The Feeling Of What Happens

Neurophysiology expert, Professor Antonio Damasio, shows how consciousness develops out of mental and physical feeling in this poetic and illuminating book.

‘The Feeling of What Happens will change your experience of yourself’ New York Times

Where do our emotions come from?

A groundbreaking exploration of what it means to feel alive.

In this landmark work, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio reveals how consciousness arises from the body’s constant conversation with the mind. Drawing on decades of clinical research and vivid case studies, he argues that emotion is not the enemy of reason but its foundation - the mechanism through which we become aware of ourselves.

The Feeling of What Happens unites neuroscience, philosophy and psychology to explain how the brain turns sensation into self. Written with clarity and lyricism, it remains one of the most influential books ever published on the science of mind, emotion and identity.

‘Life-changing… crammed with tiny gems of information’ Guardian

‘A tour de force… a monumental book’ Sunday Times