Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
by Brené Brown
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Brené Brown chats with Australian Public Broadcast via video
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Spoiler:
Brené Brown explains the difference between shame and guilt as follows: guilt is “I did something bad,” while shame is “I am bad.” She warns against trying to shame ourselves or others into changing, saying that it never works. Brown and the show’s host also discuss how the pandemic brought out both the best and the worst in people, as is common when our survival is threatened. She says that in those times we must actively choose courage, because courage is not our default in a survival situation.
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Oprah and Brené Brown discuss emotions via video call
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Jan, 2022
Spoiler:
Brené Brown explains the critical connection between language and emotion, saying that many times when she uses a certain word to describe how she’s feeling, her body follows suit. In writing the book, she was able to map 87 different emotions commonly felt by humans, even though most people, when asked, describe an average of three. Oprah expresses great enthusiasm for the book, saying “there’s an ‘ah ha’ on every page.” Brown adds that self-awareness around emotions is essential in order to avoid hurting others.
8:11
Three emotional pitfalls from the book, explained in animated format
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Jun, 2022
Spoiler:
Addressing envy, pity, and disappointment, the video describes the problems of each and how to overcome them. For example, disappointment often stems from what the author refers to as “stealth expectations.” She tells the story of feeling disappointed that her husband didn’t put Happy Birthday posters on the wall for her, as her family always did when she was a child. However, she had never told her husband about the family tradition, so he didn’t know about her stealth expectation and was not likely to magically fulfill it.
4:25
Brené Brown chats live with the CBS Mornings crew
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Nov, 2021
Spoiler:
The author says she was surprised, in her research, to find that most people describe their range of emotions as either happy, sad, or angry. She goes on to explain that when we don’t have language that is commensurate with our actual experiences, we force our experiences into the limited vocabulary that we do have. In other words, language does more than communicate what we are feeling; it also shapes what we are feeling, as if choosing a certain bowl in which to mix cookies could change their flavor.
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Business Insider: Brené Brown's new illustrated book gave me useful tools to strengthen my relationships
USA Today: Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
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