Good Reasons for Bad Feelings: Summary Review
This is a summary review of Good Reasons for Bad Feelings containing key details about the book.
What is Good Reasons for Bad Feelings About?
"Good Reasons for Bad Feelings: Insights from the Frontier of Evolutionary Psychiatry" by Randolph M. Nesse, MD, is a book that explores the role of emotions in our lives and how they have evolved over time to help us survive and thrive. The author argues that many of the negative emotions we experience, such as fear, anger, and guilt, are not flaws in our design, but rather have important functions in our lives.
Good Reasons for Bad Feelings will fascinate anyone who wonders how our minds can be so powerful, yet so fragile, and how love and goodness came to exist in organisms shaped to maximize Darwinian fitness. Drawing on revealing stories from his own clinical practice and insights from evolutionary biology, Nesse shows how negative emotions are useful in certain situations, yet can become excessive. Anxiety protects us from harm in the face of danger, but false alarms are inevitable.
Summary Points & Takeaways from Good Reasons for Bad Feelings
Some key summary points and takeaways from the book include:
* Emotions have evolved to help us survive and thrive: Negative emotions serve an important adaptive function in our lives, helping us respond to danger, avoid threats, and make necessary changes to improve our well-being.
* Emotions are not always rational: Our emotions are not always in line with the facts of a situation, and they can be influenced by our past experiences, cultural norms, and other factors.
* Emotions can be controlled and regulated: We can learn to regulate our emotions and use them to our advantage, rather than being controlled by them.
* Mental disorders often result from dysregulation of emotions: Mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, can often be traced back to dysregulation of emotions. Understanding the evolutionary function of emotions can help us develop more effective treatments.
* Emotions play a critical role in shaping our behavior: Our emotions play a critical role in shaping our behavior, influencing the decisions we make, and guiding our relationships with others.
* Overall, "Good Reasons for Bad Feelings" offers a unique perspective on the role of emotions in our lives and helps us understand why we experience negative emotions and how we can learn to regulate and use them to our advantage.
Who is the author of Good Reasons for Bad Feelings?
Randolph M. Nesse is an American physician, scientist and author who is notable for his role as a founder of the field of evolutionary medicine and evolutionary psychiatry.
Book details
- Print length: 384 pages
- Genre: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science
What are the chapters in Good Reasons for Bad Feelings?
Chapter 1 A New Question
Chapter 2 Are Mental Disorders Diseases?
Chapter 3 Why Are Minds So Vulnerable?
Chapter 4 Good Reasons for Bad Feelings
Chapter 5 Anxiety and Smoke Detectors
Chapter 6 Low Mood and the Art of Giving Up
Chapter 7 Bad Feelings for No Good Reason: When the Moodostat Fails
Chapter 8 How to Understand an Individual Human Being
Chapter 9 Guilt and Grief: The Price of Goodness and Love
Chapter 10 Know Thyself— NOT!
Chapter 11 Bad Sex Can Be Good— for Our Genes
Chapter 12 Primal Appetites
Chapter 13 Good Feelings for Bad Reasons
Chapter 14 inds Unbalanced on Fitness Cliffs
What is a good quote from Good Reasons for Bad Feelings
Top Quote: “Like fever and pain, anxiety and low mood are useful normal responses to some situations.” (Meaning) - Good Reasons for Bad Feelings Quotes, Randolph M. Nesse, MD
What do critics say?
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: “Clear and engaging, and the narrative reflects a masterful blend of history, novel ideas, and clinical experience in an insightful and coherent manner. I hope it is widely read and discussed." - Eric Charnov, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Evolutionary Ecology, University of Utah, MacArthur Fellow
* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you're interested in enhancing your personal growth, I suggest checking out my list of favorite self-development books. These books have been instrumental in my own personal development and I'm confident they can help you too.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
