In addition, much more remains to be learned about the neural basis of human emotions, including
their integration with cognitive processes and their generation of conscious experience. I have been
able only to sketch some of the neural mechanisms underlying emotional consciousness, and much
more detailed accounts are needed of particular emotions such as fear and anger. I expect that these
accounts will include both cognitive appraisals and bodily perceptions, but will provide more
specific details about how the brain generates particular kinds of emotional experiences. One of my
major plans for future research is to develop a neural model of emotional change that will apply both
to individual psychology and to social improvement. A new collaborative project is attempting to
identify the emotional deep structure of national conflicts.
Innovative mechanistic theories of cognition and emotion should pave the way for much richer
accounts of human decision making, including ethical evaluations. Much more needs to be said about
how goals are represented in human brains and how we use them to choose among possible actions
for both instrumental and ethical reasons. I hope that a fully developed neural theory of goal-based
decision making will provide the basis for a more psychologically realistic theory of economic
behavior. In particular, a richer theory of goal revision should provide the basis for an explanation of
the major emotional changes that take place in human enterprises ranging from psychotherapy to
social innovation. Ideally, it would also suggest more creative forms of conflict resolution that would
provide insights into disputes between individuals and between groups.
Finally, much fuller neural theories of cognition, emotion, decision making, and consciousness
should point the way to a better understanding of the kinds of wisdom that we all depend on when we
face difficult life decisions. Psychology and philosophy need more investigation of how realms of life
such as love, work, and play help to satisfy people's basic needs. I look forward to detailed theories
about the neural mechanisms that underlie such phenomena as romantic attachment, friendship, job
satisfaction, and entertainment. The academic disciplines most in need of these developments are
literary and cultural theory, which have tended to rely on philosophical and psychological ideas
borrowed from evidence-poor research traditions. Fortunately, cognitive approaches to literature and
neural approaches to aesthetics are starting to emerge