Growth Mindset

Why does growth mindset matter? Having a growth mindset helps you focus on developing your abilities rather than proving how smart or talented you are. Compared to a fixed mindset, a growth mindset encourages you to embrace challenges, sustain effort, and try new strategies—and that's true for both children and adults. Of course, no one embodies only a growth or fixed mindset; we are all a mixture of the two, and we can learn to recognize what triggers a fixed versus growth mindset. Shown evidence that the brain is like a muscle—something you can strengthen—students adopt more of a growth mindset about intelligence and earn higher grades. Finally, the concept of growth mindset doesn't only apply to intelligence: If there are qualities you don't like about yourself or others, keep in mind that people can change.