Learn · Gresham College

Lecture series6 lectures

Why do we have emotions?

Professor Robin May · Gresham College

Start with lecture 1 At Gresham College

About

Fear is one of the earliest emotions to have evolved. Most vertebrates – and possibly some invertebrates – show fear when they are threatened. At its most core, fear keeps us alive, helping us flee from predators or avoid dangerous environments. But why does this process sometimes backfire, leaving us paralysed by otherwise harmless phobias? And why do so many people deliberately seek out fearful situations, from horror movies to parachute jumps, when instinct tells us to do the opposite?

Lectures

  1. Why Do We Fear? 2025-10-01 · Audio
  2. Why Do We Laugh? 2025-11-12 · Audio
  3. Why Do We Grieve? 2026-01-21 · Audio
  4. Why Do We Hate? 2026-03-04 · Audio
  5. Why Do We Love? 2026-04-22 · Audio
  6. Should We Manipulate People’s Emotions? 2026-05-20 · Audio

Credits and licence

Institution
Gresham College
Speaker
Professor Robin May
Year
2025
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Biology, Psychology and the brain
Source
Gresham College
Licence
Educational use (Gresham College's terms), as Gresham College states it. Gresham College's terms
Attribution
Gresham College states: "We positively encourage the use of the Gresham College lecture transcripts, audio and video files for educational purposes. However, we do not allow use of Gresham College materials for commercial, personal or institutional gain."
Who can watch
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