Changing your Brain
Is it possible to change the way that you think or learn?
Growth Versus Fixed Mindsets and what they can do.
How you perceive intelligence or talent is thought to be split into two different ways. There are people who have a fixed mindset and there are some people who have a growth mindset (and of course there is also some space in between). What this means is that if you have a fixed mindset, that means that you don't believe that the human mind can actually grow and expand. This causes people to be more closed to even trying to grow because they don't believe that its truly possible. People with a growth mindset often care less about actually developing their mind and as Carol Dweck said in her TED talk about growth mindsets "raising kids who are obsessed with getting 'A's". If you have a growth mindset, you understand, or at least to an extent, that the human brain can grow and develop quite a bit. and that human are definitely capable of getting better and improving themselves. These are the students that are actually improving the most. These are the students that are not striving for an "A", but to get better in their task, but the result is that these students tests scores are actually the ones that improve quite a bit more than the ones with a more fixed mindset.
Changing your Mindset
Can you change your mindset? Can you actually change how you think? Is it possible for you to think differently or grow in you ability to learn? A study that Dr. Carol Dweck and Claudia Mueller did on some seventh graders proved the effects of a growth mindset and how malleable the brain is. In the study, they praised students differently. One by praising effort, the other by praising accomplishment. The results were that the students who got the effort praise (or growth mindset praise) wanted harder problems to challenge themselves, did better on easier problems, and the ones who got it wrong didn't lie about it like the people who got the accomplishment praise (or the fixed mindset praise). This study shows that people can change how you think just based on how you are praised in one situation. What if you are constantly are thinking that way or being praised for effort? People could be much more successful and achieve goals more efficiently weather it's an academic goal, a personal goal, or even an athletic goal.
The Advantages and the Lack of Disadvantages for Having a Growth Mindset
This chart explicitly shows what a growth mindset can do to help you progress through life. This also shows the advantages of having a growth mindset over a fixed one and how people with a growth mindset are more likely to deal with difficulty.
Rewiring Brain in Progress
Changing to a fixed mindset is definitely possible but you have to change how you think and that, at times, can be very difficult. Its going to take some effort to successfully achieve a growth mindset but it will be worth it.
Your Brain Activity when Engaged with a Growth Mindset
In this image, it is showing the brain activity from having a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset being significantly increased and how you brain is actually working harder and doing more for you when you have a growth mindset due to you desire to learn.
Growth Mindset Video
Growth Mindset Video
In this video, it describes what a growth mindset can do for you, what it is, and how you can obtain it. It also talks about how you can make the growth mindset or really any information stick in your head. The video claimed that if you said or wrote something at least five to ten times, it should stick and with practice and effort, you can achieve a growth mindset!
Growth Mindset Quiz
This link will take you to a quiz made by Dr. Carol Dweck to see what kind of mindset you have. Don't worry if you have a fixed mindset, you can always grow and change how you think into a growth mindset!