Antonio Damasio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Antonio Damasio
Damasio at the Fronteiras do Pensamento conference in 2013.
Born	(1944-02-25) 25 February 1944 (age 81) Lisbon, Portugal
Nationality	Portuguese
Alma mater	University of Lisbon
Spouse(s)	Hanna Damasio
Awards	Pessoa Prize (1992) Golden Brain Award (1995) Prince of Asturias Prize (2005) Honda Prize (2010) Grawemeyer Award in Psychology (2014) Paul D. MacLean Award (2019)
Scientific career
Fields	Cognitive Neuroscience
Institutions	University of Southern California, University of Iowa
Thesis	Perturbações neurológicas da linguagem e de outras funções simbólicas (1974)
Councilor of State
In office 24 April 2017 – 14 February 2024
President	Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Preceded by	António Guterres
Succeeded by	Joana Carneiro

Antonio Damasio (Portuguese: António Damásio) is a famous Portuguese neuroscientist. He studies how our brains work. He is especially interested in how our feelings and emotions affect the way we think and make decisions.

He is a professor at the University of Southern California. He also leads the Brain and Creativity Institute. Damasio has written several books, including Self Comes to Mind, which explores the connection between the brain and what makes us conscious.

Life and Work

Antonio Damasio studied medicine at the University of Lisbon Medical School. He finished his doctorate degree in 1974. During his studies, he also researched how brain injuries affect behavior. He worked with Norman Geschwind in Boston.

Understanding the Brain

Damasio's main area of study is neurobiology. This field looks at the nervous system. He focuses on how our brains handle emotions, decision-making, memory, language, and consciousness.

Damasio in 2008 (second from right).

Emotions and Decisions

Damasio developed a theory called the somatic marker hypothesis. This idea explains how emotions, even ones we don't notice, guide our decisions. He suggests that emotions help us make good choices. They are also important for how we understand others and for our sense of self.

His ideas have led to many new neuroscience experiments. They have greatly influenced how we think about the brain and feelings. Damasio is recognized as one of the most cited researchers in his field.

Feelings and the Body

Damasio also believes that emotions are part of how our body keeps itself balanced, a process called homeostasis. He showed that our feelings are linked to what's happening in our bodies. He found that a part of the brain called the insular cortex is very important for feelings.

He continues to study how feelings are created in the brain. He thinks that feelings are the basic building blocks of being aware and conscious.

How Memory Works

Damasio has also explored how our brains learn and remember things. He suggests that the brain uses special pathways to store and recall memories. These pathways help us access our thoughts and experiences.

The Self and Consciousness

In his book, The Feeling of What Happens, Damasio described how consciousness develops. He explained that simple brain signals create a basic "protoself." This then leads to a "core self" and "core consciousness." Finally, this allows for an "autobiographical self" and "extended consciousness." This means our awareness grows from simple body signals to a full sense of who we are.

Damasio's research often uses the "human lesion method." This involves studying people with specific brain injuries. This helps scientists understand which parts of the brain are responsible for different functions. His wife, Hanna Damasio, a neuroscientist, has been a key partner in this work.

As a doctor, he has also studied and treated people with problems related to behavior, thinking, and movement.

Damasio's Books

Damasio's books often explore the link between emotions and the brain.

• His 1994 book, Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain, was very popular. It has been translated into over 30 languages. It suggests that emotions are not separate from reason, but are essential for it.
• His second book, The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness, was named one of the best books of 2001 by New York Times Book Review.
• In 2003, he published Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain. In this book, Damasio suggested that the philosopher Baruch Spinoza had ideas about the mind and body that were similar to modern science.
• His book Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain explores how our sense of self is key to our conscious minds. He believes that feelings are the basic parts of building our self.

Damasio at Fronteiras do Pensamento (Frontiers of Thought) in 2013

Awards and Recognition

Damasio is a member of important groups like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received many awards, including the Grawemeyer Award and the Prince of Asturias Award. He also has honorary degrees from many universities around the world.

In 2013, a high school in Lisbon, Portugal, was named Escola Secundária António Damásio in his honor.

Damasio believes that "scientific knowledge can help humans endure and prevail." He is married to Hanna Damasio, who is also a well-known neuroscientist. They often work together.

In 2017, he was chosen to be a member of the Council of State of Portugal. This is an important advisory group to the President of Portugal.

See also

In Spanish: António Damásio para niños