The Pulse

Range of Emotion


Listen Later

Emotions are fleeting — they can bubble up seemingly out of nowhere and change quickly. Studying them is challenging, but it’s also important. Emotions not only shape our day-to-day lives, they also influence our behavior, the decisions we make, and the relationships that sustain us. Sometimes, they can be overwhelming — so knowing what fuels them offers us a better chance of getting a handle on them.

Increasingly, understanding emotions is also a big business — it can make the difference in how an election swings, or the direction of the stock market, which means lots of people want to understand how to tap into them.

On this episode: what researchers are learning about emotions — why it’s so challenging and what we can gain from it. We hear stories about what makes studying emotions so difficult, new theories of where they come from, and the future of emotion-sensing AI.

Also heard on this week’s episode:

  • Researchers who study emotions face a whole host of challenges, from ethical restrictions, to a lack of shared understanding of how emotions are expressed. Reporter Jad Sleiman finds out what makes studying emotions so slippery, and how scientists are forging ahead.
  • Where do emotions come from? We have long thought of them as reactions that are universal, and hardwired into our brains. We hear from neuroscientist, psychologist, and leading emotions researcher Lisa Feldman Barrett who is challenging those ideas with her “theory of constructed emotion.”
  • Emotions are big business, shaping everything from elections to the economy — which is why a growing number of companies are developing artificial intelligence capable of “reading” the public’s emotions. We talk with Cognovi Labs CEO Beni Gradwohl and their Chief Psychology Officer Nirit Pisano about how they’re using machine learning to mine people’s written communications and social media posts for emotions.
  • We talk with AI expert Kate Crawford about the limitations of emotion-sensing AI that seeks to interpret facial expressions — and why it could be something to worry about. Her book is called “Atlas of AI.”
  • We get a sneak peek at the upcoming Netflix movie “Spiderhead” which offers a terrifying take on manipulating emotions. Therapist Brittney Brownfield from the podcast “Popcorn Psychology” says the film brings up a lot of interesting themes.
  • ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    The PulseBy WHYY

    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6

    4.6

    290 ratings


    More shows like The Pulse

    View all
    Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

    Science Friday

    6,185 Listeners

    On the Media by WNYC Studios

    On the Media

    9,163 Listeners

    KERA's Think by KERA

    KERA's Think

    915 Listeners

    On Point | Podcast by WBUR

    On Point | Podcast

    3,925 Listeners

    Voices in the Family by WHYY

    Voices in the Family

    38 Listeners

    Radiolab by WNYC Studios

    Radiolab

    43,774 Listeners

    This American Life by This American Life

    This American Life

    90,802 Listeners

    Fresh Air by NPR

    Fresh Air

    37,888 Listeners

    The Moth by The Moth

    The Moth

    27,078 Listeners

    TED Radio Hour by NPR

    TED Radio Hour

    21,906 Listeners

    Reveal by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

    Reveal

    8,247 Listeners

    Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

    Hidden Brain

    43,337 Listeners

    The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

    The New Yorker Radio Hour

    6,624 Listeners

    Eleanor Amplified by WHYY

    Eleanor Amplified

    2,198 Listeners

    1A by NPR

    1A

    4,630 Listeners

    Throughline by NPR

    Throughline

    16,109 Listeners

    Short Wave by NPR

    Short Wave

    6,211 Listeners

    A.I. Nation by WHYY

    A.I. Nation

    192 Listeners