In this episode, I discuss how to build and apply a growth mindset — the practice of self-rewarding and focusing on learning and skill development through effort — to improve learning and performance. I also discuss how our internal narratives drive our ability to make progress. I contrast the growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset and describe how the type of feedback or praise we receive shapes our mindsets, and the huge advantage of rewarding and celebrating “verbs” (actions) rather than adjectives (performance labels). I also discuss data showing how stress can enhance performance and explain why the growth mindset works synergistically with the “stress-is-enhancing mindset,” and how to combine them. Whether you are a student, coach, therapist, parent, teacher or simply someone seeking to improve at something, this episode provides numerous science-supported tools for how to adopt a performance enhancing mindset.

For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.

Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman

Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman

Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Growth Mindset

(00:03:11) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:05:17) Mindset & Narrative

(00:12:58) Intelligence Feedback vs. Effort Feedback, Identity Labels

(00:20:10) Intelligence vs. Effort Praise: Performance, Persistence & Self-Representation

(00:26:45) Fixed Intelligence vs. Growth Mindset

(00:28:53) Tool: Intelligence (Performance) vs. Effort Narrative, Labels

(00:32:30) Sponsor: AG1

(00:34:36) Tool: Failure & Identity; Effort & Verbs

(00:35:41) Tool: Timing, Intelligence vs. Effort Praise & Performance

(00:40:080 Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset: Failure & Performance

(00:50:28) Tool: Shift from Fixed Mindset

(00:54:23) Sponsor: InsideTracker

(00:55:30) Stress-is-Enhancing Mindset

(01:05:53) How Stress Can Enhance Performance 

(01:13:21) Growth Mindset + Stress-is-Enhancing Mindset & Performance

(01:20:36) Reframing Stress

(01:25:45) Tool 1: Student & Teacher Mindset

(01:28:17) Tool 2: Effort Praise/Feedback: Verbs not Labels

(01:31:24) Tool 3: Errors & Seeking Help

(01:32:58) Tool 4: Self-Teaching & Growth Mindset

(01:34:35) Tool 5: Reframe “Mind is Like a Muscle” Analogy

(01:39:20) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer