Believing ability can grow through effort changes how you respond to failure

Carol Dweck's research found that people who see intelligence as fixed tend to avoid challenges that might expose failure, while those who see it as built through effort seek out challenges and treat setbacks as information. In her studies, praising a child's intelligence rather than their effort was enough to nudge them toward the more fragile, fixed mindset.

— Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success — Random House, 2006
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