I want to give people theories, I want to expose them to scientific stories that force them to re-evaluate the way they use these three pounds of meat inside their head.
Jonah LehrerHow do we regulate our emotions? The answer is surprisingly simple: by thinking about them. The prefrontal cortex allows each of us to contemplate his or her own mind, a talent psychologists call metacognition. We know when we are angry; every emotional state comes with self-awareness attached, so that an individual can try to figure out why he's feeling what he's feeling. If the particular feeling makes no senseโif the amygdala is simply responding to a loss frame, for exampleโthen it can be discounted. The prefrontal cortex can deliberately choose to ignore the emotional brain.
Jonah LehrerCreativity is not a trait that we inherit in our genes or a blessing bestowed by the angels. It's a skill.
Jonah Lehrer