People who are hard to manipulate almost always share one childhood experience - Silicon Canals

"These people aren't cold. They're not guarded in the way that suggests damage. In fact, they're often warm, generous, and easy to be around. They just have this quiet solidity that makes manipulation slide off them like water off stone."

"Most households operate on implicit compliance. Children who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s especially will remember the culture: you did what you were told, you ate what was put in front of you, and if an adult asked you a question, the answer they wanted was the answer you gave."

"In some homes - not perfect homes, not wealthy homes, not always particularly progressive homes - children were given room to refuse. They could say they didn't want to hug the uncle. They could say the family gathering was too much and they wanted to go home."

Certain adults demonstrate remarkable resistance to manipulation through guilt, flattery, or urgency. These individuals remain warm and generous while maintaining quiet, unshakeable boundaries. Research reveals a common pattern: they grew up in homes where saying no was treated as a complete sentence, even from children with no power. Unlike households operating on implicit compliance where children must obey without question, these homes permitted refusal without punishment. Children could decline unwanted physical affection, express discomfort at gatherings, or disagree with parents without facing consequences for the disagreement itself. This childhood experience of having agency and bodily autonomy appears foundational to developing adult resilience against manipulation.

Read at Silicon Canals