Background
Victor S. Johnston was born on May 4, 1943, in Ireland.
Victor Johnston, psychologist, educator, author.
University Rd, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
Victor Johnston earned a Bachelor of Science from Queens University Belfast.
Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, United Kingdom
Victor Johnston earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.
2003
Victor Johnston (right) is interviewed by 48 Hours correspondent Bill Lagattuta while camera operator John DeTarsio and sound technician Dustin Eddo prepare to record the conversation.
Victor Johnston, psychologist, educator, author.
2003
Victor Johnston (right) is interviewed by 48 Hours correspondent Bill Lagattuta while camera operator John DeTarsio and sound technician Dustin Eddo prepare to record the conversation.
Victor Johnston, psychologist, educator, author.
University Rd, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
Victor Johnston earned a Bachelor of Science from Queens University Belfast.
Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, United Kingdom
Victor Johnston earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K0TF9WO/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0
1999
Victor S. Johnston was born on May 4, 1943, in Ireland.
Victor Johnston earned a Bachelor of Science from Queens University Belfast in 1964. Then he earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh in 1967.
Victor Johnston began his career as a co-director of Yale in Holloman Research Facility, Yale University of Medicine, 1967-69. Then he became an assistant professor, 1969-1980, was promoted to an associate professor, 1980-1987, and finally a professor of psychology at New Mexico State University.
As a professor of psychology, Johnston deals with the complexities of human emotions. But why do emotions exist in the first place? In Why We Feel: The Science of Human Emotions he sets forth to answer to that question by showing the value of human emotions in helping us to adapt and pass on our genes. Using computer models and simulations, he shows that computers can actually develop preferences. By analogy, he demonstrates how such things as taste and color have developed to draw humans toward what is good for us and away from what is bad. In addition to tastes and preferences, in Johnston's view, emotions like fear and sadness, joy, and anger emerge from the brain as ways of dealing with complex and unstable environments.
According to Victor Johnston, our senses are not an accurate representation of the world around us; they are illusions, shaped by millions of years of evolution. For example, an apple looks red and tastes sweet. But in fact, the sugar molecule is not sweet, Johnston said. We have linked sugar with being sweet because an apple is healthy and helps us to survive. He believes humans have evolved feelings such as guilt, pleasure, and fear to help us survive in a world with others.
Quotations: "The human brain did not evolve to accurately represent the world around us; it evolved only to enhance the survival of our genes."
