The title seems an obvious reference to public radio’s storytelling “This American Life.’’ “This Emotional Life’’ revolves around narratives of real people wrestling with those emotional roadblocks: a family worn down by their adopted son’s attachment disorder; a Massachusetts state senator who found the greatest release from his depression by revealing it; a Vietnam veteran who struggled with PTSD for 30 years.
When their stories are involving, so is the show. But two couples coping with common unhappiness get way too much screen time the first night. Who in their right mind wants to attend someone else’s marriage counseling sessions? Shudder. A gum-chomping Harvard student’s struggle with fear of flying on night two is also less than compelling.
All these tales are interwoven with segments on cutting-edge brain science and interviews with celebrities on the same emotional topics. The scientists are sometimes fascinating. The celebrities are such tangles of neuroses that they appear mostly as cautionary examples. Illustrating a series on happiness by interviewing Larry David, John McEnroe, Chevy Chase, and Joan Rivers seems perverse to say the least. Writers Elizabeth Gilbert and Adam Gopnik come across as more substantive and certainly better adjusted.
“This Emotional Life’’ was co-produced by Vulcan Productions and the Nova/WGBH Science Unit. Its host and co-writer is Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, author of “Stumbling on Happiness.’’
The one part of Gilbert’s work that may get on some peoples’ nerves is not the questions he asks, but his reaction to the answers. If any college students settle in for the entire six hours (doubtful), they will likely invent a drinking game in which they do a shot every time Gilbert is shown nodding thoughtfully.
The series is at its best in the final two hours, when Gilbert looks for real wellsprings of happiness. Americans seek it from some pretty strange sources, including Dr. Phil and crack cocaine, and are often disappointed.
As Gilbert discovers, they find true contentment in what also seem like some pretty strange circumstances - the aftermath of a horrible accident or a cancer diagnosis, at a forgiveness class or an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
“This Emotional Life’’ is a thoughtful and worthwhile program. But if you’re only going to watch part of it, the last night is the one that might actually make you happier.
