Form: Quote Commentary

THE EMOTIONAL ECONOMY

— Dr Barrett.

—“…your brain is wired to model your world, [measured] by what is relevant for your body [and its] budget, and then you experience that model as Reality.”—

Or as I’m fond of saying in Vitruvianism, “Man is the measure of all things to man. Experience is constructed from those measurements. And the grammars are just systems of measurement.

—“The theory of constructed emotion incorporates elements of all three flavors of construction. From social construction, it acknowledges the importance of culture and concepts. From psychological construction, it considers emotions to be constructed by core systems in the brain and body. And from neuro-constuction, it adopts the idea that experience wires the brain.”—

—“Emotions [evolved to] 1) to make meaning – to understand one’s state is more efficient, 2) prescribe action, 3) regulate your body budget to prepare for said action. These 3 are about you. Two other functions: 4) emotional communication and 5) social influence.”—

—“Your body budget fluctuates normally throughout the day, as your brain anticipates your body’s needs and shifts around your budgetary resources like oxygen, glucose, salt, and water. When you digest food, your stomach and intestines “borrow” resources from your muscles. When you run, your muscles borrow from your liver and kidneys. During these transfers, your budget remains solvent.

—“Affective Realism is a step past implicit bias. The Reality we see/hear is shaped by our affect. … You might believe that you are a rational creature, weighing the pros and cons before deciding how to act, but the structure of your cortex makes this an implausible fiction. Your brain is wired to listen to your body budget. Affect is in the driver’s seat and rationality is a passenger. It doesn’t matter whether you’re choosing between two snacks, two job offers, two investments, or two heart surgeons your everyday decisions are driven by a loudmouthed, mostly deaf scientist who views the world through affect-colored glasses.”—

Book goes off the rails later on but the beginning is close enough.