Why Grit Requires Perseverance and Passion to Positively Predict Performance

Jon M. Jachimowicz; Andreas  Wihler; Erica R. Bailey; Adam  D. Galinsky

Article | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Why Grit Requires Perseverance and Passion to Positively Predict Performance

by Jon M. Jachimowicz, Andreas Wihler, Erica R. Bailey and Adam D. Galinsky

Abstract

Prior studies linking grit—defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals—to performance are beset by contradictory evidence. As a result, commentators have increasingly declared that grit has limited effects. We propose that this inconsistent evidence has occurred because prior research has emphasized perseverance and ignored, both theoretically and empirically, the critical role of passion, which we define as a strong feeling toward a personally important value/preference that motivates intentions and behaviors to express that value/preference. We suggest that combining the grit scale—which only captures perseverance—with a measure that assesses whether individuals attain desired levels of passion will predict performance. We first metaanalyzed 127 studies (n = 45,485) that used the grit scale and assessed performance, and found that effect sizes are larger in studies where participants were more passionate for the performance domain. Second, in a survey of employees matched to supervisor-rated job performance (n = 422), we found that the combination of perseverance, measured through the grit scale, and passion attainment, measured through a new scale, predicted higher performance. A final study measured perseverance and passion attainment in a sample of students (n = 248) and linked these to their grade-point average (GPA), finding that the combination of perseverance and passion attainment predicted higher GPAs in part through increased immersion. The present results help resolve the mixed evidence of grit’s relationship with performance by highlighting the important role that passion plays in predicting performance. By adequately measuring both perseverance and passion, the present research uncovers grit’s true predictive power.

Keywords: grit; perseverance; passion; Performance; motivation; Personal Characteristics; Emotions; Performance; Motivation and Incentives;

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Citation:

Jachimowicz, Jon M., Andreas Wihler, Erica R. Bailey, and Adam D. Galinsky. "Why Grit Requires Perseverance and Passion to Positively Predict Performance." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 115, no. 40 (October 2, 2018): 9980–9985.

The current research investigates whether higher economic inequality disproportionately intensifies the financial hardship of low-income individuals. We propose that higher economic inequality increases financial hardship for low-income individuals by reducing their ability to rely on their community as a buffer against financial difficulties. This may occur, in part, because a frayed community buffer reduces low-income individuals’ propensity to seek informal financial support from others. We provide empirical support across eight studies (sample size N = 1,029,900) from the United States, Australia, and rural Uganda through correlational and experimental data as well as an instrumental variable analysis. On average across our studies, a 1 s.d. increase in economic inequality is associated with an increase of financial hardship among low-income individuals of 0.10 s.d. We discuss the implications of these results for policies aimed to help people living in poverty buffer against the adverse effects higher economic inequality imposes on them.

Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2020

The Pursuit of Passion Propagates Privilege

Josephine Tan and Jon M. Jachimowicz

For many graduating college students entering the workforce, “pursue your passion” is not only a frequently repeated graduation mantra but also a commonly embraced ideal. In line with this view, prior academic research finds that passion connotes work-related benefits, including higher job satisfaction and performance. Here, we bring together social psychological, sociological, and organizational perspectives to suggest that the inclination to work in jobs that enable graduating students to pursue their passion differs based on their socioeconomic status (SES): those from lower SES backgrounds view the pursuit of passion as a privilege that excludes them. Across two correlational and experimental studies (N = 510; k = 1,562), we find that students from lower SES backgrounds feel that they are a worse fit for and lack the skills to thrive in jobs that call for passion, i.e., that they perceive the pursuit of passion as a privilege. We next examine whether this belief is accurate from the perspective of recruiters, and—across two additional experimental studies designed to test both overt and covert discrimination (N = 1,005; k = 9,713)—do not find supporting empirical evidence for discrimination against students from lower SES backgrounds in jobs that emphasize the pursuit of passion. These results suggest that the pursuit of passion may serve as an—unintentionally—exclusionary signal to graduating students from lower SES backgrounds, making them less likely to apply, and ultimately less likely to be hired. The pursuit of passion thus reflects a privilege that perpetuates inequalities along socioeconomic lines.

Keywords: passion; careers; socioeconomic status; discrimination; Emotions; Personal Development and Career; Status and Position; Prejudice and Bias;

Citation:

Tan, Josephine, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "The Pursuit of Passion Propagates Privilege." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-136, June 2020. View Details

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We conducted a large-scale survey covering 58 countries and over 100,000 respondents between late March and early April 2020 to study beliefs and attitudes towards citizens’ and governments’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most respondents reacted strongly to the crisis: they report engaging in social distancing and hygiene behaviors and believe that strong policy measures, such as shop closures and curfews, are necessary. They also believe that their government and their country’s citizens are not doing enough and underestimate the degree to which others in their country support strong behavioral and policy responses to the pandemic. The perception of a weak government and public response is associated with higher levels of worries and depression. Using both cross-country panel data and an event-study we additionally show that strong government reactions correct misperceptions and reduce worries and depression. Our findings highlight that policy makers not only need to consider how their decisions affect the spread of COVID-19, but also how such choices influence the mental health of their population. Data and code is available here.

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Why Grit Requires Perseverance and Passion to Positively Predict Performance

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