G. S.

A Couple of Gems Buried Under Speculation

Revisado: 06-16-18

First off, the premise that emotions aren't universal, aren't set in stone and do not control us is an invaluable one to consider immediately, especially to the extent that this book aims to (including how it affects convictions, sentencing, and gender stereotypes). Dr. Barrett is passionate about challenging the status quo in order to, for example, address connections that are observed in chronic illness (including that of depression and anxiety), but have yet to be explained.
Her concepts, like that of a body budget and emotional granularity, are what every person should be well acquainted with in order to become healthier. The value of these concepts cannot be overstated.

Weaknesses of this book lie in two things:

A. The ratio between speculation and actual detailed data
It's frustrating to hear brief, rushed mentions of evidence and studies without much detail. Most of the time, she will mention only one study for each large claim. Dr. Barrett gives us glimpses and then rushes on to elaborate at great length on her own hypotheticals. I lost count of how many times she writes things like "it's possible" and the straightforward "I speculate that."
This leads to some moments of weak reasoning veiled in rhetoric. Here are some examples:
1. Dr. Barrett had to take her daughter to the doctor frequently when she was a toddler for ear infections. The exam, done gently, increased her pain. Soon she recognized where they were going and would cry before they even arrived. This is proof that her daughter created the pain of the exam in her brain and felt it before there was the external simulation that would cause the pain and that is why she cried beforehand. Hence, people can create the feeling of pain in their brains. No more evidence. Case closed.
2. Dr. Barrett will paint a picture of what it's like in the mind of a person with autism through the lens of her claims, followed by her explicit statement that this is what it must be like because it matches some of the things said by some people with autism. Case closed.
As a high school teacher, I require that students look for evidence in the articles and books they research and to check that claims and evidence connect logically. Sadly, there isn't much here.

B. Dr. Barrett's ego which is mostly exhibited in three ways:
1. Name dropping, often tactlessly. Lack of data on people with autism? Mention an anecdote from Temple Grandin. Need an example of someone emoting? Use the example of the mayor of Newtown, Connecticut after the Sandy Hook shooting. Use it repeatedly. To persuade readers to take up your scientific cause. There are more examples, often to garner pop culture cred.
2. Personal examples, often to prove herself as an example as a great parent (you should do as she has done) and as a brave, outspoken scientist (Is it necessary to hear how another scientist offered to politically attack her over her ideas only to hear her 'clever' comeback?).
3. Her sense of humor. Admittedly, it's part of her voice and fortunately it's restrained here, but it still makes it less enjoyable to listen to. Look up her lectures online and you'll see Dr. Barrett chastise audiences for not laughing at her flat, unfunny jokes, reminiscent of Jed Bush telling an audience when to clap.

The success of this book lies in the value of the core concepts, but what would set these concepts on fire would be less messenger and more evidence.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas