Bravery [valor]: Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what is right even if there is opposition; acting on convictions even if unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to it.  (personified for example by Ernest Shackleton) (Source: VIA Institute).

The Noel Strengths Academy defines it this way:

• Bravery is the strength of not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain
• To speak up for what is right … even in the face of opposition • Acting on convictions, even if unpopular
• Has a “come-what-may” attitude
• Includes physical bravery but is not limited to it

• Underuse: Cowardice
• Overuse: Foolhardiness

Key Research:

• Rank order of Bravery in populations from:
  • US : 18;
  • European: 17
  • Asia: 22
  • Latin America: 18
  • Sub-Saharan Africa: 18
  • Middle east: 18
• The connection between character strengths and positive emotions was explored and the strengths most strongly loading as emotional strengths were zest, hope, bravery, humor, love, and social intelligence (Gusewell & Ruch, 2012).

Psychological Impact of Bravery

1. Bravery is a key predictor of success: Studies have shown that individuals who score high on Bravery are more likely to achieve their goals and experience success in various domains of life, including work, education, and personal relationships (Peterson & Seligman, 2004).
2. Bravery is linked to emotional resilience: People who are brave are better equipped to handle stress, anxiety, and fear, and are more likely to bounce back from adversity (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004).
3. Bravery is associated with creativity: Research has found that individuals who are brave are more likely to take risks and engage in creative activities, which can lead to innovative solutions and new ideas (Amabile, 1988).
4. Bravery is a key component of leadership: Leaders who are brave are more likely to inspire and motivate others, and are better equipped to make tough decisions and take calculated risks (Kouzes & Posner, 2002).
5. Bravery is linked to physical and mental health: Studies have found that individuals who are brave are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, such as exercise and healthy eating, and are less likely to experience anxiety and depression (Harris et al., 2006).
6. Bravery is a key factor in personal growth: People who are brave are more likely to challenge themselves and take on new experiences, which can lead to personal growth and self-improvement (Kashdan & Ciarrochi, 2013).
7. Bravery is associated with social connections: Research has found that individuals who are brave are more likely to form and maintain strong social connections, and are better equipped to navigate complex social situations (Gilliland & Dunn, 2003).
8. Bravery is linked to moral courage: People who are brave are more likely to stand up for what is right, even in the face of adversity, and are more likely to engage in moral acts (Kohlberg, 1981).
9. Bravery is a key component of flow experiences: Research has found that individuals who are brave are more likely to experience flow, a state of complete absorption and engagement in an activity, which can lead to increased happiness and fulfillment (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
10. Bravery can be developed and strengthened: VIA’s research has shown that bravery can be developed and strengthened through practice, training, and experience, and that individuals can improve their bravery over time (VIA Institute on Character, 2015).

Put into action the recommendations from  the Authentic Happiness Coaching Newsletter on Bravery

• If you or your clients would like to develop your courage, keep Aristotle in mind this week. Remember his view that we become courageous by being courageous! Design your own courage-building exercises by revisiting a life goal that is gathering dust. Is fear holding you back? How might you break down this goal into smaller steps, with each step requiring a progressively greater amount of courage?

Tayyab Rashid and Afroze Anjum offer 340 Ways to Use VIA Character Strengths including these four for Bravery:

1. Resist social or peer pressure, instead choosing to act on noble values and causes in meaningful ways. For example, you can write, speak out, participate in a protest, or join an activist organization.
2. Protect or stand up for someone who will not otherwise stand up for him- or herself, such as a younger sibling or a battered woman. Make them feel like they can depend on you in the future.
3. Collect contemporary stories of bravery in everyday life situations. Save newspaper or magazine clippings about courageous acts.
4. Don’t be afraid to befriend someone who is different. Think of ways that their strengths as a friend can compliment your own.

Learn more about courage and bravery

When artist Damon Davis went to join the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after police killed Michael Brown in 2014, he found not only anger but also a sense of love for self and community. His documentary “Whose Streets?” tells the story of the protests from the perspective of the activists who showed up to challenge those who use power to spread fear and hate.

Eman Mohammed is one of the few female photojournalists in the Gaza Strip. Though openly shunned by many of her male colleagues, she is given unprecedented access to areas denied to men. In this short, visual talk, the TED Fellow critiques gender norms in her community by bringing light to hidden stories.

We’re raising our girls to be perfect, and we’re raising our boys to be brave, says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. Saujani has taken up the charge to socialize young girls to take risks and learn to program — two skills they need to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot leave behind half of our population, she says. “I need each of you to tell every young woman you know to be comfortable with imperfection.”

Great interview with the author here. “One of the six universal virtues in the VIA assessment is Bravery, and it has been subdivided into smaller pieces, like authenticity. But when I was looking at the work that others have done on courage, I realized that there were certain hallmark features of courage: there has to be perceived personal risk, the presence of fear, and an uncertain outcome. Those are the three critical components. That’s a very psychological definition which is different from what the VIA might say. Courage is an action that takes place despite the fear, the risk, and the uncertainty.”

Podcasts to feed your Bravery:

• Ken D Fosters’ Voices of Courage Show is more than just another radio program! It will take you on a journey to find your courage, breakthrough your limits, and master your destiny. No kidding! Ken has brought together the most Courageous People on our Planet who will inspire greatness with you and change your life for the better. In fact, if you are a regular listener, you will soon see the unseeable, know the unknowable, and do the impossible.
• Conversations with change-catalysts, culture-shifters, and more than a few troublemakers who are innovating, creating, and daring to lead — with Brene Brown.
• Podcast: “The Tim Ferriss Show”Episode: “Jocko Willink on Discipline, Leadership, and Overcoming Doubt” – Former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink discusses bravery, discipline, and overcoming challenges, offering insights and inspiration for cultivating bravery in everyday life.
• “Mastering Fear” – Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations Summary: Oprah talks with researchers and experts about facing fears and cultivating courage. URL: https://www.superbsoul.com/podcast/mastering-fear/
• “How to Be Brave” – The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos Summary: Dr. Santos examines the psychology and benefits of bravery with author Luvvie Ajayi Jones. URL: https://happinesslab.fm/episodes/how-to-be-brave-with-luvvie-ajayi-jones
• “Brave Not Perfect” – Unlocking Us with Brené Brown Summary: Brené Brown discusses pursuing dreams despite risks and overcoming paralysis from perfectionism. URL: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brave-not-perfect-new-introduction/
• “The Bravest You” – Afforded Freedom with Brett Peasley
  Summary: Peasley interviews guests about pivotal moments that demanded bravery in their lives. URL: https://www.affordedfreedom.com/podcast/the-bravest-you
• “How Mental Math Builds Bravery” – No Stupid Questions Summary: An exploration of how math training can boost perseverance and courage.
  URL: https://nostupidquestions.libsyn.com/how-mental-math-builds-bravery

 

your  Bravery

• Bravery Meditation from Insight Timer
• 5-Minute Meditation For Bravery from Insight Timer

• The COURAGE Meditation (20 min.)

Learn more:

• How Mindful Risks Can Create Lasting Change »

• Five Ways to Cultivate Courage

Quotations on Bravery

• “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” ~ Ambrose Redmoon
• “One man with courage makes a majority.” ~ Andrew Jackson
• “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” ~ Mary Anne Radmacher
• “Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace.” ~ Amelia Earhart
• “Courage is a special kind of know-how. It’s knowing how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not be feared.” ~ David ben Gurion
• “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” ~ C.S. Lewis
• “Many would be cowards if they had courage enough.” ~ Thomas Fuller
• “I’d rather be brave than almost anything. How does that strike you?” ~ Johansen
• “There is very little distinction between the boast and the vow.” ~ William Ian Miller
• “Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.” ~ Albert Einstein
• “Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage.” ~ Brené Brown
• Courage is the most important of the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage. Maya Angelou
• Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities … because it is the quality that guarantees all others. Winston Churchill