February’s Recommended Reading: Atlas of the Heart

You can't not choose a book with a heart on the cover as February's Recommended Reading, right? That's definitely not the reason I chose Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown this month, but it certainly didn't hurt. I've long been a fan of Brené Brown's work and writing, and I looked forward to reading this one when it came out last fall.

Atlas of the Heart is designed to be a map of human emotion. The book explores 87 of the emotions and experiences that make us human, and it helps us see which of those lead to connection, and which to disconnection. This is a really unique book. If you've read other books by Brené Brown, they are much like any nonfiction book in their format. This one is more like a beautiful coffee table book. It's printed on quality paper with photographs and highlighted quotes. Its format is also unique. Instead of listing emotions alphabetically, she groups them into places. For example Places We Go When Things Are Uncertain or Too Much contains entries on stress, overwhelm, anxiety, worry, avoidance, excitement, dread, fear, and vulnerability. 

One thing I found so interesting in this book was that Dr. Brown mentions that in her research they asked over 70,000 people to write down emotions they could name and recognize when they feel them in their bodies. The average number of emotions people listed were 3. Three! And those three were happy, sad, and angry. These are emotions most toddlers can name and recognize. Do we really not move past emotional toddlerhood? I wonder how rich our lives can be if we limit ourselves to three very basic emotions.

I believe there is so much value in exploring our emotions and why we feel them. Are we feeling angry because we are frustrated or because we've been humiliated? Are we feeling sad because we are lonely or because we are disappointed? There are differences, and it's important to be able to untangle those so that we can understand ourselves and others better. 

With definitions of each emotion backed by research, quotes, anecdotes, personal experiences, and practical application, Atlas of the Heart is such a valuable resource if you are looking to better comprehend our human experience and to build understanding and meaningful connection with yourself and others.