At the center of it all is a metaphor: the brain as muscle. The mind, in this analogy, is akin to a biceps or a quadriceps—a physical entity that varies in strength among individuals. The comparison has been incorporated into another hugely popular concept originating in academic psychology: “grit.” Angela Duckworth, the University of Pennsylvania psychologist who defines grit as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals,” echoes Dweck in her own book. “Like a muscle that gets stronger with use, the brain changes itself when you struggle to master a new challenge,” she wrote in the
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