Here's Why Some People Are More Resilient Than Others

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Editor's note: This answer appeared on Quora in response to the question, "Why are some people more resilient than others?" We have republished it with permission from the author, Sandra Liu Huang, a Quora product manager who's active on the site.

Stanford Department of Psychology professor Carol Dweck has done extensive research on what she calls "mindsets" and there are two primary types:

1. Fixed mindset: people who believe abilities are innate. You are just talented in an area or you're not.
2. Growth mindset: people who believe abilities are developed. You can learn and grow yourself.

People with a growth mindset are more resilient to challenges related to their abilities and performance than those with a fixed mindset.

As to what leads people to these different perspectives, a lot of media in recent years has cited Dweck's work on this with respect to parenting. In the American culture of positive reinforcement, praise is often the main socially acceptable way to encourage your kids. However, Dweck's studies have suggested that the type of praise you receive can strongly impact whether you end up with a fixed or growth mindset.

An excerpt where Dweck references one of her earlier papers on effects of praising innate qualities versus effort and process:

People who were praised more for their innate skills can end up focused on maintaining this "self-image" [and are] afraid to fail. These aren't ...[afraid to fail] value [growth] and become resilient.

Another excerpt from an article Dweck writes about mindsets and coping with setbacks: