Jennifer Fraser: Bullying vs. Courageous Kindness

Jennifer Fraser has a PhD in Comparative Literature, is an award-winning educator, and the founder of The Bullied Brain. She writes a regular series for Psychology Today, advises institutions and governments, and brings neuroscience into conversations about culture, ethics, and leadership. Her mission is clear: to transform systems that normalize manipulation and silence truth-tellers—and to do so with the superpowers of empathy and kindness.

In 2022, The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health was published, a book grounded in neuroscience and focused on how abuse—especially institutional abuse—affects brain function. The book outlines the physical damage bullying can cause and, critically, how the brain is wired to recover. In 2024, she was invited to present this work at Oxford University’s Masters Events conference on “Rupture and Repair.” There, she experienced what she describes as a turning point: the realization that repair is not enough. Prevention is the goal. She has a new book coming out in November, The Gaslit Brain: Protect Your Brain from the Lies of Bullying, Gaslighting, and Institutional Complicity.

Jennifer explains that kindness is not just an ethical position—it is a biological necessity. When people engage in acts of kindness, the hormone oxytocin is released, strengthening brain health, supporting emotional recovery, and reducing the risk of chronic illness. This is not abstract theory—it is grounded in the pioneering research of Sue Carter, a global expert on oxytocin. In contrast, unkindness—especially in the form of manipulation or sustained stress—activates cortisol, which corrodes blood vessels and damages the brain.

At the core of her work is the idea that empathy is a form of strength. She distinguishes between affective empathy (the ability to feel with others) and cognitive empathy (the ability to read others). While both are part of the human experience, it is affective empathy—often diminished by trauma—that enables connection and protects community. Teaching empathy and self-regulation, Jennifer argues, is the foundation for any high-performing, ethical culture.

“Kindness is the glue that keeps us healthy and high performing,” she says. “Empathy is not weakness. It is our superpower.”

Jennifer Fraser is building a science-based case for kindness—one that demands truth, protects the vulnerable, and challenges systems to do better. Keep an eye out for more interviews.