People Pleasing vs. Fawning: Why We Do It and How to Change

Dr. Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson explore the critical distinction between people-pleasing and the fawn response, tracing the surprising history of both terms and their relationship to trauma. They explain why old friendships can pull you back into old patterns, when appeasement is actually adaptive, and how to become more assertive when others expect you to concede. The episode provides practical guidance for learning what you actually want after a lifetime of tuning into everyone else's needs.