欢乐、恐惧、伤心、愤怒：这四个情绪控制了我们的人生。但是，你认为自己在这些情绪上有多少控制？只有在学会控制我们的情绪之后，我们才能够忠于自己、善待他人。
 
就连刚出生的新生儿都能够表达自己心中的情绪，而我们所有人都一样——遇到开心的事会感觉到喜乐、遇到不开心的事会伤心、遇到可怕的事会恐惧、被威胁的时候会愤怒。这是我们基因里最基础的四个情绪，我们再透过它们编织出更复杂的情感、感官、感伤、感情的布，用这块布给自己下定义。于是，作者认为能够完全理解这四个几本情绪的神经、生理以及心理层面，我们才不会被自己的情绪淹没、控制。作者提倡的策略性治疗（Strategic Therapy）叫我们如何观察自己的情绪，学会控制它们。
 
关于作者：
Giorgio Nardone is the founder, together with Paul Watzlawick, of CTS (Center of Strategic Therapy). The Arezzo-based institute is the only Italian clinic to be officially recognised by the Mental Research Institute (Palo Alto, California), where Nardone conducts work as a Psychotherapist and Psychologist. He is one of the leading and most prestigious researchers at the Palo Alto School and is internationally renowned as an extremely creative yet rigorous psychotherapist. His wide-ranging and innovative work has led to a new and evolved model of Brief Therapy. Among his numerous publications are the following titles, all published by Ponte alle Grazie and translated into several languages: Cavalcare la propria tigre (Riding Your Tiger, sold to Spain/Herder, Russia/Read, France/du Seuil); L’arte del cambiamento (The Art of Change); Paura panico e fobie (Fear, Panic and Phobias); Correggimi se sbaglio (Correct Me If I Am Wrong, sold to Spain/Herder; France/ Éditions Enrick B.); Il dialogo strategico (The Strategic Dialogue, sold to France/Satas, Spain/Herder, UK/Karnac Books); Cambiare occhi, toccare il cuore (Change Your Eyes, Touch Your Heart, sold to Spain/Paidos); La Dieta paradossale (The Paradoxical Diet, sold to France/Satas, Spain/Paidos); Solcare il mare all'insaputa del cielo (Sailing the Sea Without the Sky Knowing It, sold to France/Satas, Russia/Read, Spain/Herder, UK/Karnac Books); Non c’è notte che non veda giorno (Every Night Is Followed by the Light of Day, sold to Spain/Herder and France/ Éditions Enrick B.); Gli errori delle donne in amore (Women’s Love Mistakes, sold to Serbia/Mono i manjana, Spain/Paidòs, Portugal/Matéria Prima Ediçoes), Risorgere e Vincere (Rise Again and Win) Ossessioni compulsioni e manie (Obsessions Compulsions Manias sold to Spain /Herder, France/Satas), Psicotrappole (Psycho-traps, sold to Spain /Paidòs, France/Satas), L’arte di mentire a se stessi e agli altri (The Art of Lying to Yourself and to Others sold to Spain /Herder, France/Satas), La paura delle decisioni (Fear of Decisions, sold to Spain/Paidòs and France/Satas), La nobile arte della persuasione (The Noble Art of Persuasion, sold to France/Éditions Enrick B.), Quando il sesso diventa un problema (When Sex Becomes a Problem, sold to France/ Éditions Enrick B. and Serbia/Psihopolis Institut doo), La terapia degli attacchi di panico (Panic Attack Therapy, sold to France/Satas, Spain/Herder, Germany/Carl-Auer Verlag, Turkey/Epsilon), La paura delle malattie. Psicoterapia breve strategica dell’ipocondria (The Fear of Illness. Brief and Strategic Psychotherapy for Hypochondria), Oltre sé stessi (Besides Ourselves, sold to France/ Éditions Enrick B and Spain/Herder.