Emotional vulnerability is an exercise in openness.

This act, which is distinct from vulnerability as a result of circumstances out of one's control, can be truly empowering. It means showing the world who you are and trying something even if the outcome is uncertain. Experts say it can boost our careers and research shows it aids in making better emotional connections .

And yet, many of us still find ways to live behind walls and avoid being vulnerable. We instinctively run from it out of fear of looking soft, according to Robert Stolorow, a psychoanalyst and author of the book Trauma and Human Existence.

It is pervasive in our culture to regard vulnerability as something shameful, Stolorow told The Huffington Post. Its seen as an abhorrent weakness to be kept hidden and evaded, or counteracted through some form of reactive aggression.

This, of course, couldnt be further from the truth. Its a good thing to open and be unashamed about it. And it's not too hard to crack the code of being emotionally vulnerable. Below are just a few ways vulnerable people live their lives differently than everyone else.