safer to keep people at a distance than to risk letting people in and being let down (again). Despite fawning being a “nice” threat response that can flood us with short-term validation and bursts of affirmation, it ultimately maintains the distance that’s so familiar to us. Fawning keeps us from being vulnerable, honest. It lets people in on the surface but emotionally keeps people at a distance. Fawning pushes away authentic connection for the sake of short-term harmony. How close we can get to other people is a direct reflection of how close we are to ourselves.
