Huberman Lab · 2026-08-17 · Andrew Huberman (host), Ralph Adolphs

Neuroscience of Emotions & Tools for Improving Emotion Regulation| Dr. Ralph Adolphs

42 research-tied claims examined: 4 contradicted 2 overstated 4 context 31 supported 1 unverified

1 No source found (not proven false)
1:06:38Ralph Adolphsunverifiedlow

In 1884, William James published the paper 'What is an Emotion?' in the journal Mind, proposing that emotional experience is the conscious perception of antecedent bodily changes.

"This was the original theory that William James had back in 1884. He wrote this paper in Mind, 'What is an Emotion?' And his theory was that you see the bear, you run away, your heart rate goes up, and then you feel the emotion, which is a consequence of you perceiving all the changes in your body that happened first." (said at 1:06:38)

A search of PubMed and Europe PMC records did not retrieve an indexed abstract detailing William James's 1884 seminal publication 'What is an Emotion?' in the journal Mind or its specific textual quotes. While this is a widely recognized foundational text in the history of psychology and the James-Lange theory of emotion (which famously argued that emotional feeling results from the perception of bodily changes following a stimulus such as a bear), no indexed PubMed record containing these specific historical publication details was retrieved within the tool search limits. This verdict reflects the absence of a verified PubMed abstract rather than proving the historical claim false.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.