Was love invented by European poets in the Middle Ages or is it part of human nature? Will winning the lottery really make you happy? Is it possible to build robots that have feelings? In this Very Sort Introduction Dylan Evans explores these and many other intriguing questions in this guide to the latest thinking about the emotions. Drawing on a wide range of scientific research, from anthropology and psychology to neuroscience and artificial

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"The state of the world makes it difficult to look on the bright side. If there is a bright side perhaps it is that we have come to see the virtues of previously taboo emotions such as anger, sadness, anguish, anxiety, and grief. According to philosopher Mariana Alessandri, we're beginning to see that they are not evils to be avoided but valuable and sometimes even productive states. Many of us are coming to see that our darker feelings have something...