This post is just sharing a video and a quote today – powerful messages that don’t need embellishment from me.

Brene Brown TED talk on vulnerability

One of the comments (which I have not yet verified) for this TED video was:

George Vaillant has spent over 30 years as the Director of the Study of Adult Development at Harvard. It is a longitudinal study that has charted the lives of over 800 men and women for over 60 years.

Paraphrasing material from him, Vaillant has said: “Positive emotions make us more vulnerable than negative ones. One reason is that they are future-oriented. Fear and sadness have immediate payoffs-protecting us from attack or attracting resources at times of distress. Gratitude and joy, over time, will yield better health and deeper connections – but in the short term actually put us at risk. That’s because, while negative emotions tend to be insulating, positive emotions expose us to the common elements of rejection and heartbreak.”

“It’s very hard, for most of us to tolerate being loved.” -George Vaillant

I would love to hear your thoughts on any of this.