and the kids who received the fixed mindset praise lied about their scores over three times more often than those who received the growth mindset praise. They did not have another way to cope with their failure. The difference between these two groups: one short little sentence. How often do we praise kids for being smart or for being great at something? We have been told that this will raise their self-esteem. But instead, it puts them in a fixed mindset. They become afraid of challenges, and they lose confidence when things hit hard.