A dear friend of mine recently brought my attention to a fascinating article in Psychology Today, The Surprising Benefits of a Tough Childhood. Apparently, researchers know that people who have a rough upbringing often face a range of challenges in adulthood—including a tendency towards depression, difficulty forming relationships, and greater risk of heart disease. Yet there is less research exploring the possible benefits of a tumultuous childhood. The authors of this article explore those benefits.

For instance, people who grow up in unpredictable environments tend to be better at shifting tasks rapidly—a type of cognitive flexibility that correlates with creativity. Similarly, this type of volatile environment can help strengthen people’s ability to navigate uncertainty, essentially giving them a high tolerance for ambiguity in both their business and personal lives.

Those of us who had stressful childhoods may also be better at updating our working memory—which is the ability to forget information that is no longer useful and address newer information that is. We can often adapt more quickly—altering our behaviours to explore novel solutions rather than blindly following rules. Plus, not surprisingly, a tumultuous childhood can help you become more resilient as an adult.

According to one researcher, however, the key to unlocking these benefits is the stories we choose to tell about ourselves. If we cast ourselves as victims, that belief can become a self-fulfilling prophesy. However, if we see ourselves instead as survivors—or even heroes—we can turn a genuinely difficult past into a springboard for a functional future. And that’s a lesson we can all learn from, no matter what our upbringing.