The Subtlety of Emotions

More about the book

Why do we cry at the movies? What is the best way to manage destructive feelings such as jealousy? Although emotions prevade our lives, their nature, causes and effects have only recently been studied by social scientists and philosophers. Despite growing scientific interest in the subject, empirical findings have not yet caught up with our intuitive knowledge. In this book Aaron Ben-Ze'ev carries out what he calls a careful search for general patterns in the primeval jungle of emotions. In an engaging, informal style he draws on a variety of theoretical approaches and popular sources to produce a coherent account of emotions in all their subtlety. All of the ideas are illustrated with examples drawn from everyday life.