Fixed vs Growth Mindset

How the Brain Works

• 86 billion cells in your brain called neurons
• 1 neuron can be connected to 10,000 other neurons
• When we learn, new connections are made between neurons
• Old connections grow and unused ones are destroyed

People with a Fixed Mindset

• Believe their intelligence is fixed
• See people as either "smart" or "dumb"
• Care about grades and how smart they look
• Are more likely to give up when faced with a difficult problem

People with a Growth Mindset

• Believe their intelligence can improve
• Thinks everyone can improve
• Cares about learning, not grades
• Will persevere through difficult problems and is not afraid to ask questions

How your mindset affects you

• It affects your performance in school, sports, and arts
• People with different mindsets face problems differently
• People with a growth mindset tend to do better because they don't give up
• Eventually, people with fixed mindsets fall behind and get bad grades

Your mindset is changeable

• Try to recognize whether you have a primarily fixed or growth mindset
• Challenge your fixed mindset voice and talk back to it
• You can always improve!