True strength comes from emotional mastery, not suppressing feelings

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America has always prized strength. From our soldiers and athletes to our business leaders and parents, we admire people who can keep their cool when life turns up the heat. But here’s a truth we don’t talk about enough: strength isn’t the absence of emotion: It’s the ability to master it.

For too long, we’ve equated toughness with never showing feelings. But holding down emotions doesn’t make us strong — it makes us brittle. True grit means knowing how to harness emotions, such as anger, fear and sadness, so that they fuel perseverance rather than sabotage it.

Real strength is control under fire

Research shows that emotions are not a choice — they’re built into the human brain and body. Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp dem