Product Description

Using 40 years of groundbreaking research, Paul Ekman explores why and when we become emotional and what happens when we do - the external signs and facial expressions. So much of what we communicate is non-verbal. In this very practical book, Paul Ekman helps the reader to observe the underlying, concealed emotions that we can observe in those around us, and understand why our bodies react in the ways they do. EMOTIONS REVEALED also helps the reader to identify why they might feel 'overly' emotional in some situations, and why some people wear their heart on their sleeve whilst others manage to conceal their feelings, even from those close to them. Chapters include 'when do we get emotional?' 'Changing what we become emotional about' as well as 'Anger' 'Fear', 'Surpise' and 'Happiness'. Most importantly, it shows how we can apply this understanding to everyday situations to improve our quality of life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3188 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Psychologist and author of Emotions Revealed, Paul Ekman has been studying emotion for over 40 years specialising in the expression, and more recently on the physiology, of emotion. It shows. Emotions Revealed focuses on the universal emotions--the ones experienced by all human beings and for which there are clear universal expressions (sadness, anger, surprise, fear, disgust, contempt and enjoyment). The goal of the book is to help the reader better understand and improve their emotional lives in practical ways.

The fascinating opening chapter describes the history and development of Ekman's research and things just get more and more interesting as we get closer to the emotions themselves. He leads us to the big questions: Why do we become emotional when we do? What triggers each of our emotions and how and when we can change what we become emotional? Will emotion always, somehow (in a "micro-expression" perhaps) reveal itself? Ekman also explains how we can become more attentive to our emotions as we have them and so increase the possibility of behaving in emotionally more constructive ways.

Having prepared the territory Ekman then moves to physiological ground explaining that each emotion has unique signals, most readily identified in the face and voice, that generate a unique pattern of sensations in our body. By becoming better acquainted with those sensations we may become aware early enough in our emotional response that we have some chance to choose, if we like, whether to go along or interfere with the emotion. We are also made aware of the connection this process has to the Buddhist practice and ideal of "mindfulness" through Ekman's discussions with the Dalai Lama. The appendix contains a set of photographs designed to test our skill at spotting the subtlest signs of the various emotions which the reader is advised to take before beginning the book. --Larry Brown

From the Inside Flap
Recall a time when you were blissfully happy, utterly despondent, or furiously angry - a single, raw emotion can be an incredibly powerful thing to experience. Whatever culture or background we come from, emotions play a vital role in all of our lives and more specifically in every relationship and interaction that takes place within them. They can add colour and drama to our existence whether subtly or passionately felt, but they can also be incredibly confusing and even damaging. In Emotions Revealed, Paul Ekman, a world-renowned psychologist and expert on non verbal communication, draws on forty years of groundbreaking research to provide a revealing, fascinating and above all, practical tour. In doing so, he explores when and why we become emotional and what happens when we do, from the changes that occur inside our bodies to the signals that we give through our body language, voices and our faces - the muscle movements of which can be combined into more than 10,000 configurations. Within the pages of this stunning and mind-opening book, Ekman answers such questions as: What are the most common emotional triggers and is it possible to bring them under control? Why do we sometimes become overly emotional or experience an emotional response that is inappropriate and can we do anything about it? Why are some people good at masking their emotions, while others wear their hearts on their sleeves? Emotions Revealed contains a test to find out how good you are at spotting emotions, help in recognising and understanding their subtlest signs in ourselves and others, and exercises to improve your awareness of the bodily sensations they produce. Most importantly of all, it contains information on how to apply all of this to everyday life - we couldn't live without our emotions, but it is possible to live better with them. PAUL EKMAN is a professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California Medical School, California. He has received many honours, including the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award of the American Psychological Association, and was recently listed among the top one hundred most influential psychologists of the twentieth century. A world-renowned expert on facial expression, deception and emotion, Ekman has, in course of forty years of research, studied the faces of New Guinea tribesmen, schizophrenic patients, spies, serial killers and assassins. He is a frequent advisor to government agencies such as the FBI and the CIA, to police, antiterrorism groups and corporations including the animation studio Pixar. The author or editor of thirteen previous books, he has also consulted on and appeared in many television programmes in both the UK and US. He lives in Oakland California.

From the Back Cover
'A charming, sound, sane map to the world of emotions, the perfect guide.' DANIEL GOLEMAN, Author of Emtional Intelligence 'Emotions Revealed showcases Paul Ekman's forty years of academic research and great common sense, providing a fascinating and enormously helpful picture of our emotional lives.' JOHN CLEESE 'Paul Ekman is one of those rare thinkers who can connect what scientists have learned with what the rest of us wonder about in our everyday lives. If you read this book, you'll never look at other people in quite the same way again. Emotions Revealed is a tour de force.' MALCOLM GLADWELL 'No one in the world has studied facial expressions as deeply as Paul Ekman. In Emotions Revealed he presents - clearly, vividly and in the most accessible way - his fascinating observations about the overt and covert expressions of emotions we all encounter hundreds of times daily, but so often misunderstand or fail to see. There has not been a book on this subject of such range and insight since Darwin's famous Expression of the Emotions more than a century ago.' OLIVER SACKS

Customer Reviews

Fascinating study
As far as I am concerned, the book was an eye-opener. After all, it IS possible to understand what other people feel! The book is just brilliant. Not only invaluable practical tips on how to read emotions from the face, but also theoretical and phylosophical aspects of the study of emotions are presented. I personally very much appreciate the subchapters on how to use the information we get from the facial expressions; the advices given there made me think about myself and my relations with other people. This book makes communication with people much more interesting and more complete. Definite must-read for those interested!

Everyone should own a copy
Can't recommend the book enough - everyone should own a copy. I learnt so much about myself and why I mishandle certain situations - brilliant.

Good but repetitive
An interesting addition to the growing modern catalogue of work on the emotions. An interesting and thorough book but perhaps a little repetitive. It feels as though it could have been done in half the pages but then he couldn't have warranted his hardback.

The use of pictures though is an important addition to emotion research, and helps to illustrate the idea of evolutionary, homologous, instincts.