Lisa Feldman Barrett
Neuroscientist, psychologist, and author of How Emotions Are Made, Lisa Feldman Barrett explores how brains build our feelings and experiences.
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Latest
Lisa’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus her backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Book
Book
TEDOverview
- Work
- Neuroscientist, psychologist, author, and science communicator
- Academic home
- University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University
- Known for
- The theory of constructed emotion and books about the brain
- Public introduction
- How Emotions Are Made and her December 2017 TED talk
Mini bio
How it started.
Lisa entered the University of Toronto expecting to become a doctor. A psychology class taken to replace physics opened another path. Her honors thesis supervisor encouraged her to apply to psychology graduate programs, and she eventually chose research over medical school.
Following the questions.
She initially planned to become a therapist. During her PhD, her adviser’s belief that she could become a professor helped redirect her toward a research career. She went on to study how emotions vary between people and situations.
Bringing the science to readers.
Her 2017 book How Emotions Are Made introduced general readers to her account of how brains construct emotion. Her December 2017 TED talk offered another way into those ideas. Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain followed in 2020, using short essays to explore brain evolution, structure, and our connections to other people.
Where she is now.
At Northeastern, Lisa combines psychology and neuroscience with public writing and talks. Her work asks how the brain’s predictions, bodily needs, and past experience contribute to the feelings and perceptions of everyday life.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2020Seven and a Half Lessons About the BrainAuthor
- 2017How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the BrainAuthor
- 2016Handbook of Emotions, fourth editionCo-editor with Michael Lewis and Jeannette M. Haviland-Jones
Talks
- 2017You aren't at the mercy of your emotions: your brain creates themTED@IBM speaker
Awards
- APS William James Fellow Award2025 · Honored for lifetime contributions to the basic science of psychology.
- APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award in Psychology2021 · Recognition from the American Psychological Association.
- Guggenheim Fellowship2019 · Fellowship in neuroscience.
- APS Mentor Award2018 · Recognition for mentorship.
Quotes
The goal there is to be curious and be humble.Lisa Feldman Barrett, Big Think
In her discussion of relational reality, she encouraged people to seek experiences and perspectives beyond their own.
Trivia
- She was a first-generation college student and sometimes worked three jobs while studying.
- She has described the APS Mentor Award as the most important award she has received.
- Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain contains seven short essays plus a brief story about how brains evolved.
Find Lisa
Find her books, talks, and explanations of the brain on her official channels.
Are you Lisa Feldman Barrett?
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