Why Our Kids Need More Grit
People whose bodies respond rapidly to a threat — with a surge of the stress hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol — but who then recover quickly seem to cope better with stressful situations. More resilient people also seem to be better at using the hormone dopamine — which has a role in the brain’s reward system — to help keep them positive during stress.
Can you learn to be mentally tougher?
A program called Turnaround for Children is using neuroscience to help improve the academic and personal issues children face.
Through teaching skills for brain development and resourcing to children that deal with daily adversity, they are giving them hope for a brighter future. In addition, providing a safe environment in which these children can begin to thrive counters the negative effects of what they refer to as ACES (adverse childhood experiences) — the very things that create the stress that can deeply impact the ability to learn.
