Brené Brown on What it Means to be Human

Emotional pain is no joke. We know from research that the same centers that light up in my brain when I feel physical pain are the centers that light up when I feel social pain or emotional pain. I mean, there are some studies that show pain from social isolation is improved by Ibuprofen.

The biggest barrier to courage is not fear; it's armor. It's how, in moments when we're afraid, do we armor up to self-protect our ego.

We are a social species. We know that loneliness is a very strong predictor of early death.

As a fifth generation Texan, I can tell you that I was definitely raised to believe that vulnerability is weakness. And I think most of us were raised to believe that being vulnerable is being weak. It just, again, does not bear out.

The definition of vulnerability that emerged from the data for us is it's the emotion we feel when we're uncertain, at risk, and emotionally exposed.

I'm really leaning heavy into Carl Jung right now who said that, for every great progression, we'll experience a devastating regression.

Vulnerability minus boundaries is not vulnerability; vulnerability is not oversharing.

The best way to understand the distinction between shame and guilt is shame: 'I am bad', guilt: 'I've done something bad.'