This podcast explores various mindsets and their impact on personal growth, health outcomes, motivation, decision-making, and goal-setting. It discusses the controversies surrounding replication of Carol Dweck's original work on mindsets. The episode also touches on stress mindsets, regulatory fit, and the influence of beliefs on goals and actions. It concludes by examining strategies for handling boredom and the importance of attention and truth.
Beliefs about intelligence and growth mindset can influence behavior, goals, and learning outcomes.
Beliefs about stress and its effects can impact health outcomes and happiness.
Deep dives
Beliefs about intelligence and growth mindset
Beliefs about intelligence influence behavior and goals. According to Carol Dweck's research on mindset, some people have a fixed mindset, believing that intelligence is fixed and unchangeable, while others have a growth mindset, believing that intelligence can be developed through learning. Those with a fixed mindset tend to seek validation of their intelligence and avoid failure, while those with a growth mindset are more likely to embrace challenges and view failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.
The impact of stress mindsets on health outcomes
Beliefs about stress can affect health outcomes. Studies have shown that individuals who believe stress is good for them tend to have better health outcomes and greater happiness compared to those who view stress as harmful. It is suggested that these effects may be influenced by the placebo effect or changes in behaviors associated with stress. For example, individuals who believe stress is harmful may exhibit negative health behaviors such as slouching, while those who believe stress is beneficial may engage in healthier behaviors.
Motivation mindset and self-regulation
Beliefs about self-motivation and the ability to make tasks more interesting can impact motivation and outcomes. Research on self-regulation of motivation suggests that individuals who believe they can make boring tasks more interesting tend to be more motivated and achieve higher levels of performance. While attempting to make tasks more interesting may slow down initial progress, it leads to greater overall motivation, increased interest in the task, and higher levels of work completion.
Regulatory fit and goal-related mindsets
Beliefs about regulatory fit, whether an individual's goals align with gain or maintenance, can influence motivation and decision-making. People who are primed with a gain mindset, focusing on maximizing gains, are motivated by tasks aligned with gain, while those primed with a maintenance mindset, focusing on preventing losses, are motivated by tasks aligned with maintenance. Regulatory fit impacts motivation, perceived value, choice evaluation, and retrospective evaluations of past decisions or goal pursuits.
Mindset was the first thing I spoke about on this podcast. I even did a separate episode going into the controversies surrounding replication of Carol Dweck's original work. Then there were stress mindsets, introduced by Kelly McGonigal in her book The Upside of Stress. (I happen to have also covered a book by her twin sister Jane, Reality is Broken, about applying the motivational principles learned by game designers in wider life situations).
But now I've encountered another kind of mindset: self-motivation mindset. Although the authors of Self-Regulation of Motivation: A Renewable Resource for Learning (2019) didn't name it that, it clearly is a type of mindset, in that it is a belief about oneself and one's potential. So now that we have not one, not two, but three mindsets to think about, I think it's time we tried to generalise as much as we can, and simply admit: mindsets matter. What other beliefs could there be that are affecting people's learning?
Enjoy the episode.
***
RELATED EPISODES
1. Mindset by Carol Dweck
68. The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal
131. Mindset: Does it Replicate?
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode