Individuals with avoidant attachment styles often fear vulnerability due to past hurts, viewing relationships as potentially harmful. Despite this fear, there remains a deep-seated longing for connection, driven by our genetic predisposition as social beings. Contrary to the misconception that the attachment style developed in childhood is fixed for life, secure attachment styles exemplify the ability to navigate relationship challenges, embrace vulnerability, and foster intimacy. Approximately 60% of the population exhibits secure attachment, highlighting that it is more common than perceived. From an evolutionary standpoint, cultivating secure bonds enhances relational success, reinforcing the notion that adaptability in attachment styles is possible.
Attachment theory is a foundation of modern psychology — a framework for understanding human relationships and how we connect other people.
But has social media taken this concept — grounded in decades of research — too far?
Scroll through Instagram or TikTok for too long, and you might think that if you have a certain attachment style, you're fundamentally unlovable — or that you need to steer clear of people who are avoidant, anxious or not secure enough.
Today, what we get wrong about attachment styles. Plus, the experiments that helped discover them in the first place ... and how a better understanding of attachment could help us to heal.
If you liked this episode, you'll love our episode on when to trust your gut instinct and when to ignore it.