The Prisoners of Emotion: History of the Survival of Humanity

Emotion accompanied humanity long before language, reason, and civilisation. It was through emotion that we learned to recognise danger, protect ourselves, form bonds and, ultimately, survive. The Prisoners of Emotion: History of the Survival of Humanity proposes a pioneering journey into the origins and evolution of human emotion, argues Prof. Freitas-Magalhães, considered the world’s leading expert today by Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology and the Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, by Elsevier, Oxford, in this extraordinary book on the great neurobiological architecture connecting emotion, brain, face, behaviour, culture, and survival. Starting from the idea that what emotionally constrains us is also what enabled us to survive as a species, the author traces the history of humanity through the Facial Brain Theory, Survival Triangle Theory, Face-Mirror Theory, Neurocultural Theory, Neuromicroexpressions, and F-M FACS 6.0 — The Facial Brain Coding System, showing how emotion preceded conscious reflection and became a fundamental force in human adaptation, communication, and social organisation. Emotion made us survive. Consciousness allows us to understand why.