In today’s episode, we cover the value of sorrow and longing with Susan Cain. Susan is the author of the Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, and her newest book Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole is focused on sorrow and longing as inspiration to experience sublime emotions opposed to the constant positivity expected by society.

Modern society reinforces the idea that we should strive to be positive in everything we do, but is positivity always better for you, why do we then seek forms of entertainment that evoke feelings like sadness, and how should we treat these emotions that society tells us we need to dismiss or get over?

What to Listen For

Introduction – 0:00
Is there a link between creativity and melancholy?
What is the difference between melancholy and depression and why does one support creativity while the other suppresses it?
Why are we drawn to entertainment that evokes sadness – 15:21
What is it about sadness and beauty that we are drawn to?
Why is it important to have a creative outlet for our emotions and what consequences do we risk by not pursuing a healthy outlet?
What is the best way to process grief?
What can leaders do to provide a healthy work environment – 29:48
What can you do to support your employees to minimize the chances of burnout and poor productivity?
How do you figure out what you want to do with your life – 39:00
What should you do if you’re worried about hitting the milestones everyone expects of you (career, marriage, house, kids, etc)?
How to figure out what you want to do with your life?
The state of introversion vs extraversion – 49:12
What has changed in society with respect to understanding and empowering introverts?

It’s important to take care of our mental health and process our emotions in a healthy way. It’s also crucial that we don’t shy away from the things that make us feel sad or down. There is something powerful and beautiful about sadness, and when we allow ourselves to explore it we can often find new ways of looking at the world and new sources of inspiration.

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Resources from this Episode

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