You might imagine that where you stand on the nature-nurture debate is purely academic. You would be very wrong. Simply holding the belief that genes largely or wholly determine you or your children can be toxic.

Studies have extended these findings into the realm of how your child views its own capacity. Secondary pupils who take a malleable view of their abilities get significantly higher grades than ones who believe they are fixed. When samples of teens and undergraduates are taught to think of themselves as being malleable rather than fixed, they get significantly better grades as a result of the tuition.