Mindset malfunctions: Human self-sabotage
The human mind is a marvel of evolution – capable of breathtaking creativity, yet equally adept at constructing elaborate prisons of its own making. At the heart of this paradox lies our mindset, that curious mental lens through which we interpret everything from our abilities to impending apocalypses. Psychologists, in their infinite wisdom, have identified two particularly telling varieties: the fixed mindset and its more adaptable cousin, the growth mindset. The former operates on the charming assumption that talent is innate and unchangeable, a belief system particularly popular among those who enjoy explaining why they’ve never quite lived up to their potential. The latter, far more inconveniently, suggests we might actually have to work at things – a notion as unsettling as it is demonstrably true. ...