Whether it’s an employee or a student, offering compliments and praise for their work is important. It’s not only kind, but it can also help motivate continued growth and long-term success. That said, there is such a thing as praising someone effectively.

Andy Luttrell, a social psychologist, and others argue that the most effective praise focuses on effort rather than assigning a trait or ability to someone’s success or fixating on the final result.

In a video, Luttrell explains that comments like, “Wow, you got ten questions right, you’re so smart,” or “Wow, you got ten questions right, that’s a perfect score,” can boost self-esteem. However, that kind of praise may be limiting compared to feedback such as, “Wow, you got ten questions right, you must have worked really hard.”

The study that proves the point

According to Luttrell, children participating in a study on praise were given quizzes and then divided into three groups. One third received praise focused only on the result, another third were praised for an assigned trait or ability, such as being told, “You’re so smart,” and the final third were praised for their effort with feedback like, “You must have worked hard.”

When given the choice between taking a more challenging quiz or an easier one, children who had been praised for their........

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