Recent study says: Don't tell your kid they're talented.
Hang with me...
I apologize in advance for the clickbait headline
I had no choice…
It was too good.
BUT!
There is an actual reason for the title, and as someone who has a masters degree in sports psychology, a recent study has come out that’s extremely intriguing.
Its a lot deeper than what i’m going to show you, but i’m going to give you the basics.
There were two groups of students solving math problems.
The first group solved the problem and were told “I’m proud of you, wow you are so smart” by the authority figure in the room, or some other talent based praise “you’re so talented” or something of the like.
The Second group solved the problem and were told “You worked so hard, i am so proud of you” by the authority figure in the room, or some variation of work ethic based praise”
Both groups were then given a second set of problems, increasing in difficulty.
Group 2, the work ethic based praise group attempted to solve the second set of questions and showed great resolve and completed them 9% better. (Zero clue what “better” means, but onward we go)
Group 1, the talent based praise group performed the second set of questions, and struggled mightily. Showing a decrease in output by almost 20% and many of the students finished less than half the problems.
So…? What is the lesson here?
The lesson is this: Talent based praise showed to be possibly **Detrimental** in regards to long term success and development of youth, while praising “input based traits” like worth ethic and determination/perseverance showed to improve performance over the long run.
It’s really easy to think that praising talent is a good move, and honestly its probably way better than not praising your child at all, but there are better ways to do things.
Talent is a huge predictor of future success, but if your child plays the game long enough they will reach a level where they start to doubt their talent. They will no longer stand out among their peers for their talent, and if that is the only thing they believe they’re good for then they might be in trouble.
IF they have the capability to fall back on deeper traits, such as perseverance and worth ethic, maybe they will be in a much better place to push through their hard times and find a way to succeed.
Sports are hard, and no matter how good you become they only get harder. It takes a lot to make it, that is why most don’t.
Equip your athletes with the best tools they can find.
Every little bit helps.