People are disgusted by a myriad of objects and situations ranging from rotten tomatos, the concept of incest, or even by observing a malicious betrayal. How did disgust evolve from being a mere guardian of the mouth to a more general guardian of the social community? Continue reading Yuck! How did we get from oral to moral disgust?
The diminished ability to experience pleasure is called anhedonia, and it is a core symptom of depression. For a very long time, we thought that people with anhedonia have reduced capacity to like, i.e. feel less when they are doing something enjoyable, but recent research has shown that it might not be as simple as that. Continue reading Anhedonia: In search of pleasure
Have you been feeling anxious or depressed lately? It’s okay, 2016 has been tough on all of us. Despite the discomfort that comes with negative emotions, they are a crucial part of our lives. However, when emotions get out of balance, they can lead to some pretty poor decision making. Continue reading When Emotions are misleading: Effects of Anxiety and Depression on Decision Making
Most of us have experienced aesthetic reactions to music– everyone knows how it feels to react to a song so emotionally that you get goosebumps and think “This music is so beautiful.” Continue reading More than a feeling – insights from brain research on the aesthetic experience of music
Brainy Sundays 