FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2012
Contact: Jason A. Smith, communications director, 608.263.1692 x21
Jennifer Smith, Academy Evenings director, 608.263.1692 x12
MADISON—Though everyone experiences emotions, people often respond in strikingly different ways to common but crucial life events, such as falling in love or losing a job. What accounts for our wildly varying reactions to similar situations? In his latest book, Dr. Richard Davidson (along with co-author Sharon Begley) explores these issues through the lens of emotional “styles,” composed of individual dimensions like resilience, attention, and self-awareness. The brain-research pioneer and Wisconsin Academy Fellow offers a new model for our emotions: their origins, their power, and how we can change them if we wish.
Dr. Davidson gives us a new and useful way to look at ourselves, develop a sense of well-being, and live more meaningful lives in his first public talk connected with his new book, The Emotional Life of Your Brain, on Tuesday, April 3, in Madison from 7:00–8:30 pm. Copies of Davidson’s book will be available for sale and a book signing will immediately follow the talk.
Davidson’s Academy Evening talk, presented by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters in partnership with the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, is free and open to the public. This is a non-ticketed event and seats are first-come, first-served. The event takes place in Varsity Hall II in Union South on the UW–Madison campus, 1308 W. Dayton Street There is paid parking in the garage underneath Union South (enter on Dayton St.). There is also free parking (after 4:30 pm) in Lot 17 (1525 Engineering Drive ramp), Lot 16 (48 N. Randall Ave.) and Lot 20 (1390 University Ave. ramp). For a map of UW parking locations with more complete details, visit map.wisc.edu.
About the Speaker
Richard Davidson, PhD, is a William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at UW–Madison. He has published more than 250 articles, chapters and reviews, has edited thirteen books, and is the author of the new book (with Sharon Begley) The Emotional Life of Your Brain (Penguin, 2012). Davidson has received numerous awards for his research, including the most distinguished award for science given by the American Psychological Association, the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award. In 2003 Davidson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and he became a Fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters the following year. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006, the year he was also awarded the first Mani Bhaumik Award by UCLA for advancing the understanding of the brain and conscious mind in healing.
About Academy Evenings
Academy Evening talks engage the public in a wide variety of topics of public interest and feature leading thinkers, scholars, and artists. These free forums are intended to encourage interaction with these leaders in an intimate atmosphere that fosters discussion and builds community. The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters sponsors Academy Evenings regularly in Overture Center for the Arts in Madison and at other venues across the state. For more information on Academy Evenings, visit wisconsinacademy.org/talks.
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