If you answer "Never" to these 12 questions, you're mentally stronger than most

How mentally strong are you?

A man with a beard and short hair stands outdoors in front of lush green foliage, wearing a green t-shirt. He looks directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

Mental strength is often given lower priority than physical power, but mental fortitude can keep you going and maintain your resilience even if your physical strength falters. If your answer to the following questions is “Never”, congratulations—you’re mentally stronger than the vast majority of people around you.

1. “How often have you caved to peer pressure?”

A person with curly hair wearing a pink shirt holds up their hand in a "stop" gesture. They stand outdoors in front of large green leaves and tropical plants, with a blue sky visible in the background.

If your friends have tried to pressure you into doing something you had no interest in, and their coaxing attempts had absolutely no effect on you whatsoever, that’s amazing. Most people will cave in when those around them apply pressure and coercion, but you stick to your principles no matter what.

2. “When was the last time you were influenced by mob mentality, even though you didn’t want to?”

A black and white image shows a dense crowd of people standing closely together, forming a vast, compact group that fills the entire frame from side to side and extending backward.

Those who lack mental fortitude are easily influenced by energy exuded by large groups of people: the influence that causes folks to pick up pitchforks and torches against friends and neighbors. If mob energy has no effect on you, you’re of the small percentage that has the courage of their own convictions.

3. “Are your thoughts and opinions influenced by mainstream media?”

A man with a surprised expression has his head opened, with hands placing cards labeled "NEWS" inside. The image is set against a blue background, combining a grayscale subject with orange accents.

When you contemplate a subject, you delve into it, research it, and make up your own mind with logic and deductive reasoning, rather than simply accepting whatever the talky TV box tells you to think. Few people can withstand the pressures of social conformity and base their views on independent thought.

4. “How often do you avoid issues instead of facing them?”

A woman with long blonde hair is sitting indoors thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand. She is wearing a white top, and there is a potted plant and yellow table in the blurred background.

It takes an immense amount of mental strength and self-discipline to address issues head-on instead of running away and trying to hide from them. It’s scary to have to deal with big problems, but the strongest people around will face them with courage and grace.

5. “Do you make a habit of feeling sorry for yourself?”

Young man with short hair and a mustache gazes into the distance against a sunlit orange wall with leaf shadows. The warm light creates a serene and thoughtful atmosphere.

Mentally strong people aren’t those who never experience any kind of hardship: instead, they’re the ones who accept the mess, take a deep breath, and pick themselves up off the floor to try again. They never feel sorry for themselves because no good comes from wallowing in self-pity.

6. “How many times have you used victimhood to manipulate situations or other people to your benefit?”

Two women are sitting together on a wooden bench. One woman with long, gray hair is talking to the other woman, who has long, black hair and is looking up with a thoughtful expression. Both are wearing beige coats. The background is slightly blurred but suggests an outdoor setting.

Weaponized victimhood is something mentally weakened people use to get what they want. If you haven’t tried to manipulate a situation to your benefit by using your various traumas, illnesses, or marginalizations, then your mental fortitude is much stronger than most of the people around you.

7. “When has sitting in silence made you feel uncomfortable?”

Woman with glasses and long, brown hair, sits at a wooden table in a cafe, looking out of a large window. She wears an olive green jacket and appears to be relaxed and thoughtful. In the background, there are chairs and a tall plant.

A huge sign of mental strength and resilience is the ability to sit in complete silence and solitude without getting uncomfortable. In contrast, those who are emotionally feeble tend to need constant distraction and entertainment, such as having music or the TV constantly playing to drown out their own thoughts.

8. “How often do you rebel against change rather than embracing it?”

A middle-aged man with a short buzz cut hairstyle smiles warmly at the camera. He has a neatly trimmed goatee and is wearing a casual outfit with a light jacket. The background is slightly blurred, showing what appears to be a moss-covered roof.

Mentally strong people don’t simply acknowledge that change is inevitable: they embrace it, even when it’s difficult, because they know that the alternative is stagnation. In contrast, those who lack mental strength try to maintain their comfort zone by any means possible, railing against even the most rudimentary changes.

9. “Are you prone to indulging in things rather than showing self-control with them?”

A man in a white shirt is sitting in a bar with several glass mugs of beer on the table in front of him. He is smiling, looking to his left, and raising his right hand as if waving or signaling. The background features a bar with various bottles.

Can you decline something you enjoy with grace and politeness rather than being gluttonous about it? Or say “no” because of a moral decision? Then you’re far stronger than the majority of people you’ll come across, who’ll indulge in things they love to their detriment rather than exhibiting self-disciplined control.

10. “Do you hold onto things like hurt, anger, or pain instead of letting them go in a healthy manner?”

A woman with curly blonde hair, resting her chin on her hand, smiles while looking away from the camera. She is wearing a colorful plaid shirt and is sitting in front of a white window with a plant visible in the background.

Those with immense mental strength recognize that difficult feelings are inevitable, and will experience them, acknowledge them, and then let them go—even if that takes a bit of time. In contrast, those who lack mental strength will cling to those hurts and use them as excuses or leverage indefinitely.

11. “How often do you give up when things get difficult, instead of pushing onward?”

A woman with long curly hair, wearing round sunglasses and a black leather jacket, is standing outdoors in a sunlit park with green foliage in the background, smiling gently at the camera.

It’s a lot easier to give up than it is to keep on going, especially when circumstances are awful and difficulties seem insurmountable. If you keep going no matter what instead of giving up and allowing yourself to be defeated, your mental strength is off the charts.

12. “Are you often debilitated by things instead of being able to set them aside to do what must be done?”

A woman with dark hair, styled in an updo with side-swept bangs, wears a red, off-the-shoulder top. She stands outdoors with a blurred background that appears to be a stone building. She gazes slightly off-camera with a neutral expression.

Bad things happen, but if there are important things that need doing—like feeding your family or tending the children—we don’t have the luxury of falling apart over them. The ability to compartmentalize difficulties to deal with at a more opportune time is a huge indicator of mental fortitude.

If you answer “Never” to these 12 questions, you’re mentally stronger than most