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Conversations about longevity tend to focus on food, exercise, sleep, and your bloodwork. But how you respond when life stops cooperating might also influence how long you live.

Researchers found that the most resilient people are about 38 percent less likely to die than the least resilient.

The finding comes from the Health and Retirement Study, which followed more than 10,000 adults for roughly 12 years. Participants rated themselves on five qualities: perseverance, staying calm under pressure, having a sense of purpose, self-reliance, and being willing to face difficult moments on their own. 

The higher someone scored, the lower their risk of dying. The pattern was almost a straight line,  and the 38 percent difference between the highest and lowest groups remained even after researchers accounted for existing illness, smoking, and physical activity.

Resilience could protect your health in several ways. People who recover more effectively from stress may experience less wear and tear from the body’s stress response. They may also be more likely to maintain the ordinary habits that quietly extend life: moving regularly, sleeping, seeing a doctor, and staying connected to other people.

And if you think resilient people are born that way, it’s not fixed. Resilience can be practiced, and it may be one of the most valuable skills you can build.

Instead of trying to rewire your entire life and train all five traits at once, choose one. It could be reconnecting with purpose. Or just sitting in discomfort for 10 to 15 minutes instead of fighting it. 

Just like a muscle, you train by starting with what you can manage and building the difficulty over time. 

The research can’t prove resilience will cause you to live longer. It could be that healthier people find it easier to feel calm, capable, and purposeful. 

Still, the lesson is useful even if resilience never adds a day to your life because it can make the days you have feel more manageable, and the hardest challenges feel like opportunities. 

Knowing how important resilience can be for a longer life, it’s worth understanding that mental toughness isn’t simply something you’re born with.

And if you want help building the skill, some of the best lessons on how to do that are found in books.

We've picked 3 must-read books that approach mental toughness from very different angles. 

But before you commit to days (or weeks) of reading, we recommend checking them out on Shortform for quick but in-depth guides to the key ideas and insights.

From pushing through discomfort to learning how to handle adversity and choosing which problems are worth your energy, these authors have taken different approaches to building a stronger mind:

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
Goggins explores how discomfort, discipline, and pushing past perceived limits can change what you believe you're capable of.

Do Hard Things by Steve Magness
Magness argues that real toughness isn't about ignoring pain. It's about staying in control when you're uncomfortable and responding to difficulty instead of being controlled by it.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Manson takes a different approach: accepting that problems are unavoidable, then getting better at choosing which problems are actually worth your energy.

These three books take very different approaches, but they all point to the same idea: Mental toughness isn't about never struggling; it's about learning how to respond when things get difficult. And that's exactly why books like these are worth the read.

With Shortform, it's easier to learn from these recommendations and from thousands of other books that can help you become more resilient, productive, disciplined, and capable. We use it to learn faster from books and think you should, too. 

Check it out and get 49% off an annual Shortform membership for being an Arnold's Pump Club reader.

Learn faster. Get better ideas. Strengthen your mind.