The Courage to Show Up

Highlights of a Conversation Between Brene Brown and DeRay Dekesson

Brene´ Brown and Deray Mckesson began on Twitter exchange that sparked the attention of millions. They sat down to continue the conversation in New York City in front of a sold out crowd at Riverside Church on February 1st. Their conversation brought to light some of the psychological factors that create separation, fear and hate, as well as those that cultivate joy, empathy and gratitude.

Here are the highlights and key points, all backed by psychological research.

1. Joy is more vulnerable than pessimism. Cynicism and pessimism may lead to a false sense of security. Research shows that we have a negativity bias in that we look for and remember more negative than positive information. It’s reasoned that because we need to be aware of possible threats and deal with them, they grab our attention. When our security feels threatened it can be very difficult to feel joy and positive emotions because our tendency is to keep on guard. Research on emotional resilience shows that people’s capacity for joy is correlated with the degree to which they practice gratitude. Cynicism may be an easy choice, but we always have the option to cultivate joy, hope, love and courage. Pessimism is correlated with a wide array of physical and mental health problems…