Atlas of the Heart is primarily concerned with states. For example, anger isn’t a permanent part of your personality (hopefully) rather, something happens that makes you angry. A state is a temporary condition brought on by a particular event or situation.For example, confidence is a trait that many people strive for: No matter the situation, some people always seem to be sure of themselves and in control. In other words, it’s a more-or-less permanent part of how you think or act. A trait is an aspect of your personality, or a characteristic thought pattern.Therefore, we’ll start by defining those terms.īrown frequently describes feelings as either a trait or a state. Important Termsīrown uses a few important terms that you may not be familiar with or you may not know in the same sense that she uses them. It will also provide some biological and psychological background for why we have certain feelings, and why those feelings are so powerful. Our commentary will provide actionable advice for handling negative emotions and embracing positive ones. In this guide, we dig deeper into a handful of the most common and most powerful feelings that people experience and organize them based on whether those feelings relate to the self, to others, or to outside events.

Brown’s hope is that, with a deeper understanding of emotions, you’ll be able to talk about them more openly and accurately, and thus form deeper connections with the people around you. Atlas of the Heart provides descriptions and explanations of 87 emotions, along with the situations where you’re likely to encounter them. This lack of vocabulary blocks us from being able to fully experience and share our feelings with others-and that prevents us from forming connections with each other.

In Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown-a popular public speaker, bestselling author, and professional social worker-provides a guide to the many emotions and mental states that people feel.īrown says many people can only recognize and name three emotions: happiness, sadness, and anger. 1-Page Summary 1-Page Book Summary of Atlas of the Heart

Atlas of the heart brene brown