In order to study the impact of our beliefs on our health, Stanford researchers Alia Crum and Octavia Zahrt collected data from 61,141 people over an extensive time span, twenty-one years. The researchers found that those people who thought they were doing more exercise were actually healthier than those who thought they were doing less, even when the amount of exercise they were doing was the same.
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If you enter a challenging situation believing in yourself, but then mess up, your brain will react more positively than if you go into a situation thinking, “I don’t think I can do this.” If we have a difficult job or a problematic situation at home, this result should prompt us to go into those situations believing in ourselves. If we enter difficult situations with positive beliefs, our brains will become more resilient and adaptative when we make errors than if we are doubting ourselves. This change in belief alters the physical structures of the brain and creates avenues for higher-level thinking and creative problem solving. Just as those who believed they were engaging in healthy exercise became healthier, those who believe they are learning more productively actually learn more.
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One of Dweck’s studies revealed the immediate impact of the word “smart.” Two groups of students were given a challenging task. On completion, one group was praised for being “really smart,” and the other was praised for working hard. Both groups were then offered a choice between two follow-up tasks, one that was described as easy and one that was described as challenging. Ninety percent of the students praised for working hard chose the harder task, whereas the majority of the students praised for being “smart” chose the easy task. When students are praised for being smart, they want to keep the label; they choose an easy follow-up task, so they can continue to look “smart.”
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It is just as important to take on ideas about social comparison with students as it is to make them aware of the value of struggle. I have had many conversations with learners of all ages who argue that brains must be fixed, because some people appear to get ideas faster and to be naturally “gifted” at certain subject areas. What they do not realize is that brains are growing and changing every day. Every moment is an opportunity for brain growth and development. Some have simply developed stronger pathways on a different time line. It is critical that students understand that they too can develop those pathways at any time—they can catch up with other students if they take the right approach to learning.
