Mind + Emotion

“We, human beings, are a species that’s not only capable of acting on hidden motives—we’re designed to do it,” write Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson in their new book The Elephant in the Brain.

In her new book Everything Happens for a Reason, divinity professor Kate Bowler writes openly about her own confrontation with death, and how this fits in with the prosperity gospel.

"Emotions are never caused by external events but rather by how we appraise certain events."—Ad Vingerhoets, in our interview about human crying.

"Language is meddling even with this very basic perceptual experience. What seems to us so automatic, and so much driven by the world, is instead a combination of factors, including the language that you speak."—Lera Boroditsky, in our interview about her research on language and thought.

One of the problems with narrative thinking is that it asserts a beginning, a middle and an end, mental constructions that cannot be applied to the complicated fabric of Real Life. But, we don’t all agree on the narrative. One person’s climax is another’s lull.