Two professors from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) conducted a study that looked at the characteristics that enable people to achieve their ambitions. According to their research, people with more willpower often have one crucial characteristic in common: a “growth mindset.”
The large-scale study found that this mindset – defined as the belief in personal progress and improvement – is associated with higher levels of enthusiasm, determination and success.
More than 1,500 participants aged 13 to 77 years took part in the study, with an average age of 26 years. They completed questionnaires measuring characteristics such as perseverance, passion and mentality. The data showed that individuals with a positive outlook not only had more willpower, but were also more driven to achieve their goals. A new article about the test has been published in New ideas in psychology.
The findings highlight the importance of fostering a belief in growth to unlock one's potential. Adopting a growth mindset can be the key to developing resilience and passion in different areas of life.
“An individual's belief in growth is important. Individuals can change and increase their development through training. People with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities to learn,” says Professor Hermundur Sigmundsson from the Department of Psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). ).
“We find big differences in passion and determination when we compare the five percent who have the most positive attitude with the five percent who are the most negative,” Sigmundsson said.
“Our results can help us better understand the links between different factors. These in turn are related to how satisfied people are with their lives, how they feel, what they have already achieved and what they learn,” said Sigmundsson.
If we know more about what characterizes people with different attitudes, we can also better understand how to motivate different groups. This way we can ensure that people set long-term goals and make efforts to achieve these goals. This is what Sigmundsson calls 'getting the I CAN feeling'.
“The belief in growth is important for large parts of our society. This applies to school, sports, work and family life,” he said.
