The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett Top Neuroscientist: Anxiety Is A Predictive Error In The Brain! Heres The Proof Your Brain Is Faking Trauma! Your Whole Life Might Be A Prediction!
Apr 17, 2025
02:07:49
What if your anxiety isn’t fear, and your trauma might not be real? Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett reveals how your brain creates emotional illusions.
Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is a Professor of Psychology and one of the top 0.1% most cited scientists in the world for her groundbreaking research in psychology and neuroscience. She is also the author of bestselling books including ‘Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain’.
She explains:
Why anxiety is a predictive error, not a signal of fear
The shocking truth about childhood trauma and memory distortion
How trauma can be socially contagious and spread between people
Why you do not actually have full free will over your decisions
How your brain constantly builds your emotional reality
00:00 Intro
02:22 Lisa's Mission
04:14 Why Is It Important to Understand How the Brain Works?
10:48 Measuring Emotions
13:55 What Is the Predictive Brain?
16:08 Examples of the Brain Making Predictions
24:13 Is the Predictive Brain at the Root of Trauma?
31:27 Cultural Inheritance, Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression
36:29 How Reframing Past Events Can Change Identity
42:41 Meaning as a Consequence of Action
44:11 How to Overcome Fear by Taking Action
45:43 Prediction Error
47:37 Learning Through Exposure
49:47 Dangers of Social Contagion
54:06 Anxiety in the Context of Social Contagion
58:33 Is Social Media Programming Us to Be Sad?
1:02:08 Ads
1:03:03 First Step to Overcoming Mental Health Issues
1:05:18 Chronic Pain
1:08:23 What Is Depression?
1:09:17 Body Budgeting and Body Bankruptcy
1:12:26 How Stress Contributes to Weight Gain
1:15:00 Depression in Adolescents
1:17:02 Is Depression a Chemical Imbalance?
1:18:30 The Story of Lisa's Daughter
1:21:09 Oral Birth Control as a Risk Factor for Depression
1:24:07 How Lisa Helped Her Daughter Overcome Depression
1:29:11 Social Support
1:35:26 Lisa's Daughter's Recovery from Depression
1:39:12 Does Alcohol Affect the Body Budget and Increase Depression Risk?
1:42:45 Ads
1:44:00 Can People Change Emotions by Smiling?
1:45:49 Lisa's Perspective on ADHD
1:48:01 The Power of Words to Facilitate Emotion
1:52:26 Stress as a Burden to the Metabolic Budget
1:53:27 Lisa's View on God and Religion
1:54:25 What Is the Meaning of Life in Lisa's Opinion?
1:59:32 Question from the Previous Guest
Follow Dr Lisa:
X - https://g2ul0.app.link/JlkAHKXhCSb
Website - https://g2ul0.app.link/TWOO6vZhCSb
You can purchase Dr Lisa’s book, ‘Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/35oJGs4hCSb
The 1% Diary is back – limited time only:
https://bit.ly/1-Diary-Megaphone-ad-r…
The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition):
https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Get email updates: https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt
Think like a CEO – join the 100 CEOs newsletter: https://bit.ly/100-ceos-newsletter
Follow Steven: https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Independent research:
lisafeldmanbarrett.tiiny.co
Sponsors:
Ekster - http://partner.ekster.com/DOAC and use code STEVEN to get an extra 10% off on top of their current Spring sale
Shopify - https://shopify.com/bartlett
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theexperienceplus.substack.com
Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is a Professor of Psychology and one of the top 0.1% most cited scientists in the world for her groundbreaking research in psychology and neuroscience. She is also the author of bestselling books including ‘Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain’.
She explains:
Why anxiety is a predictive error, not a signal of fear
The shocking truth about childhood trauma and memory distortion
How trauma can be socially contagious and spread between people
Why you do not actually have full free will over your decisions
How your brain constantly builds your emotional reality
00:00 Intro
02:22 Lisa's Mission
04:14 Why Is It Important to Understand How the Brain Works?
10:48 Measuring Emotions
13:55 What Is the Predictive Brain?
16:08 Examples of the Brain Making Predictions
24:13 Is the Predictive Brain at the Root of Trauma?
31:27 Cultural Inheritance, Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression
36:29 How Reframing Past Events Can Change Identity
42:41 Meaning as a Consequence of Action
44:11 How to Overcome Fear by Taking Action
45:43 Prediction Error
47:37 Learning Through Exposure
49:47 Dangers of Social Contagion
54:06 Anxiety in the Context of Social Contagion
58:33 Is Social Media Programming Us to Be Sad?
1:02:08 Ads
1:03:03 First Step to Overcoming Mental Health Issues
1:05:18 Chronic Pain
1:08:23 What Is Depression?
1:09:17 Body Budgeting and Body Bankruptcy
1:12:26 How Stress Contributes to Weight Gain
1:15:00 Depression in Adolescents
1:17:02 Is Depression a Chemical Imbalance?
1:18:30 The Story of Lisa's Daughter
1:21:09 Oral Birth Control as a Risk Factor for Depression
1:24:07 How Lisa Helped Her Daughter Overcome Depression
1:29:11 Social Support
1:35:26 Lisa's Daughter's Recovery from Depression
1:39:12 Does Alcohol Affect the Body Budget and Increase Depression Risk?
1:42:45 Ads
1:44:00 Can People Change Emotions by Smiling?
1:45:49 Lisa's Perspective on ADHD
1:48:01 The Power of Words to Facilitate Emotion
1:52:26 Stress as a Burden to the Metabolic Budget
1:53:27 Lisa's View on God and Religion
1:54:25 What Is the Meaning of Life in Lisa's Opinion?
1:59:32 Question from the Previous Guest
Follow Dr Lisa:
X - https://g2ul0.app.link/JlkAHKXhCSb
Website - https://g2ul0.app.link/TWOO6vZhCSb
You can purchase Dr Lisa’s book, ‘Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/35oJGs4hCSb
The 1% Diary is back – limited time only:
https://bit.ly/1-Diary-Megaphone-ad-r…
The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition):
https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Get email updates: https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt
Think like a CEO – join the 100 CEOs newsletter: https://bit.ly/100-ceos-newsletter
Follow Steven: https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Independent research:
lisafeldmanbarrett.tiiny.co
Sponsors:
Ekster - http://partner.ekster.com/DOAC and use code STEVEN to get an extra 10% off on top of their current Spring sale
Shopify - https://shopify.com/bartlett
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theexperienceplus.substack.com