You've probably heard the old adage, "If you don't succeed, try, try again." Being persistent is often one of the greatest assets a person can have if they want to be successful. Do you continue to practice in order to improve your running time? Are you quick to dust yourself off after tripping and falling down? Or instead are you more likely to put aside a project as soon as things get rough? Your tendency to persist is determined by several factors.

Genetics has some influence on persistence, but your environment and upbringing play a huge role. AncestryDNA^® + Traits can reveal whether your persistence is more or less likely to be tied to genetic markers.

What Is Persistent Behavior?

Persistent behavior is the willingness to continue working toward a goal even when discouragement or challenges arise. But it doesn't always come naturally. Some people are persistent because they've worked hard to develop the trait.

For example, a persistent student who's struggling with a complex math concept may continue practicing and studying until they master it. At work, someone with persistence may continually strive for improvement in hopes of getting a promotion, even if they've been passed up on the last two rounds. And an athlete may continue training and competing even if it takes years to achieve a higher level of performance.

Persistent people often:

• Are highly motivated by goals or a vision of what they want
• Aren't deterred by failures
• May be stubborn at times
• Are high achievers
• Believe in a growth mindset
• Continue trying to succeed, even when they doubt their abilities

Persistence often accompanies other personality qualities, such as determination, a desire for success, goal setting, and optimism. If you're not satisfied with how persistent you are, learning persistence is possible with the right mindset and by building new habits that foster it.

The Genetic Influence on Persistence

The Ancestry^® science team sought to determine whether a genetic influence on persistence exists. To answer that question, they conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to compare the genetic profiles of the 260,000-plus people who answered the question, "How persistent are you in achieving your goals?" The results of that study: more than 450 DNA markers were identified as connected to the performance trait of persistence.

To further explore the genetic influence on persistence, they calculated a polygenic risk score for this personality trait. This tool allows scientists to determine how likely a person is to possess a trait just based on their DNA.

Importantly, Ancestry^® scientists found that differences in people’s DNA could only explain a small amount of the variation in their self-reported levels of persistence. In fact, more important are the non-genetic factors, like how you were raised as a child or whether in adulthood you’ve intentionally developed a frame of mind for being persistent.

What Else Do Scientists Say About Persistence?

A major contributing factor to whether someone is persistent is whether they've developed a growth mindset. To have a growth mindset is to believe your skills are not fixed. Rather, you're always in a state of learning and growing. People with growth mindsets don't mind working against obstacles or failing because they understand it's part of the learning process.

Furthermore, this mindset can be learned, directly or indirectly. A child whose parents possess a growth mindset is more likely to grow up being persistent. Whether the child is encouraged to develop a growth mindset or if the parents simply model that behavior, both can lead to persistence. And if in adulthood you’ve admired how certain colleagues or teammates have succeeded, their behavior may also serve as a role model.

Parents’ use of praise can also be a factor in how their child learns to be persistent. Interestingly, offering a child too much praise, such as telling them how smart they are when they ace a test, can have a negative effect on persistence. A study of 126 preschool children from China revealed that praising the effort exerted to succeed rather than the child's actual success improves persistence and motivation.

If you're not currently a very persistent person, experts say you can learn and develop that trait. Try implementing these tips to learn to be persistent:

• Focus on the process of achieving your goals rather than dwelling on the end result.
• Recognize mistakes and failures as opportunities to learn instead of signs you're not cut out to do something.
• Celebrate your wins and successes no matter their size.
• Surround yourself with positive, supportive people who cheer on your efforts.
• Identify the purpose behind what you strive to do. Use it to remind yourself to keep trying.

Interesting Facts About Persistent Behavior

Whether a person participated in sports as a child can predict levels of perseverance—persistence—in adulthood. A study of 3,993 adults from the United States revealed that those who participated in sports continually as children tended to be more perseverant as adults. Conversely, those who participated in sports intermittently but dropped out tended to show lesser levels of perseverance.

Those with higher levels of grit, defined as having both persistence and passion to pursue long-term goals, tend to have higher levels of subjective well-being. A study compared data from both the United States and South Korea, revealing that those who considered themselves "grittier" tended to be happier as well.

Ready to find out how much of your natural tendency for persistence comes from your genetics? With an AncestryDNA + Traits test, you can discover whether your genetic connection to persistence and many other traits. If you've already taken the test, your results are now available to review with an Ancestry^® membership.

References

Cote, Catherine. "Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: What's the Difference?" Harvard Business School. March 10, 2022. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset.

Dean, Ben. "Persistence Defined." University of Pennsylvania. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/newsletters/authentichappinesscoaching/persistence.

Kwon, Hye Won. "Are Gritty People Happier than Others?: Evidence from the United States and South Korea." Journal of Happiness Studies. January 12, 2021. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-020-00343-4.

Nothnagle, Emily A. and Chris Knoester. "Sport Participation and the Development of Grit." Leisure Sciences. June 21, 2022. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01490400.2022.2090037.

"Persistence." Illinois Graduate College. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://grad.illinois.edu/thesis/writing/persistence.

Song, Yuchen, Michael M. Barger, Kristen L. Bub. "The Association Between Parents’ Growth Mindset and Children’s Persistence and Academic Skills." Frontiers in Education. January 17, 2022. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.791652/full.

"Tips for Motivation and Persistence." SUNY Schenectady. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://sunysccc.edu/Current-Students/Academic-Advisement/Tips-for-Motivation.html.

Wang, Ming-Te and Jamie Amemiya. "Changing Beliefs to Be Engaged in School: Using Integrated Mindset Interventions to Promote Student Engagement During School Transitions." Handbook of Student Engagement Interventions. 2019. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/growth-mindset.

Xu, Xinpei, Lingfei Mo, et al. "The ‘praise balance’: Uncovering the optimal recipe for mastery motivation in preschoolers." Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. November 29, 2023. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0193397323000977.