Shift

Starred review from November 18, 2024
Far from being the enemy of rational thought, emotions are actually valuable “guides through life’s most consequential moments,” according to this illuminating guide. Neuroscientist Kross (Chatter) examines how emotions evolved in humans to drive attention to key priorities—anxiety “helps us marshal an adaptive response to either approach or avoid” threats, for example—and become problematic when they are outsize, distracting, self-perpetuating, or uncontrolled. He provides readers with strategies for better managing their emotions, including using a sensory stimulus like drinking something sweet to boost one’s mood, mentally reframing negative situations (thinking about “how you’ll feel about a stressor some time down the road” alters one’s emotions in the present), and leaving a location if it’s reinforcing an “unwanted emotional response.” Kross makes valuable use of his own research to debunk myths about emotions (for example, that anxiety is inherently pathological, and that feelings must be confronted because avoiding them inevitably prolongs suffering) while reinforcing their fundamental value. This will be a boon to readers looking to take better charge of their inner lives.