes people on a spectrum. At one end, FAST to RECOVER (bouncing back, working with energy to overcome adversity.) On the other end, SLOW to RECOVER, those who sadly are crippled by a downturn in their lives. If you are at the less advantageous end, what can you do to bulk up the resilience? The author suggests a number of activities, from meditation (because we become what we think--mere thinking can sometimes even bulk up a muscle, why not the emotional strength of the brain) to cognitive therapy if you need help to escape thought patterns. I can heartily recommend good cognitive therapy for escaping those patterns formed in childhood that we all can't seem to overcome and which in some cases, we aren't even aware that we have.

Outlook

Springing off the idea from the first chapters, that we are what we think, that the now almost-cliche "power of positive thinking" is truly powerful, your outlook is how long you can keep up a positive attitude. Again, we fit on a spectrum, those who have a naturally sunny outlook (the proverbial Optimist) and those who naturally sink into pessimism by nature. If you are naturally a pessimist, what can you do to shift to more consistent positive outlook? It seems stupid--hey, the world stinks, why should I try to think otherwise, but again, your MINDSET actually determines what you see. If you have a cloudy outlook, you will literally miss opportunities you may be seeking, and if you are depressed, you telegraph a sense of sadness, anger and failure to those around you. Again the suggestions to improve outlook are mental training to re-route your thought to a more positive tenor.

I would add here, and something that is missing from the book, possibly due to its scientific bent, is PRAYER. I imagine that prayer is not mentioned often in this book due to the fact the author takes a scientific tack, but prayer helps outlook, and though there is no way to use science to prove or disprove belief, for those who do believe in God, this is a way to support a healthful outlook.

Social Intuition

Again, a spectrum, from those who are almost able to read minds from silent and obliquely verbal social signals to those who are oblivious (and sometimes, this is an aspect of conditions such as autism, where a person can be born literally blind to the subtle signs we learn to pick up.) One interesting and powerful suggestion to improve on social intuition is to listen with non-critical awareness. Simply OBSERVE and do not edit the social conversation around you with an internal commentary about the relative merits of the conversation's content or the person commenting. You'll miss things. So if someone is giving you an opinion that is probably something you disagree with, it may be challenging but try simply turning off the part of the brain that is judging and watch and listen. The exercise will wake up parts of the brain that see other things happening in the social milieu.

Self-Awareness

This again, a spectrum. I had a conversation with a licensed clinical social worker some years ago who told me that there are people who feel things but are UNABLE to connect those feeling to something that had happened in their life. This astonished me, but sad to say, not everyone is hard-wired to make those connections. When people eat out of emotion, for example, they may not recognize that an upsetting phone call led to an uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomach, that propelled them to raid the fridge. The spectrum runs from highly Self Aware to Puzzled. If you listen to any of the radio or television pop therapy programs, try cataloging the person who is working on their issue. Are they aware or are they deep in puzzlement and need to have someone connect the dots for them? It's an interesting exercise. And where do we fit on that spectrum? If you are more Puzzled than Aware, that's fine--it's how you are at the moment, but what can you do to move you along the spectrum to a more helpful place? This is another area where cognitive therapy (the thought, the feeling, the actions all get connected, then new ways to think and react are worked on.)

Attention

How well do you focus on what is around you and what is happening? This is similar to the "being in the moment. It is one of the reasons that it is a problem to see your kids texting during a family gathering or dinner. They are not paying attention to what's happening. They are missing social cues. (See social intuition.) They are not in the moment. They are not really there. If you have the same issue, or simply find you drift in and out of the moment due to many distractions, what can you do to improve focus?

Now, despite the spectrum of these five characteristics, the author warns us not to judge ourselves and others and say "you need to be more socially intuitive", "You need a better outlook." The book is designed to have you measure where you fit on this map, and then to see if there is an area you would like to alter in order to move past something that is hindering you. In other words, if your style is to one end of each of the spectra, you are not "bad" but you might choose to play with an aspect of your Emotional Style to see if you can get new results that make you feel better. This is the take-home message; we all have an emotional style, we cannot judge it as "good" or "bad"--it's up to each of us to know ourselves and then, if we desire, to find a way to adapt our style to make our lives better. Fascinating reading, and I could almost recommend that if you read one "self-help" style book this year, this ought to be the one. It is very enlightening and combines a lot of the information that is circulating on helping ourselves live a better emotional life, but in a way that makes a system that can illuminate your interior landscape.

I give this 5 stars because it provides the links between different fields: neuroplasticity, epigenetics (which explains some of the neuroplastic effects, neuroscience, Paul Ekman's work on facial expressions and meditation, which is one of my interests. The book is structured as a chronological survey of Davidson's work, and for me it strikes a good balance between technical and autobiographical, but this might (and, from some of the critical reviews, obviously did) not work for some readers; I found it very readable. In 2018, as I write this, there has obviously been more research, and I shall follow up Davidson's more recent work with interest.

I bought this book thinking it was about the neuroscience of consciousness, it isn't
It is filled with the contemporary equivalent of phrenology.
Attempts to pass for neuroscience by referring to EEGs and MRI but really it is better considered Pop psychology.
Written like a self help book, it can barely contain the authors ego which pervades every chapter.

This super interesting book is all about Davidsons research on how mental activity alone can change our brains.
I.e. how cognitive-behaviour therapy, meditation etc. can alter brain functions in specific brain circuits, increasing or decreasing the level of activity in a brain circuit, strenghten or weaken the connections between brain regions.

Indeed, we know from Wilder Penfield and others that there is connection
between the physical brain and mental states.
Using modern methods, Davidson also investigates connections between physical and metal states. In the book, he reports that there is a connection between activity in the prefrontal cortex and positive- and negative- emotions. I.e. when healthy adults experience positive or negative emotions, the left or the right side, respectively, of their prefrontal cortex becomes active.
The emotions correspond to ''approach'' and ''avoid'' behaviour. Davidson, logically, assumes that evolution have segregated approach and avoidance behaviour to different hemispheres to minimize confusion between the two behaviours.

It all becomes terribly exciting as Davidson continues, and explains the neural basis for various emotional styles (Resilience, Outlook, Social Intuition, Self Awareness, Sensitivity to Context, Attention).
If something is wrong, the happy news of all this is the amazing plasticity of the human brain.
(That) The brain has the ability to change the structure and the patterns of activation, not only in childhood, but also in adulthood and throughout life.

The plot thickens as we get to Mindfulness.
Davidson first explains what mindfulness is all about. And then we get to see that practising mindfulness can actually change the physical brain.
Basicly, Mindfulness lets our thoughts travel along paths of less anxiety, which gives greater resilience, and a more positive outlook. Which again makes it easier for thoughts and feelings to take this (new) route.

Stunning.

Davidson's research is impeccable, and when complemented with Newberg's brain research Words Can Change Your Brain: 12 Conversation Strategies to Build Trust, Resolve Conflict, and Increase Intimacy and How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist you'll begin to understand how neuroscience can help us identify our emotional problems and change them with simple mindfulness-based exercises. The six types of emotional style he identified makes far more sense than earlier psychological models based primarily on reasoning and case histories. Davidson's personal journey down the spiritual path helps the reader appreciate the "human" side of doing brain research, and it makes the book extraordinarily enjoyable to read. Without it, the science would be dry. And bravo to Sharen Begley who made the writing come alive! I only wish there were more experiential exercises to do, but the books I mentioned earlier will give you additional tools to increase your emotional IQ.

Highly recommend it. It delves into the methodology of the research so you have an understanding of how the conclusions were made. He makes the claim that the differences in how people react to certain situations has less to do with what is actually happening and more to do with their emotional style.

I was surprised to learn that people with depression can feel happy, given a joyous situation. I had assumed that a clinically depressed person was incapable of feeling joy. Perhaps another reason people do not seek help is that they do not realize they are clinically depressed. But it's the inability to hang on to that feeling of happiness along with having little or no motivation that points to depression. Also people with depression are more prone to heart attacks and asthma than people with no history of depression.

There are tests in the book that are easy to take to find out what your emotional style is, as in, how resilient you are, what your outlook is, self awareness, whether you're focused or not, etc. The book also has exercises to change your emotional style, if you so desire, decidedly a smaller section of the book but still useful. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand emotions better.

Curious about how the unique emotional landscape of your brain determines who you are and how you live? Open to using the power of your mind to change your brain? Then, Richard Davidson's book _The Emotional Life of Your Brain_ will likely be some seriously satisfying brain food for you.

Just as we each have a unique set of fingerprints, we also have a distinct Emotional Style composed of six dimensions. As the author explains:
"Each of us is a color-wheel combination of the Resilience, Outlook, Social Intuition, Self-Awareness, Context, and Attention dimensions of Emotional Style, a unique blend that describes how you perceive the world and react to it, how you engage with others, and how you navigate the obstacle course of life...We have the power to live our lives and train our brains in ways that will shift where we fall on each of the six dimension of Emotional Style." (p. 225)

The book provides a chapter-long self-assessment for determining your particular Emotional Style, but to get an idea where you fall on the spectrum of each of the six dimensions, here are a few questions to consider now (pp. 5-6):
1. Resilience (Fast to Recover vs. Slow to Recover):
Can you usually shake off setbacks, or do you suffer a meltdown?

2. Outlook: (Negative vs. Positive):
Do you tend toward cynicism and pessimism, struggling to see anything positive, or do you seldom let emotional clouds darken your sunny outlook on life and maintain a high level of energy and engagement even when things don't go your way?

3. Social Intuition (Puzzled vs. Socially Intuitive):
Are you puzzled by--even blind to--the outward indications of people's mental and emotional state, or can you read people's body language and tone of voice like a book?

4. Self-Awareness (Self-Opaque vs. Self-Aware):
Do you act and react without knowing why you do what you do, or are you aware of your own thoughts and feelings and attuned to the messages your body sends you?

5. Sensitivity to Context (Tuned-Out vs. Tuned-In):
Are you baffled when people tell you that your behavior is inappropriate, or are you able to pick up the conventional rules of social interaction?

6. Attention (Unfocused vs. Focused):
Do your thoughts flit from the task at hand, or can you screen out emotional and other distractions and stay focused?

The premise of the book is that Emotional Style reflects specific neural activity patterns--the product of the brain's underlying connections, circuits, structure/function relationships, and neurochemistry--which can be modified:
"Since the brain contains the physical underpinnings of Emotional Style, and since the brain can change in these fundamental ways, Emotional Style can change...Although Emotional Style is ordinarily quite stable over time, it can be altered by serendipitous experiences as well as by conscious, intentional effort at any point in life, through intentional cultivation of specific mental qualities or habits...You can modify your Emotional Style to improve your resilience, social intuition, sensitivity to your own internal emotional and psychological states, coping mechanisms, attention, and sense of well-being...Through mental training you can alter your patterns of brain activity and the very structure of your brain in a way that will change your Emotional Style and improve your life." (pp. 10-11)

The author provides compelling evidence demonstrating the power of the mind to change the brain. For example, he shares results of his own research (involving Buddhist monks meditating in MRI machines!) showing how the practice of mindfulness can actually retrain habits of mind by tapping into the neuroplasticity of the brain's connections, creating new ones, strengthening some old ones, and weakening others. Neuropsychologically speaking, practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction can increase circuit activity in the left prefrontal cortex (associated with a greater sense of well-being and contentment) and decrease amygdala activity (associated with emotional reactivity), allowing for shifts towards the Fast to Recover, Positive, Socially Intuitive, and Focused ends of the emotional spectrums. The book is full of other fascinating examples revealing how the neurological underpinnings of each dimension of Emotional Style determine the emotional life of the brain. In the final part of the book, the author provides specific how-to's for using mental practices and environmental changes to influence the patterns of your brain that underlie your personal Emotional Style.

So, if you want to map out your own emotional landscape, and then tap into the power of your mind to change your brain--and ultimately improve your life--the decision to read _The Emotional Life of Your Brain_ is a no-brainer, so to speak.

Just another book of psychological ideas Briggs Meyers six dimensions blah blah blah
Nothing new nothing interesting
I need three more words according to the store to submit this so here they are lol

In The Emotional Life of Your Brian, Dr. Richard J. Davidson takes the reader on a journey through his research as he discovers the concept of Emotional Style. Dr. Davidson received his Ph.D. in Psychology at Harvard. He currently teaches Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is the Director for the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior and the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience. He is also the Chair and Founder of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds. He has published countless articles, chapters, and reviews focusing on the neuroscience of emotions and affective disorders. Dr. Davidson’s other credentials include a plethora of awards for his influential work in the field of neuroscience: the Paul D. MacLean Award for Outstanding Neuroscience Research in Psychosomatic Medicine, a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Award, and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award.
One of his most recent accomplishments is writing the book The Emotional Life of Your Brain. The main concept driving the book is a journey through the research of Dr. Davidson and his discovery of Emotional Style. Dr. Davidson’s research is unique because he focuses on emotions. From the moment he was enrolled in college, he was extremely interested in how emotions affect the everyday interactions of people. However, studying emotions was not a popular field of study during his early years. Emotions were viewed as something that got in the way of behavior and the actions of humans. Nonetheless, Dr. Davidson was determined to research emotions. Despite the lack of support from others in the field, he persevered and accomplished his dream. His research became the basis of a concept called Emotional Style. He theorized that every individual has a unique Emotional Style that consists of six elements: Resilience, Outlook, Social Intuition, Self-Awareness, Sensitivity to Context, and Attention.
Dr. Davidson provides multiple definitions for each element throughout the course of the book. Resilience refers to how quickly or slowly an individual is able to recover from either a death in the family or a simple argument with a loved one. Outlook is how positive or negative a person perceives the daily events that happen in his/her life. Social Intuition is how aware an individual is of their social surroundings and how they interpret different social cues. Self-Awareness is how in tune an individual is to their own body. Sensitivity to Context refers to how an individual is able to properly interact in different situations. Lastly, Attention is how focused or distracted a person is during their daily life. Each of these dimensions is a continuum, an individual can fall on either extreme or land in the middle.
Each element of Emotional Style has a specific origin in the brain which makes research in the field of neuroscience possible. Dr. Davidson maps out which areas of the brain are activated when an individual is engaging in a specific element of Emotional Style. For example, the insula receives messages when someone is practicing Self-Awareness and the prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens receive messages during Outlook. Since emotions were once thought to be too subjunctive for scientific research, being able to distinguish specific neural parts of the brain where emotions originate made Dr. Davidson’s work groundbreaking.
In order to verify his findings, Dr. Davidson provides tremendous amounts of his and his colleagues’ research on the topic. The experiments and past case studies that he uses to develop his research are included as he discloses each element of Emotional Style. What makes his book enjoyable is that when he explains the research he makes it readable and easy to understand. One may be apprehensive about reading this book— worried that they would not be able to understand Davidson’s argument— but Dr. Davidson does an excellent job describing these studies for those interested. A background in neuroscience or psychology is not essential to understand the underlying theme of this book.
In addition, Dr. Davidson provides readers with the tools necessary to apply his research to real scenarios. When he completes the in-depth explanations of each aspect of Emotional Style, Dr. Davidson includes what an individual can do in order to change or modify a certain element of that Emotional Style. He stresses that our Emotional Style is not constant because of the brain’s plasticity. First, he provides tests in order to figure out where we fall on the continuum for each of the elements. Then he proposes different techniques to change a specific element. For example, if a person falls on the extreme side of Outlook, making her extremely positive, he provides suggestions to become more negative. These include lowering the activity in the nucleus accumbens or ventral striatum. One way to achieve this is to focus on negative things by making lists of what could go wrong. For example, before one impulsively purchases a new designer bag one should ask themselves what could possibly go wrong. Even though Dr. Davidson provides ways to change Emotional Style, he does not push all individuals to do so. He is only suggesting these changes, and showing the reader that he/she is in control of who they are. With the help of Dr. Davidson’s possible research, change is always possible.
My favorite part of the book is when Dr. Davidson explains the research that shows how the mind has the power to change the brain. When he performed this research he used Monks and long time meditators with the permission of the Dali Lama. Studying these mysterious individuals, Davidson was able to show how mediation can change an individual’s brain while using brain scans during meditation. He used neurological proof to show that the mind is able to change the brain.
Furthermore, this work helped me analyze my own life and thin about my Emotional Style more thoroughly. When I took the test I found myself on the extreme end of Resilience—meaning that I am slow to recover from setbacks in my life. Unfortunately, I agree with that, but I did not need to fret because Dr. Davidson provides ways to change that aspect of my Emotional Style. To make my recovering from setbacks faster, he suggests using mindfulness meditation or positive reappraisal training. It is comforting to know that I have greater control over my emotions than I once believed.
After reading this book and thoroughly enjoying it, I would give it a 5/5 rating. I was easily drawn to the book by the interesting topic, but the easy to understand writing style of Dr. Davidson is what kept me reading. My interest never faded because he kept the research interesting and in the end made it applicable to my own life. Reading The Emotional Life of Your Brain has opened my eyes to the vast possibilities of research in neuroscience. Dr. Davidson took a topic that others thought was too subjective to study and used neuroscience to uncover the mystery of emotions. He offers not only a better way to understand our emotions through neuroscience, but also suggests ways to apply his research. Ultimately, Dr. Davidson makes it possible to change your Emotional Style.

Richard Davidson co-authored with Sharon Begley with this new book, The Emotional Life of Your Brain. The brain-research pioneer offers the readers a new model for our emotions: their origins, their power, and how we can change them if we wish. The authors gives us a new and useful way to look at ourselves, develop a sense of well-being, and live more meaningful lives.
This book is a treasure to read if you are interested in how your brain works and how it affects your emotions and your life.

Richard Davidson has been studying this field more than thirty years.
The author discovered that personality is composed of six emotional styles.
The author explains the brain chemistry that underlies each emotional style.
The author also provides strategies the readers can use to change their own brains and emotions.
Davidson and Begley state that we can retrain our brains so that we can become more resilient, less negative, and happier.

Great purchase! Very interesting to read!

"The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live- And How You Can Change Them" is an informative and interesting neuroscience text explaining the neurological basis of the six Emotional Styles that vary from person to person. It is also an autobiographical story following Dr. Davidson on his journey to where and how he determined the findings detailed in this book. This book gives detailed neuroscience explanations that are concise and easy to understand for anyone of any background. Some of the experiments and studies described throughout the book seemed a bit long and tedious, but overall the conclusions reached in this book were fascinating and thought provoking.

Synopsis and Opinion:

Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the idea that everyone's brain does not fit the exact same model, and that's fine. Diverse responses and reactions to certain situations are a result of each person's individual and unique emotional profile. There are six dimensions of Emotional Style, as Davidson distinguishes: Resilience (how quickly you recover from adversity), Outlook (how long and how well you can sustain positive emotions), Social Intuition (how well you are aware and notice social cues from those around you), Self-Awareness (how well you are tuned into your own body's signals and emotions), Sensitivity to Context (how readily you notice the context clues of your situation and environment), and Attention (how you handle distractions). Each dimension of Emotional Style is connected to a particular pattern of brain activity, which Davidson goes into further detail throughout the rest of the book.

Chapter 2 mostly consists of Davidson's background of why he became fascinated how emotions are connected to brain patterns. He goes into the somewhat detailed timeline of his degrees, universities he attended (and those he seemed proud to reject), as well as the numerous studies and experiments that laid the foundation to determining the specific parts and patterns of the brain that are connected with various emotions. Though I mainly skimmed the seemingly minute details of some of the experiments, Davidson provided a good balance between introducing more technical neuroscience terms as well as an introduction to his character and passion as a scientist.

Chapter 3 goes into more detail of each of the six dimensions of Emotional Style and allows the reader to assess their own unique emotional combination. The chapter is divided into subsections for each dimension, where each emotion is explained and described using various scenarios and questions to make you think about how you would respond. Each section has a series of true or false questions that lets you know where you fall in the range of each of the six emotional styles: resilience, outlook, social intuition, self-awareness, sensitivity to context, and attention. This was the most interesting chapter in my opinion because it was very self-reflective and interactive, which is most likely Davidson's intention.

Chapter 4 explains the specific, identifiable brain circuits and activity that are associated with each emotional style. Each dimension has two extremes, which are usually the result of either heightened or reduced activity in that region of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, amaygdala, insula, and hippocampus. Figures depicting where each stated region is located helps the reader have a better grasp of the overall concept and helps them understand how the brain works as a series of related functions. This chapter lays the technical neuroscience groundwork for the book, but does so in a concise, well organized, and easy to understand manner for anyone of any background.

Chapter 5 explains how emotion style develops from an early age and can be determined in part by genetics. Through a long winded explanation of specific genes and overly-detailed account of several experiments involving babies behavior over several years, Davidson finally reaches the simple conclusion that behavior and brain function are not fixed or stable, but can change over time and in response to environment and experience.

Chapter 6 discusses how emotional style affects not only behavior and cognitive function, but physical health as well. Since emotions have physiological significance, as explained in the previous three chapters, it makes sense that they are associated with physical systems that connect to your overall health. Like in other chapters, Davidson makes his points using a plethora of previous experiment and studies varying from the effects of Botox injections to asthma to stress. This is the first chapter in which Davidson begins to introduce a self-help type tone.

Chapter 7 focuses on three examples of mental illnesses in the context of extreme emotional styles. Davidson explains the neurological and physiological basis for autism, depression, and ADHD as well as potential meditation therapies for each condition. I have never heard these mental conditions discussed in terms of emotional responses and thus found this chapter one of the more interesting ones in the book.

Chapter 8 focuses on the concept of neuroplasticity, stating that the brain can change as a result of experiences we have or purely mental activity. Davidson describes using several examples how parts of the brain can take over the function of damaged parts so the patient can adjust to function in a new way. By introducing the idea of meditation and mindfulness, Davidson begins to share his strong belief of the power of the mind to change the brain.

Chapters 9 and 10 are the most autobiographical sections of the entire book. Davidson writes about his journey to India and Sri Lanka study the relationship between meditation and attention and emotion in Tibetan Buddhist monks. Davidson is honest in admitting his first attempt at this study was not a success, since the monks were hesitant to work with Western scientists. However, this acted as a springboard for another avenue of study. Davidson name drops the Dalai Lama multiple times in this section and draws attention to his willingness and interest to assist Davidson in bringing traditional meditation to Western science. Through a series of experiments, Davidson quantitatively supports the Dalai Lama's notion that meditation facilitates emotional styles and can encourage a more compassionate outlook. These chapters are long and somewhat tedious to read through, but there is a nice bulleted list at the end of chapter 10 to summarize the most important and relevant parts.

Chapter 11 is the self-help conclusion to the book. It is divided into subsections for each of the Emotional Styles and contains a series of "exercises" that the reader can do to alter their set point on each dimension that you found out in chapter 3. These "exercises" are merely a list of ways to meditate: sit up straight, focus on your breathing, notice your emotions at the given moment, etc. A lot of these tips seem to be the same across each dimension. Overall, I did not find his advice helpful, but from reading the book I have a better understanding of how powerful the mind really is at contributing to my emotional responses and behavior.

Style and Structure:

This book is both educational and well written, and is suitable for anyone who is interested in neuroscience and how the brain processes emotions. Davidson explains technical neuroscience concepts in such a way that is succinct and easy to understand without dumbing down any important information. The organization of this book flows nicely. It begins and ends with a broader, more general idea of how emotions are processed and why that is important. The middle consists of the meat and potatoes of the neuroscience explanation of various parts and activities of the brain and how that corresponds to emotion and behavior.

If you are interested in the scientific thought process behind each of Davidson's main points, then this is the book for you. He describes almost every neuroscience conclusion with a previous study either conducted by him or someone he has worked with. He describes each experiment in extreme detail, from the determination of control groups to the time frame to the mechanical testing equipment used to test the expected outcome. For someone who does not have a scientific background, this could be considered boring and tedious; but if the reader is interested in figuring out how scientists design experiments, this book does a great job of writing in a style that is easy to understand and follow.

Notable Quotes:

"...the prefrontal cortex, sire of such executive functions as planning and judgment, controls how emotionally resilient people are." (68)
"The environment does not just shape behavior or even brain function. It also affects whether genes turn on or off and, therefore, which inherited traits we express." (112)
"The brain, it turns out, uses feedback from the body in basic information processing." (125)
"...mindfulness meditation transforms the neural underpinnings of attention, in this case by minimizing activation in regions that are not relevant to the object of attention." (211)
"I found that each of us has a color-wheel combination of the Resilience, Outlook, Social Intuition, Self-Awareness, Context, and Attention dimensions of Emotional Style, a unique blend that describes how you perceive the world and react to it, how you engage with others, and how you navigate the obstacle course of life." (225)

Overall Opinion/ Recommendations to Potential Readers:

I would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by how the brain determines emotions and behaviors and is interested more from a neurological basis. Students will benefit from the author's informative and detailed descriptions of basic neuroscience terminology and concepts, as well as his organization and use of informative examples of disorders studied and experiments performed. Readers looking for more specific examples to alter their emotional responses (if they are not happy with them) should look for a book with more of a self-help tone. This book is a great introduction to the inner workings of the brain and how its seemingly complex functions vary between individuals and how that impacts your everyday life. Davidson stresses that there is no need to change the way you are wired; but you can practice meditation and exercise your brain and/or adjust your environment to compliment your unique emotional fingerprint so you live your life to the fullest. Though I did not find the self-help style tips too helpful, I learned the most about my emotional profile through the neuroscience information, which was fascinating to read.

amazing book, have it in audiobook. its very easy to listen to, absolutely recommended and not only for professionals
Anyone can understand the magnitude this book manifests.
Am sure it will be the bible of psychology in the future.
The narrator does an amazing job, it felt as if i was listening to Davidson himself even when i dont know him.
Must read/must listen book. To understand yourself and others and your children.
Am very grateful that i had the chance to get this knowledge.

This book is best read in tandem with Jaak Panksepp's The Archeology of Mind. Together, these two books give an expanded insight into how primary process emotions interact with higher level cognitions and emotions. This provides the therapist with a more clear view into the workings of a patient's mind and consciousness, providing an avenue to more detailed hypotheses of potential healing processes. Richie's (I feel that I can call him that after reading his book and seeing him in a discussion with Rick Hanson) approach is one of compassion, an attribute that not only benefits our personal lives, rather also those of whose worlds we enter for the purpose of healing.

From one of the pioneers in brain and behavior research, comes exciting news. We are not doomed to our emotional styles, thinking patterns, or our capacity for compassion.

It is unusual to read a book that is so balanced in its stories of science and research with stories of the author's encounters with the Dali Lama. This is a book grounded in real research with tangible ways you can change things that you may have thought unchangible!

This is an insigtful text, carefully presented by a world-class neuropsychological researcher. It can be a little tough going given all the technical detail it offers about the brain, and about the nuts-and-bolts details of the specific experiments that support the authors' statements. The authors are also very careful in keeping their personal preferences and values out of the picture when discussing the various possible emotional patterns that people have. I recommend it very highly to anyone who has ever asked "Why am I - or why is this person - like that?"

The Emotional Life of Your Brain written by Richard J. Davidson with Sharon Begley was an interesting book written in a manner that everyone can understand. Davidson is a pioneer in the area of emotional neuroscience. He offers the reader insight into the human mind through scientific research and uses the conclusions as advice to manage emotions. The author does this by exploring 6 categories of "emotional style": resilience, outlook, social intuition, self-awareness, sensitivity to context, and attention.

Davidson explains each of these categories using his own previous research in neuroscience and psychology. He delves into his own research in order to convey his results to his audience and offer them meaningful information. This makes the book reliable as he is not just conjecturing on other researchers' findings or others' observations. He uses experiences and research from his life and relates it to everyone's experiences and emotions.

This book was an easy read and was definitely written for those interested in learning about emotions and how to manage them. Although some of the advice offered may seem obvious to most readers (such as meditating, using willpower and practicing self-restraint), the book still does a good job at putting emotions into perspective from a scientific standpoint. Overall, it is an insightful and informative book. However, I gave the book 4/5 stars because it can be a bit overwhelming because it constantly relates all his personal struggles to his scientific findings making it seem more like an autobiography at times.

Fantastic book !

Read it read it read it!

It might change you life,if you understand the connection between your brain and your mind,
and the perimeters set by the brain,and how to overcome them

Readers cannot get enough of neuroscience, and publishers know that all too well. But there's very little science in "The Emotional Life of Your Brain," and it's a lot of pop psychology cliches masquerading as new and ground-breaking research. This book treads all too familiar ground, already covered by more accomplished writers and scientists. We now know all too well the importance of emotional intelligence, and we now understand that the brain is plastic, and our neural framework (which is the basis for our emotions) can be altered through actions and through deliberate practice.

The strongest part of this book is towards the end when the author abandons his talk of emotional mumbo-jumbo, and focuses instead of his interest in and practice of meditation. If the authors simply focused on the healing and regenerative power of meditation (and how no matter how hard it tries science cannot rely fathom why meditation works so well) then this would have been a much better book.

Davidson has done extensive research on positive and negative outlooks and emotional styles. With the help of Sharon Begley, who time and time again explains difficult scientific research to us in a simple and even enjoyable way, he offers the hope of change to the many people who are less positive. This book is fascinating and should be read by many, as it offers a real path to change for the better.

This certainly is not a co-authored book as Sharon Begley gets one VERY brief mention in the Acknowledgments. I found a lot of this book rather boring and skipped over parts. I did find the segment on autism interesting as well as the meditation information. Will I try his recommendations? I doubt it.

Have you got sludge and gunk in your neurotransmitter fluid? Are your synapses sagging and your neurons misfiring? Yeah, it happens but fortunately here is a manual that can guide you when your 'check brain, needs service' light comes on. A well written, concise and helpful book.