IQ offers slim protection from false beliefs because rational thinking is different from intelligence.

Ideas about rewards, passion, grit, practice, and mindset rest on weaker evidence than their fame suggests.

Rewards don't automatically destroy motivation as incentives and enjoyment work together, not in opposition.

Chances are, you will succumb to at least one common seasonal false belief. When you see a child queued up to see Santa having a full-blown meltdown, do you suspect excessive candy cane consumption? Maybe you insist that family members wear winter beanies because you believe most body heat escapes from the head? Have you moved a poinsettia out of a toddler's reach for fear of poisoning? If so, you are in great company, but also 100% wrong, according to science! A dozen controlled trials show that sugar does not cause hyperactivity, the head accounts for only about 10 percent of body heat loss, and poinsettias pose no serious poisoning risks (Vreeman & Carroll, 2008). Despite what you might believe, each statement above is refuted by scientific evidence.

As I stated in my last article on popular psychology myths, the reasons why "smart" people reject facts are voluminous, but often include cultural and personal experience, inability or unwillingness to examine evidence, and herd mentality (whereby group endorsement supports believability). People also resist abandoning false beliefs when they perceive no compelling reason to change or fail to recognize the consequences of those beliefs. To fully understand how beliefs influence behavior, we must first distinguish beliefs that science can refute from those that cannot be objectively dispelled. For example, we won't debate things like how much sex is appropriate in a marriage, how much money should be contributed to charities, or whether stealing is acceptable if you are starving. Science cannot answer these types of questions. Instead, below I identify popular myths that hinder organizational performance, thinking, and decision-making, focusing primarily on motivation and achievement. I close by emphasizing that scientific understanding must........

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