Getting emotional

What science says about the power of emotions

Are emotions too “slippery” to study? Might their effect on people’s health be overstated? The world’s leading scientists on the biology of emotion, gathering in Madison this week for a symposium, would respond to both questions with a resounding “no.”

The “Affective Neuroscience” symposium will feature discussions on the latest hard-science findings demonstrating the biological underpinnings of emotion and the profound effects positive and negative feelings can have on human health. The latest advances used to identify brain systems associated with different emotions will also be described.

“The newest technology is giving us exquisite views of the brain at the moment emotions are occurring,” says UW Medical School’s Ned Kalin, director of the HealthEmotions Research Institute, which is sponsoring the symposium. “We’re learning that emotions play an even greater role than we thought in influencing physiological systems that make people either resilient or susceptible to disease.”

Kicking off the symposium, best-selling author Daniel Goleman will present a public talk on the subject of his book Emotional Intelligence, April 16, at 4 p.m., in the auditorium of the State Historical Society. In that book, the former New York Times science writer argues that human skills like self- awareness, self-discipline, persistence and empathy are of greater consequence than IQ in much of life.

Symposium presenters will discuss their latest research findings, including brain-imaging studies on the effect of antidepressants; brain areas that are more adaptable than others; areas of the brain that may be associated with vulnerability and resilience; and areas related to positive drive that may provide insights into drug addiction.

Special efforts have been made this year to encourage broad student participation in the symposium, not only by UW–Madison students, says Kalin. The Institute is underwriting costs for 14 of the most highly qualified graduate, medical and post-graduate students in the country interested in studying emotions.