The Allure of Narcissistic Leaders and the Forgotten Joy of Being Ordinary

Emotion regulation is not about controlling what you feel. It’s about choosing how you respond.

Wise people don’t suppress emotion—they find constructive ways to express it.

Intense feelings don’t always demand immediate reactions. They often benefit from deep reflection.

Some articles that have prompted reflection for me lately:

1. Why Is It So Hard to Be Ordinary? (Joshua Rothman, New Yorker)

A compelling case that we shouldn’t strive to excel at everything—good enough is often good enough.

2. The Personal Value of Conversations Across Serious Disagreement (Elizabeth Barnes, Daily Nous)

A reminder that people who disagree with us stretch our thinking more than those who share our views.

3. Etiquette for Befriending a Friend’s Friend (Cazzie David, Substack)

This made me laugh out loud… multiple times. It also made me think differently about how we introduce our friends.

4. What If Our Ancestors Didn’t Feel Anything Like We Do? (Gal Beckerman, Atlantic)

A riveting long read on the history of love, anger, fear, and sorrow.

From My Desk

5. Why We Fall for Narcissistic Leaders, Starting in Grade School (NYT)

People are more drawn to arrogant leaders in an uncertain world, because they mistake swagger for strength and skill.

6. How to Make Decisions Without Data: Apple | Spotify | YouTube

In 2018, I launched TED’s first original podcast, WorkLife. After eight seasons of exploring how to make work not suck, I’m delighted to hand it off to a new host, Molly Graham. In her inaugural episode, Molly grilled me about how I make choices in the absence of data—from what career to pursue to what books to write.

7. My podcasts

I now host two shows weekly: Re:Thinking on Tuesdays and The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown on Thursdays. Some favorite recent episodes:

• Kristen Bell on people pleasing and delivering honesty with empathy: YouTube | Apple | Spotify | Transcript

• The emotion few talk about, but many feel: YouTube + transcript | Apple | Spotify

• Sober AF, Michael Scott phobia, and how to politely end a conversation: YouTube + transcript | Apple | Spotify

If you have any topics or questions that you’d love to hear me discuss with Brené, feel free to add them in the comments.

In solidarity,

Adam