Presented as part of the Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
Featuring Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, renowned psychologist, neuroscientist, best-selling author, and University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University, in conversation with Jeff Aronin, Aspen Institute Trustee and founder, chairman, and CEO of Paragon Biosciences. Drawing from her book, “How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain,” Dr. Barrett challenges traditional ideas about emotions — revealing how they are not hardwired but actively constructed by our brains based on culture, experience, and environment. In this conversation, she will explain the science behind emotional regulation, how understanding this process can significantly improve mental and physical health, and practical strategies for cultivating emotional well-being. Dr. Barrett will also explore her innovative research on the brain’s “energy budgeting,” shedding light on why managing our mental and physical resources is essential for reducing fatigue, stress, and burnout. She will offer insights into optimizing vitality through intentional adjustments in nutrition, movement, and mindset, empowering us to take charge of our health and emotional resilience in daily life.
Paepcke Auditorium, doors at 5:30 pm

While attendance at the event is free and open to everyone, registration is required, and capacity is established on a first-come, first-served basis. Register here.

Parking
Parking is very limited. Please carpool, walk, bike, or ride RFTA.

You can purchase her latest book “How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain” here. Books will also be available for purchase at the event. Book signing to follow.

“Ms. Barrett writes clearly, with compelling examples and stories, and helps bring us all up to speed on most of the major developments in the field of emotion studies. Her book is a thought-provoking journey into emotion science.”— Wall Street Journal

“How Emotions are Made did what all great books do. It took a subject I thought I understood and turned my understanding upside down.”— Malcolm Gladwell

Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, is a University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University with research appointments in the departments of psychiatry and radiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). For the last seven several years, Dr. Barrett has been among the top 1% most-cited scientists worldwide for her research in psychology and neuroscience. She has received numerous awards, including a Director’s Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health for transformative research, a Guggenheim Fellowship in neuroscience, and the William James Fellow Award for lifetime scientific contributions. Dr. Barrett is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada, and a number of other honorific societies. Her TED talk has been viewed more than 7 million times to date. Colleagues have called Dr. Barrett “the William James of our time” and “the deepest thinker on the nature of emotion since Darwin.”

Jeffrey S. Aronin is a bioscience entrepreneur known for innovating, developing and commercializing a record number of novel neurology medicines that improve the lives of seriously ill patients who have few or no treatments options. In 2017, Jeff founded Paragon Biosciences, where he is chairman and chief executive officer. Paragon is a global life science leader that creates, builds and funds innovative biology-based companies. It accelerates scientific breakthroughs to solve some of society’s most challenging medical problems. Paragon’s portfolio of high-growth companies includes Harmony Biosciences (NASDAQ: HRMY), Emalex Biosciences and CiRC Biosciences.

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