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!

About this episode

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 Fact Check: https://stevenbartlett.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/DOAC-Lisa-Feldman-Barrett-Independent-Research-further-reading.pdf 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