How emotions work

Emotions are confusing as hell, and increasingly, we're paying more and more attention to how we feel. In this episode we talk to one of the world's leading experts on emotions, Dr Rich Firth-Godbehere, to help us figure out how to think about the way that we feel. The hilarious John Poveromo joins us to lighten the emotional load with his quick wit and brilliant insights. Expert guest: Dr. Richard Firth-Godbehere is an award-winning interdisciplinary research walks the line between history, psychology, linguistics, and futurism. His boundary crossing studies may make him the world's most comprehensive expert in the field of emotions. He examines how understandings of emotions change over time and how these changes can influence the wider world. He is currently an Affiliated Research Scholar with The Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary University of London. He received a first-class degree from the University of London during which time he won two awards for academic excellence; alongside a Masters (MPhil) from the University of Cambridge and a PhD From Queen Mary, University of London where he was a Wellcome Trust Scholar. Dr Rich's first book "A Human History Of Emotion: How The Way We Feel Built The World We Know" is due out around the world in November. You can learn more about him on his website, YouTube or Twitter. Comedy guest: John Poveromo is a Brooklyn-born, Jersey-raised stand-up with the perfect blend of self-deprecation and optimism. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the business including opening for Jimmy Fallon, Dom Irerra, Pat Cooper, Drew Carey, Colin Quinn, Gilbert Gottfried and many more. Always open and honest, John's charm and vulnerability on stage gives him the ability to connect with every audience, allowing each show to be original, refreshing, and funny as hell. John has been featured in the New York Times and the Asbury Park Press. He can be heard on Sirius XM Radio, has been featured at the Jersey City Comedy Festival, The New York Underground Comedy Festival, The Baltimore Comedy Festival, and has appeared on Comcast On Demand's "Young Comedians Showcase." John has been seen on Fox TV's 'The Q' with Quincy Harris, and has lent his writing talents to a variety of shows, including ESPN's Sports Nation, Current TV's Viewpoint with John Fugelsang, Joy Behar's Say Anything on HLN, The Independents, and CNN Newsroom, as well as VH1's "Best Of" series. You can learn more about John on his website, Twitter or Instagram or check out his brilliant (seriously, highly recommend it) podcast Dystopia Tonight.