We’ve been misunderstanding resilience. It’s not about being unbreakable or never experiencing stress. The science reveals something far more surprising and far more hopeful.
In this video, we examine what researchers found when testing Navy SEALs and U.S. Army Special Forces, also known as Green Berets, under pressure. It turns out that the most resilient soldiers experienced just as much stress as everyone else. The key difference was in how they recovered. We look into the biology of bouncing back, from hormones to brain regions that activate differently in resilient people.
Here’s the good news: Studies consistently show that 60 percent to 80 percent of us already have a strong capacity for resilience built in. The real question is whether we’re actively developing it before we need it. We share practical, science-backed techniques to help you build your resilience starting today.
📖 Sources
🖋️ Interpreting a graphic video as frightening leads to more intrusive memories
🖋️ Navy SEALs/Green Berets breath-holding study: Resilient soldiers recovered faster from stress.
🖋️ “Best possible self” visualization technique is an efficient method for cultivating optimism.
🖋️ Motivational self-talk increases focus and executive control.
🔴 Increases effort: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32412145/
🔴 Increases focus: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28813338/
🔴 Increases executive control: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27580154/
🖋️ Resilient people learn to say “The future will be OK” – regulatory flexibility research.
🖋️ Navy SEAL Ethos: “I will never quit... If knocked down, I will get back up, every time.”
🖋️ 60 percent to 80 percent of people show resilient outcomes after major adversity (9/11 and school shooting studies).
