Mindset

So how does a growth mindset do that? It turns out that there are physiological manifestations to mindset. Brain scans show that for people with a fixed mindset, the brain becomes most active when receiving information about how the person performed such as a grade or a score. But for people with a growth mindset, the brain becomes most active when receiving information about what they could do better next time. In other words, people with a fixed mindset worry the most about how they are judged, while those with a growth mindset focus the most on learning. There are other consequences of mindset: people with a fixed mindset see effort as a bad thing, something that only people with low capabilities need, while those with a growth mindset see effort as what makes us smart, as the way to grow. And when they hit a setback or a failure, people with a fixed mindset tend to conclude that they are incapable. So to protect their ego, they lose interest or withdraw. We observe that as lack of motivation. But behind it is a fixed mindset, whereas people with a growth mindset understand that setbacks are part of growth. So when they hit one, they find a way around it. Like Josh Waitzkin did when he lost in chess or in martial arts.