Doctrines of ‘invulnerability’ like stoicism and Buddhism encourage us to approach trials in a way that spares us suffering—marshal your mental resources properly and you can rise above the pain. For a modern culture eager to remedy the brute force of living, these doctrines sound ‘on the money’. But openness to suffering might in fact hold the key to a better life. It seems a counterintuitive claim but hurt and wellbeing might make compatible bedfellows.