DOI
10.1080/17439760.2021.2006762
Abstract
Believing anxiety can change is a predictor of wellbeing, in part, because such beliefs – known as growth mindsets – predict weaker threat appraisals, which in turn improves psychological functioning. However, feeling a sense of personal threat facilitates social activism, and thus growth mindsets may undermine such action. Across six studies (N = 1761), including cross-sectional and experimental approaches (3 pre-registered), growth mindsets predict flourishing, including wellbeing, resilience, and grit. We find that growth mindsets indirectly predict reduced activism against social threats through reduced threat appraisals, which are critical motivators of activism. The total effect linking growth mindsets to activism was not robust. Overall, Bayesian meta-analytic summary effects reveal that growth mindsets of anxiety are critical components of psychological flourishing, broadly defined. Mindsets are also consistently linked to weakened threat appraisals across a variety of social threats from gun violence to natural disasters. Although helpful for resilience, these dampened threat appraisals impair social action.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-19-2021
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2021, Taylor & Francis.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.2006762
The definitive version is available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2021.2006762
Recommended Citation
Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., Nash, E., Becker, W., & Billingsley, J. (2021). Growth mindsets of anxiety: Do the benefits to individual flourishing come with societal costs? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 18(3), 370–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.2006762
Included in
Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community Psychology Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Political Science Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Psychology Commons
