How to Improve Learning & Performance by Developing a Growth Mindset
What Is a Growth Mindset?
Dr. Carol Dweck coined the term growth mindset to describe research on how to improve learning that is anchored in the belief that our abilities are malleable — and indeed they are (!) because our brains can continually learn and change throughout our lifespan (neuroplasticity).
Our understanding of our abilities and our narratives of why we are “good” and “bad” at certain things often arises out of the unconscious (or conscious) understanding of the types of feedback we receive early in life.
There are two basic kinds of feedback; one is better for improving learning than the other.
- Intelligence/Performance-based feedback is associated with identity labels. Praise involves telling a child (or adult) that they’re intelligent and talented, learn things quickly, or are good at a particular skill. Identity-label feedback actually undermines effort and results in the long run! Most people don’t realize this, and intelligence feedback is problematic because when we fail to perform well, we assume it’s due to something central to our identity. For that and many other reasons, it’s generally good to avoid intelligence/performance-based feedback.
- Effort-based feedback, on the other hand, is performance-enhancing and is always associated with “verb” (action) states. This type of praise focuses on persistence, effort, dedication, or how a person keeps working through an error or challenge. For example, saying, “That was a solid effort,” or “You’re pushing really hard to learn, which is so good!” or “It’s great the way you kept trying when you had a setback,” etc. is ideal for enhancing performance as it leads to more of what’s required to improve, and it generalizes to other scenarios.
- Effort-based feedback is critical when someone (or you) performs well, not just when someone falls short of a goal.
Enhance Results by Combining Growth Mindset with Stress-Is-Enhancing Mindset
The benefits of a growth mindset are greatly enhanced when combined with the “stress-is-enhancing” mindset, which was developed by Dr. Alia Crum and colleagues and is based on how we think about the effects of stress.
When people are educated about the adverse effects of stress, their performance declines. However, when people are educated about stress’s positive effects, they improve performance on complex cognitive tasks.
How Does Stress Enhance Performance?
Stress signals the body and brain to mobilize more resources to meet challenges better. Stress may feel uncomfortable, but it also:
- Increases adrenaline and dopamine release in the brain and body, leading to heightened alertness, increased energy, and elevated focus.
- Improves cognition (thinking) and causes release of neurotrophins (neural growth factors) that will enhance learning and memory by assisting neuroplasticity (brain rewiring).
- Quick bouts of stress (1–2 hours or less) boost the immune system to protect against illness. More prolonged bouts can be problematic significantly if they alter sleep.
Takeaways & Tools
- Even though stress will not always feel good at the moment, adjust your mindset to remind yourself that stress puts you in an action-oriented state to enhance performance.
- You can change (and lower) your own stress response by remembering the positive benefits of stress.
- With practice, you will feel more comfortable under stress and build up your stress tolerance.
When a stress-is-enhancing mindset is combined with a growth mindset, the results are synergistic (more significant than the sum of each), long-lasting, and generally generalized to many practical scenarios: relationships, athletics, academics, and more. In short, we can all do well to adopt these mindsets through cognitive feedback and praise, reframing “failures” and action.
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