An Uneven, Mostly Scientific Investigation
4 stars
This is best thought of two books - the first, up to chapter 8, is a revelatory look at the category error we've made around understanding emotions, revealing through a wide variety of experiments and research how emotions are constructed in real time as an act of categorization - they don't "exist" anywhere in the body. The second, comprising most of the rest of the book, is a combined self-help book/pontification about topics that Barrett is demonstrably unqualified for (there are so many sections that essentially begin "I don't know anything about this area, but let me shoot from the hip and tell entire fields why they're wrong and how to do it better"). Citing misleading, racist stereotypes in the final chapter doesn't help. I would highly recommend picking up this book from your library and putting it down after chapter 8.
This is best thought of two books - the first, up to chapter 8, is a revelatory look at the category error we've made around understanding emotions, revealing through a wide variety of experiments and research how emotions are constructed in real time as an act of categorization - they don't "exist" anywhere in the body. The second, comprising most of the rest of the book, is a combined self-help book/pontification about topics that Barrett is demonstrably unqualified for (there are so many sections that essentially begin "I don't know anything about this area, but let me shoot from the hip and tell entire fields why they're wrong and how to do it better"). Citing misleading, racist stereotypes in the final chapter doesn't help. I would highly recommend picking up this book from your library and putting it down after chapter 8.