How does praise affect performance?

Praise significantly affects performance, particularly when it emphasizes effort over innate qualities like intelligence or talent. Andrew Huberman discusses a study showing that children who receive praise for their effort rather than their intelligence are more likely to perform better and choose more challenging tasks. This type of feedback leads to genuine improvement in performance because it encourages continued effort and persistence, even in the face of difficulty.

Moreover, children praised for intelligence might actually misrepresent their performance in subsequent tasks to appear more capable than they are, which can undermine their actual ability and confidence over time. Huberman stresses the importance of focusing praise on the effort and processes involved in a task, rather than on a person's innate abilities. This approach not only enhances performance but also aligns with developing a growth mindset, where challenges are viewed as opportunities to learn and grow 1 2.