Author Description
What produces emotions? Why do we have emotions? How do we have emotions? Why do emotional states feel like something? What is the relation between emotion, and reward value, and subjective feelings of pleasure? How is the value of a good represented in the brain? Will neuroeconomics replace classical microeconomics? How does the brain implement decision-making? Are gene-defined rewards and emotions in the interests of the genes, and does rational multistep planning enable us to go beyond selfish genes to long-term plans and social contracts in the interests of the individual? This book seeks explanations of emotion and decision-making by considering these questions. The topics covered include: The nature of emotion, and a theory of emotion The functions of emotion, including a Darwinian theory of the adaptive value of emotion, which helps to illuminate many aspects of brain design and behaviour The brain mechanisms of emotion Affective states and motivated behaviour: hunger and sexual behaviour The pharmacology of emotion, and brain mechanisms for action Neuroeconomics, and the foundation of economic value Decision-making Emotional feelings, and consciousness Neural networks involved in emotion The book will be valuable for those in the fields of neuroscience and neurology, psychology, psychiatry, and philosophy
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the biological and neural foundations of emotion and decision-making to explain how the brain represents value and generates subjective feelings. Edmund T. Rolls, a prominent neuroscientist, utilizes a multidisciplinary framework that integrates evolutionary biology, neurophysiology, and economic theory. He argues that emotions are adaptive mechanisms evolved to facilitate decision-making, and he explores how these processes interact with rational planning and social behavior.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A comprehensive theory of emotion based on reward value and brain design
- Analysis of neuroeconomic principles and their relation to classical microeconomics
- Examination of neural networks involved in motivation, hunger, and sexual behavior
- Discussion on the intersection of gene-defined rewards and conscious, long-term planning
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a clinical guide for treating emotional disorders
- It does not focus on sociological or cultural interpretations of emotion outside of evolutionary biology
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this work as a rigorous, technically dense synthesis of neurobiological research on affect and choice. Readers frequently note that the text serves as a foundational resource for those seeking to understand the computational and physiological mechanisms underlying human behavior.
Page Count:
728
Publication Date:
2013-01-01
ISBN-10:
0191635154
ISBN-13:
9780191635151
Psychology
Allied Health
Neuroscience
Neuroeconomics
Medical
Philosophy of
Decision Making