Book of Human Emotions

Author(s): Tiffany Watt Smith

Popular Psychology

Recent research suggests there are only six basic emotions. But if this makes you feel uneasy, suspicious and maybe even a little bereft, The Book of Human Emotions is for you. From anger to wanderlust, each entertaining and informative alphabetical entry reveals the surprising connections and fascinating facts behind our emotional lives.  Whether you're in search of the perfect word to sum up that cosy feeling you get from being inside on a cold winter's night, surrounded by friends and good food (what the Dutch call gezellig), or wondering how nostalgia evolved from a fatal illness to enjoyable self-indulgence, Tiffany Watt Smith covers the globe and draws on history, anthropology, science, art, literature, music and popular culture to find the answers. Each emotion has its own story, part of a vast, rich and varied field, influencing every area of our lives. In reading it, you'll discover feelings you never knew you had (like basoerxia, the sudden urge to kiss someone) and gain unexpected insights into why we feel the way we do. Published in partnership with the Wellcome Collection, a free museum and library that aims to challenge how we think and feel about health. Inspired by the medical objects and curiosities collected by Henry Wellcome, it connects science, medicine, life and art. Wellcome Collection exhibitions, events and books explore a diverse range of subjects, including consciousness, forensic medicine, emotions, sexology, identity and death. Wellcome Collection is part of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation that exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive, funding over 14,000 researchers and projects in more than 70 countries.wellcomecollection.org


Product Information

Now available in paperback: let Tiffany Watt Smith guide you through the history, politics, art, literature and philosophy of 156 emotions from around the world, from Iktsuarpok to Indignation

[Watt Smith] treats each emotion with the expertise of a wine taster, showing how it is formed from a mixture of many other emotions -- Craig Brown Mail on Sunday

So riveting are these miniature essays exploring 156 emotions that if anyone interrupts your reading, you'll probably feel irritated ... Educative, entertaining. --Observer

Delightful --Prima

A brilliant book -- Roisin Ingle Irish Times

Witty, informative, undogmatic and thought-provoking, this wonderful book should convince us that emotions are never just neural events. -- Jane O'Grady Times Higher Education

Tiffany Watt Smith is research fellow at the QMUL Centre for the History of the Emotions, and was also a 2014 BBC New Generation Thinker. Before beginning her career in academia, she worked as a theatre director for seven years, including stints as Associate Director at the Arcola Theatre and International Associate Director at the Royal Court. She lives in London. The Book of Human Emotions is published in association with Wellcome Collection, a free visitor destination that explores the connections between medicine, life and art. In 2012, its critically acclaimed programme of events and exhibitions welcomed over 490,000 visitors.

General Fields

  • : 9781781251300
  • : Profile Books Limited
  • : Profile Books Ltd
  • : August 2016
  • : United Kingdom
  • : September 2016
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Tiffany Watt Smith
  • : Paperback
  • : Main
  • : English
  • : 152.4
  • : 320