Joy, Guilt, Anger, Love

Description

“Neuroscientist Giovanni Frazzetto enters the restless realm of human emotion through the portals of physiology, genetics, history, art and philosophy. Anger, guilt, anxiety, grief, empathy, joy and love are anatomized in turn, enlivened with research on everything from the role of monoamine oxidase A in anger to the engagement of opioid receptors as we thrill to music. And who knew that surrealist Salvador Dali created an art installation in the shape of a giant caterpillar to explore the process of sedation?”
—Nature
 
Is science ever enough to explain why we feel the way we feel?

In this engaging account, renowned neuroscientist Giovanni Frazzetto blends cutting-edge scientific research with personal stories to reveal how our brains generate our emotions. He demonstrates that while modern science has expanded our knowledge, investigating art, literature, and philosophy is equally crucial to unraveling the brain’s secrets. What can a brain scan, or our reaction to a Caravaggio painting, reveal about the deep seat of guilt? Can ancient remedies fight sadness more effectively than antidepressants? What can writing poetry tell us about how joy works? Structured in seven chapters encompassing common human emotions—anger, guilt, anxiety, grief, empathy, joy, and love—Joy, Guilt, Anger, Love offers a way of thinking about science and art that will help us to more fully understand ourselves and how we feel.“In Frazzetto’s book, the Italian researcher and writer offers a fine primer on six emotions plus empathy. But before diving into the biology of each emotion (the role of the amygdala in fear and of serotonin reuptake in grief), he inspects his target through the lenses of psychology, philosophy, art and personal experience. What you see is that poetry offers more insight into our feelings than does neuroanatomy or biochemistry.”

—Washington Post
 
“Neuroscientist Giovanni Frazzetto enters the restless realm of human emotion through the portals of physiology, genetics, history, art and philosophy. Anger, guilt, anxiety, grief, empathy, joy and love are anatomized in turn, enlivened with research on everything from the role of monoamine oxidase A in anger to the engagement of opioid receptors as we thrill to music. And who knew that surrealist Salvador Dali created an art installation in the shape of a giant caterpillar to explore the process of sedation?”
—Nature
 
“A remarkable look at the power of human emotion and the overuse of science in justifying human nature. . . . Refreshing. . . . Interweaving psychological and scientific experiments with endearing personal anecdotes and historical retellings, Frazzetto shows that we are, indeed, more than the sum of our brain scans. While his knowledge of case studies is impressive, it’s his own dealings with strong emotions like grief and love that make the book appealing. . . .  Frazzetto has produced an homage to the history and of mankind’s devotion to flights of the heart and sparks of the brain.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
“[An] intriguing book . . . . An enjoyable illumination of ‘that most private and shadowy territory, our emotions.”
—Kirkus Reviews
 
“A masterful meld of science, art, and memoir on what makes us human.”
—Allen Frances, author of Saving Normal
 
“Engaging… very refreshing. His analogies and images when explaining the science are often illuminating and sometimes inspired.”
—Henry Marsh, The Times, UK

“Wonderfully lucid.”
—Lisa Appignanesi, author of Mad, Bad and Sad and All About Love

“Intriguing… eye-opening. Frazzetto explains with admirable clarity.”
—James McConnachie, The Sunday Times, UK

“Frazzetto’s book guides readers through the latest neurological research, stopping at each revelation to question what has been discovered.”
—Philip Maughan, The New Statesman

“I finished feeling that I had learned a lot effortlessly … his expressive style of writing is very enjoyable to read.”
—Matt Chorley, Popular Science UK
 

Giovanni Frazzetto was born and grew up in the southeast of Sicily. He studied science at University College London and received a Ph.D. from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany. He lives and works in London and Berlin.US