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✓ 10 QUESTIONS ⏱ ~2 MINUTES

How Mentally Tough Are You

We live in an era dominated by technology, the sole purpose of which is to make life easier. But easier is good only up to a point, and we actually sow the seeds of our own decline by taking the easy path. Test your knowledge about resilience, grit and doing hard things.

1. What psychological tendency best explains why people take the easy path?

The payoff for doing easy things is greater than the payoff for doing hard things. People seek the approval of others. People are more motivated to avoid pain than to chase rewards. People perform at their best when things are easy for them.

2. Which psychological quality is not a direct benefit of taking on challenges?

Self-confidence Pride Kindness Stress-resistance

3. Although it shaped our enduring needs, the difficult nomadic life of our ancestors ended because:

People preferred to live in large groups. Agriculture displaced the need for foraging for or chasing down food. People learned to domesticate animals. People needed more face-to-face communication.

4. The adult human brain undergoes growth:

When it is required to do something unusual or demanding During sleep When listening to soothing music During periods of physical exertion

5. Which activity is most likely to extend the functional lifespan of the brain at any age?

Midday napping Watching documentary films Drinking a glass of red wine daily Doing challenging puzzles

6. Studies show that techniques that make learning feel easy, such as attending talks and lectures:

Lead to better learning and higher grades Are most popular Are most enjoyable Lead to less learning and weaker performance

7. Which is not the case when learning feels hard?

People think they made a mistake in choosing that course of study. People feel something is wrong with them. People learn very little. People feel something is wrong with the instruction.

8. Which statement is not true about stress?

Stress can make people more alert, more empowered, and more creative. Stress is always bad for the body and brain. When seen more as a challenge than a threat, stress boosts the desire to do difficult things. How people view stress influences what it does to the body and brain.

9. Effort is good because:

It is morally uplifting. It keeps people from overthinking. It wakes up internal systems of adaptation and growth. It spotlights those people who are strongly motivated.

10. People often avoid doing difficult things because:

They are waiting for their fear to disappear. The reward is rarely worth the effort. They search for an easier way to do things. It’s too time-consuming.