Some might say that resilience is built in. Some might say it’s acquired. In fact, it is both, but with strong genetic components. People who are bored under comfortable or normal situations feel the need to elevate their spirit and cultivate their curiosity in regard to risk-seeking behavior, because they have no choice: the stability that most people feel is total mental desperation for some who have a very low threshold for boredom. This might be linked to — for example and not only — low basal dopamine.

Low dopamine levels in the brain’s reward pathways can create a “reward deficiency syndrome,” pushing individuals toward high-stimulation activities to spike their dopamine and escape that gnawing sense of emptiness.

This is actually what we can call built-in resilience. Their advantage is that they will feel stressed under only extreme circumstances, while most people would just crash out, panic, or be totally incapable of doing anything productive. But people like that? They simply thrive and feel motivated by this. This is sometimes called the “alcoholic gene” because people like that would rather use stimulants to feel alive in extremely and subjectively boring situations. Genes in the dopamine pathway, like certain variants of DRD2 or those influencing sensation-seeking, have been tied to higher alcohol consumption as a way to chase that dopamine rush, though it’s more about broader reward-seeking than just alcoholism.

These people end up being the entrepreneurs, the traders, the soldiers and the people that simply like to do the hard things.

But then there is also an interesting feedback loop that these type of people activate deliberately that then fosters their ability to withstand even more. And this is the acquired part of resilience, that despite any genetic background, you can also achieve to push your limits. Every time you face a stressful situation but do not panic or burn out, you are sending a signal to your brain. You are unconsciously signaling: “this is ok, I made it through.” Science backs this through neuroplasticity — your brain rewires itself with each successful stress encounter, strengthening neural pathways in areas like the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, which handle decision-making and emotional regulation. And when any of a similar situation will come in your life, you will be prepared even more every time you “train” that discipline.

And now, this turns into courage. You just need the right amount of stress to create that breach in the cycle and get better every time you face that difficult event in your life. This is why we hear “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” Now, you might not like it or be inclined to it, but the people with that genetic mutation — like the DRD4 7R allele (often linked to novelty-seeking and risk-taking) or the COMT Val/Val variant (which helps clear dopamine faster, aiding performance under high stress) — are gaining an unfair advantage because they love pushing beyond their limits, and every time they do it successfully, they raise a new standard for what they think they can achieve in the real world. Current research, including meta-analyses and neuroimaging studies, shows these genes influence dopamine signaling and stress responsivity, though effects can vary by environment and aren’t deterministic — ongoing work explores how they interact with life experiences to build resilience.

Now imagine this combined with a high sensitivity to dopamine — you literally have a resilient core and one that needs very little to keep pushing forward and staying motivated. Research on dopaminergic pathways shows that individuals with efficient dopamine clearance and high reward sensitivity (e.g., COMT Val/Val “warrior” genotypes) maintain motivation and cognitive performance under pressure with minimal external boosts, thanks to adaptive stress responses, lower baseline cortisol reactivity, and enhanced neural efficiency in reward circuits — turning stress into fuel rather than a breakdown.

Far from being overly optimistic, I deeply believe that courage is an extremely rare yet invaluable resource. My theory is that approximately one percent of the general population is truly courageous as a way of life — in everyday situations, not in the spotlight. And this is precious. Yet these individuals bear the full weight of it, so we need to cultivate more resilient and optimistic people overall, who stand up and fight for what they believe is true.

Who wouldn’t want to become better, stronger, and more courageous every day? We all hope, but when given the opportunity, we lean back and find excuses for what we think we can achieve. This is in your mind. Don’t be held behind just because chemical fear is saying things that your reptilian brain doesn’t like. It will be difficult at first, but when you have that track record of hard things that you’ve managed better and better every time? This is where exponential progress happens — through repeated exposure, your HPA axis (the body’s stress response system) adapts, reducing cortisol spikes and enhancing dopamine rewards for overcoming challenges.