Having spent years examining successful individuals in various professions, top psychologist Angela Duckworth has pinpointed what she terms the most dependable indicator of achievement, a concept that contradicts common beliefs regarding aptitude and intellect. During a recording of her podcast, released Monday, Author Mel Robbins, who boasts 4.6 million subscribers on YouTube, recently inquired about Duckworth's discoveries.
“The common denominator of high achievers, no matter what they’re achieving, is this special combination of passion and perseverance for really long-term goals,” Duckworth explains. “And in a word, it’s grit.”
Grit, as defined by Duckworth,a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and MacArthur Fellow, comprises two linked elements that function in tandem throughout a period. These are the two components, aren't they? A deep-seated enthusiasm for achieving objectives over an extended period, akin to cherishing an interest and maintaining that affection. Not kind of wandering off and doing something else, and then something else again, and then something else again, but having a kind of North Star,” she said.
Duckworth emphasizes that perseverance is also a vital element. It's partly due to hard work, you know? It involves both practicing skills you haven't mastered and demonstrating perseverance. A key aspect of perseverance is whether you can rise again on the truly difficult days.
Research indicates that for children and West Point cadets, grit is the most significant factor.
Research by Duckworth, which dates back to 2007, suggests that grit is a better indicator of success than conventional measures. She studied over 11,000 cadets over several years at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, measuring their “grit scores” upon entry and tracking their performance through the notoriously difficult “Beast Barracks” training program.
The findings were remarkable: Grit emerged as the most significant indicator of cadets who would successfully finish the demanding six-week course, surpassing SAT scores, high school GPAs, physical fitness evaluations, and even West Point’s comprehensive “Whole Candidate Score.” While 3% of new cadets typically leave during Beast Barracks, those with higher grit scores were significantly more likely to persist.
The academy’s traditional metrics failed to capture what mattered most: the ability to persist when facing extreme challenges.
Comparable trends were observed in A study by Duckworth on National Spelling Bee participants. Children demonstrating greater perseverance were more prone to progress through subsequent stages of the competition, irrespective of their assessed intelligence levels. The study indicated that students with grit spent more time on what researchers term “deliberate practice”, which involves the demanding, often unappealing task of learning and recalling words independently, as opposed to engaging in more enjoyable pursuits. Like being quizzed by others.
The equation for effort
Duckworth's studies uncovered an unexpected connection between perseverance and conventional indicators of talent. “I think that absolutely anything that any psychologist tells you is a good thing to have is partly under control,” she told Robbins during the podcast. I'm not suggesting that genes don't play a role, as every psychologist will confirm that's also a component of everything, including grit. Our level of grit is largely determined by our knowledge, our social circle, and our surroundings.
In one study, Duckworth observed that students with higher intelligence scores demonstrated less grit compared to those who scored lower. This observation indicates that those lacking innate talent frequently compensate through increased effort and perseverance, which ultimately yields positive results. At an Ivy League university, the grittiest students, not the smartest ones, achieved the highest GPAs.
Duckworth believes “effort counts twice” in the achievement equation. Her equation is: Talent multiplied by Effort equals Skill, and Skill multiplied by Effort equals Achievement.
Talent is defined by the speed at which your abilities develop through dedicated effort. When you apply your learned abilities, that's when achievement occurs," she told Forbes in 2017.
A crucial point: Grit isn't the sole determinant of success.
Duckworth's research has shaped conversations around educational policy and military training, even as her perspective on the trait's significance has shifted. During an interview with EdSurge in 2018, she stated that "when we discuss what children require to develop into adults who lead lives that are joyful, healthy, and beneficial to others, it's an extensive list of necessities." Grit is included, but it's not the sole item on the list.
Recent research has both corroborated and enhanced Duckworth's conclusions. A 2019 study of West Point cadets, to which Duckworth also contributed, discovered that although grit was still a substantial indicator of graduation, cognitive ability proved to be the most potent predictor of academic and military success. Other research has raised doubts about whether grit offers significant predictive value beyond well-known personality characteristics such as conscientiousness.
While academics continue to discuss whether grit is a distinct concept, the fundamental idea is powerful: consistent dedication and perseverance toward distant objectives frequently outweigh innate talent by itself. As Duckworth put it back in 2017, “Our potential is one thing. Our actions regarding it are a different matter entirely.
The complete interview with Angela Duckworth by Mel Robbins is available to watch below.