Character strengths predict success better than intelligence.
Research shows that qualities like grit, curiosity, and self-control are stronger predictors of academic achievement and life satisfaction than IQ scores.
Book summary
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How Children Succeed
by Paul Tough
Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character
Character traits like grit matter more than intelligence for success
4.5(8.9k)Published 2012
Topics
EducationChild DevelopmentPsychologyParenting
Reading companion
How to read How Children Succeed with Readever
Read one research study per session and use Readever to connect Tough's findings to your own experiences with children. After each chapter, document one character-building strategy you can implement immediately. Highlight the neuroscience explanations of stress and resilience, and set reminders to review how you're applying the principles. Use Readever's AI to translate educational research terms and create personalized character development plans based on the children in your life.
Things to know before reading
- Tough blends multiple research disciplines—be prepared to connect neuroscience, psychology, and education findings
- Come with specific children or educational contexts in mind to apply the character development strategies
- The book challenges conventional wisdom about intelligence—approach with openness to new perspectives
- Research on stress and resilience is central: understand the difference between toxic and tolerable stress
Brief summary
How Children Succeed in a nutshell
How Children Succeed challenges conventional wisdom about intelligence and academic achievement, arguing that character traits like perseverance, curiosity, and self-control matter more than cognitive skills for long-term success. Drawing on cutting-edge research in neuroscience, economics, and psychology, Paul Tough reveals how adversity and failure can actually build resilience when children have the right support systems.
Key ideas overview
How Children Succeed summary of 3 key ideas
Paul Tough synthesizes research from neuroscience, psychology, and education to show how character development transforms life outcomes.
Adversity builds resilience when children have supportive relationships.
The right kind of stress—with adequate support—helps children develop coping skills and emotional regulation.
Early intervention creates compounding advantages.
Investments in early childhood development yield exponential returns throughout a child's life.
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Book summaries like How Children Succeed
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Build resilient children who thrive through challenges.
This summary gives you the research-backed framework for cultivating character strengths that predict success better than test scores. You'll learn how to create environments where children develop grit, curiosity, and optimism—the qualities that help them navigate obstacles and reach their full potential.
Deep dive
Key ideas in How Children Succeed
Key idea 1
Character strengths predict success better than intelligence.
Research shows that qualities like grit, curiosity, and self-control are stronger predictors of academic achievement and life satisfaction than IQ scores.
Tough examines studies from Angela Duckworth on grit and Walter Mischel on self-control, showing that children who can delay gratification and persist through challenges outperform their peers regardless of cognitive ability. He visits schools that explicitly teach character development and finds students making remarkable academic gains. The research suggests we've been measuring the wrong things—focusing on test scores while ignoring the psychological tools that actually drive achievement.
Remember
- Focus on developing perseverance and self-control alongside academic skills
- Create opportunities for children to practice overcoming challenges
- Recognize that character can be taught and strengthened over time
Key idea 2
Adversity builds resilience when children have supportive relationships.
The right kind of stress—with adequate support—helps children develop coping skills and emotional regulation.
Tough explores the neuroscience of stress, explaining how toxic stress (chronic, unsupported) damages brain development while tolerable stress (with supportive relationships) builds resilience. He examines Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research showing how early trauma affects health outcomes, but also highlights programs that successfully buffer children from these effects. The key insight is that stress itself isn't the problem—it's the absence of caring adults who help children process and learn from difficult experiences.
Remember
- Provide consistent emotional support during challenging experiences
- Help children reframe failures as learning opportunities
- Build strong attachment relationships that serve as stress buffers
Key idea 3
Early intervention creates compounding advantages.
Investments in early childhood development yield exponential returns throughout a child's life.
Drawing on Nobel-winning economist James Heckman's work, Tough shows how early interventions in disadvantaged children's lives produce remarkable long-term benefits. He examines programs that provide coaching to parents of young children, showing how small investments in the first few years of life can change educational and economic trajectories. The research demonstrates that character formation begins early and that supportive environments in childhood create foundations for lifelong success.
Remember
- Invest in early childhood development for maximum impact
- Support parents as their children's first and most important teachers
- Create stable, nurturing environments from the earliest ages
Context
What is How Children Succeed about?
How Children Succeed investigates why some children thrive despite adversity while others struggle despite advantages. Paul Tough travels to innovative schools, chess tournaments, and research labs to understand the science behind success. He challenges the conventional focus on cognitive skills and standardized testing, arguing instead for the importance of character development.
The book blends compelling narratives of students and educators with rigorous research from neuroscience, psychology, and economics. Tough shows how qualities like perseverance, curiosity, and optimism can be cultivated through deliberate practice and supportive relationships, transforming children's life trajectories.
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Review
How Children Succeed review
How Children Succeed is a paradigm-shifting work that combines rigorous research with compelling storytelling. Tough's accessible writing makes complex scientific concepts understandable, while his portraits of students and educators bring the research to life. The book succeeds in being both intellectually substantial and practically useful.
Critical Reception: The book became a New York Times bestseller and received widespread praise from major publications. The New York Times called it "an absorbing and important book," while The Guardian praised its exploration of how "resilience, self-control, optimism and grit" help young people succeed. The book has influenced school reform efforts nationwide and sparked important conversations about how we measure and cultivate success in children.
- *New York Times* bestseller that changed how we think about education
- Praised by *The New York Times* as 'an absorbing and important book'
- Featured in *The Guardian* and major education publications
- Influential in school reform efforts and education policy discussions
- Accessible synthesis of neuroscience, psychology, and education research
Who should read How Children Succeed?
Parents seeking evidence-based approaches to raising resilient children
Educators looking to integrate character development into curriculum
Policymakers working on education reform and child development programs
Anyone interested in the science of success and human potential
About the author
Paul Tough is a Canadian-American journalist and author specializing in education, child development, and poverty. He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and This American Life. His previous book, Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America, examined the Harlem Children's Zone.
Tough's work focuses on how children succeed and how we can create environments that help them overcome adversity. He has become a leading voice in education reform, speaking frequently to educators, policymakers, and parent groups about character development and educational equity.
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Final summary
How Children Succeed offers a hopeful vision of education that focuses on developing the whole child. Tough demonstrates that character strengths like grit, curiosity, and self-control are not fixed traits but skills that can be cultivated through practice and supportive relationships. By shifting our focus from test scores to character development, we can help all children—especially those facing adversity—build the resilience they need to succeed in school and life.
Inside the book
This extended outline captures the most resonant research findings, practical applications, and transformative insights from How Children Succeed. Use it to revisit the key studies, character-building strategies, and evidence-based approaches that help children develop the resilience they need to thrive.
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