Growth Mindset As a Catalyst for Personal Happiness

Overview

Objectives/Goals In my project last year, I found a significant positive correlation between a growth mindset (here defined as perceiving intelligence as a changeable attribute, contrasted by a fixed mindset, which sees intelligence as set in stone) with personal happiness through survey data (t99=2.652, p=.009). But correlation does not imply causation. The present study utilizes experimental design to explore whether a mindset intervention change would catalyze a change in personal happiness. Methods/Materials I created two intervention programs to encourage a growth mindset. The first was a Lecture treatment (n=33), in which I spoke to subjects about both types of mindsets and their respective advantages and disadvantages in order to raise cognizance of the subject#s own mindset. The second was a Growth Journal treatment (n=20), in which subjects, after a lecture, wrote journal entries about recent experiences of growth in order to help subjects ingrain the habit of thinking in a growth mindset. A third group of subjects served as control (n=11) and received no treatment. The effectiveness of each intervention program was evaluated through anonymous pre- and post- experimental surveys about mindset and happiness. Results Both of the intervention programs proved effective in changing students# mindset (Lecture Group: t32=3.373, p=.002, Journal Group: t19=4.744, p≈0) while control group did not (t10=2.10, p=.062, n.s.). However, no treatment succeeded in increasing personal happiness significantly (Lecture Group: t32=-.308, p=.760, Journal Group: t19=1.244, p=.198). Furthermore, One-way ANOVA analyses by intervention (including control) revealed no significant differences by treatment in catalyzing positive change in either mindset or happiness. In addition, a correlational analysis of change in mindset and happiness composite scores revealed no significant correlation (r61=-.151, p=.239). Conclusions/Discussion To conclude, the intervention programs, particularly the Growth Journal Exercise, were successful in ingraining a growth mindset. This adaptation was not accompanied by a significant shift in happiness. Nonetheless, a growth mindset is a valuable tool in life, so a successful mindset intervention program like mine is imperative.

Competition history

• CSEF 2013 Behavioral & Social Sciences · Entry S0493

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