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Emotional colouration of consciousness: how feelings come about
Abstract
This chapter discusses how the brain consciously feels emotions. It argues that feelings are, in most cases, emotionally coloured cognitions, and that emotional consciousness is just a particular instance of cognitive awareness rather than a separate form of awareness mediated by a distinct neural system. It defines emotions, justify a focus on fear, explains that a fearful feeling is an emotionally coloured cognition, argues that working memory provides a useful framework for accounting for the emotional colouration of cognition, and considers the relation of language to consciousness and feelings.
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“…and motivated states have profound effects on the brain, recruiting widespread areas into the service of the immediate situation, monopolizing and/or synchronizing brain resources, has been proposed previously (Gallistel, 1980; Maturana and Varela, 1987; Scherer, 2000; LeDoux, 2002, 2008).”
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A little history goes a long way toward understanding why we study consciousness the way we do today
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Metadata
- Authors
- LeDoux, J.
- Corresponding author
- LeDoux, Joseph
- ORCID
- LeDoux, Joseph
- Venue
- Frontiers of ConsciousnessChichele Lectures
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Published
- 2008-10-16
- Pages
- 69-130
- OpenAlex
- W2485742160
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 4.41
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Oxford University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Cognitive Science and Education Research
- Keywords
- emotional awareness, feelings, emotions, fear, cognitive awareness, working memory, language and consciousness, neural basis of emotion, philosophy of mind
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