Book · 2016 · Language Arts & Disciplines
The Book of Human Emotions
From Ambiguphobia to Umpty—154 Words from Around the World for How We Feel
Why people recommend it
The Book of Human Emotions by Tiffany Watt Smith is an engaging dictionary-style exploration of how different cultures and eras have defined and experienced human feelings. On the August 17, 2026 episode of Huberman Lab titled Neuroscience of Emotions & Tools for Improving Emotion Regulation, guest Dr. Ralph Adolphs recommended the text to the audience. Adolphs described the book as a wonderful resource functioning much like a mini dictionary, featuring alphabetical entries from A to Z that examine specific emotion words across various languages and historical periods. The discussion highlighted how language shapes our internal experiences and reveals the vast diversity of emotional landscapes available to human consciousness. By looking at terms that lack direct English translations, readers discover how distinct societies categorize and make sense of affective states. Listeners interested in neuroscience, psychology, and the cultural evolution of feelings appreciate the book for broadening their vocabulary of the mind. Adolphs' endorsement reinforced the value of understanding emotions not just as universal biological reactions, but as culturally nuanced phenomena that enrich our comprehension of the human condition.
Who recommended it
- Ralph Adolphs Recommended
Ralph Adolphs — 1 mention
“There's a great book uh Tiffany Watts Smith has a book I think it's called the book of human emotions which is basically like a little uh dictionary an entry from a toz of all the different emotion words in different languages”