Brené BrownĬontrary to what our brains may have us think, to be vulnerable is to be human. “Vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences.” – Dr. Sorry brain - no shade - but the belief that “vulnerability is weakness” is not only false - it’s total bullshit.

So, the conclusion we draw is vulnerability is awful and should be avoided at all costs. The story we hear when we perceive our well-being in danger is that vulnerability is bad - it stands to hurt us or cause us pain. Our brain creates a story - or a narrative that we need to hear about our well-being and the world around us. Our brains are also hardwired for storytelling, even for stories that aren’t true.įor starters, one of our brain’s many jobs is to protect us. We fear being susceptible to any external elements which are completely out of our control - such as rejection, betrayal, or feelings of shame. In both cases, we are completely opening ourselves up and becoming vulnerable. Imagine telling the person you’re crazy about that you love them before you know how they feel or deciding to become the CEO of a new startup and campaigning to ask for funding. If our dispositions aren’t conditioned through self-compassion or self-worth, vulnerability stands to trigger our fears and insecurities - hence, throwing us into survival mode overdrive. Vulnerability is both a physical and emotional disposition that opens us up to uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. If our ability to stay safe, protected, and balanced is threatened by external forces, our brains trigger us into survival mode. Human beings have an instinctual aversion to pain. In a nutshell, we’re taught that vulnerability is bad. Regardless, most of us learned that vulnerability is a form of oversharing that makes you “soft” - or prone to victimization. Some of us were taught this by our relatives (sad face), and others tacitly picked this up from living in certain communities. Did you grow up believing that vulnerability is weakness?

Theodore roosevelt brene brown