Paul Ekman on the Takeaway

Listen to Paul Ekman on The Takeaway, co-produced by WNYC, PRI, New York Times, & WGBH Friday May 20, 2016:

What is the Atlas of Emotions and why did the Dalai Lama ask Dr. Paul Ekman to create it?

The Atlas of Emotions entails making us aware of the complexity of this very intimate part of ourselves. The Dalai Lama’s belief is that by introducing awareness, we introduce choice. It’s only when we’re unaware of what we’re feeling that we act without choice or consideration in sometimes regrettable ways. If we had a map of our emotions, that might help us get to a more calm state of mind.

What did you begin studying that got you on your way to render this Atlas of Emotions?

I started in the mid 60’s research on specific emotions. The focus was on what we could see and face is our best tool. We can learn more about how someone is feeling from someone’s face than an MRI.

Listen above to learn more about the vision and purpose behind the Atlas of Emotions!

Learn more about Paul Ekman’s emotion research mentioned above and his tools to know how someone is feeling here.