The Tyranny of ‘‘Could’’: Why Limits Give Life Meaning | Coffee Break Research at LSE

Why It Matters

Uncritical promotion of the growth mindset fuels ineffective interventions, personal burnout, and obscures structural inequities; recognizing limits offers a healthier, more realistic path for education, business, and individual wellbeing.

Key Takeaways

• Growth mindset originated from academic research, not a universal solution.
• Empirical studies show its impact on performance is negligible.
• Ideological adoption stripped context, turning it into corporate compliance tool.
• Overemphasis on limitless growth ignores biological and systemic constraints.
• Recognizing limits can foster healthier motivation and realistic expectations.

Summary

Thomas Curran opens the talk by tracing the cultural hijacking of Samuel Beckett’s bleak mantra into today’s obsession with limitless self‑improvement. He argues that the popular "growth mindset"—popularized by Carol Dweck’s research—has been stripped of its scholarly caveats and turned into a universal productivity creed. The lecture walks through the intellectual lineage: David McClelland’s achievement‑motivation experiments in India, Bernard Weiner’s attribution theory, John Nicholls’s mastery versus performance orientations, and finally Dweck’s framing of fixed versus growth mindsets. While each contributed valuable insight, the later commercial and political embrace ignored the crucial role of context. A 2018 meta‑analysis of 300 studies found growth mindset explains less than a tenth of a grade point, and a 2023 sibling‑comparison study showed meritocratic belief harms low‑SES youth, reinforcing systemic inequality. Curran punctuates the narrative with vivid examples: Obama’s inaugural address, Google’s mandatory training, TikTok’s viral hashtags, and the relentless “mistakes are proof you’re trying” classroom posters. He also revisits Beckett’s original meaning—failure as a refined awareness of limits rather than a stepping stone to endless optimization. The takeaway is a call to re‑center limits as sources of meaning and health. By acknowledging biological constraints and structural barriers, educators, managers, and individuals can shift from a hollow mantra of perpetual growth to a more sustainable model that values well‑being, realistic ambition, and the wisdom of knowing when to stop.

Original Description

Depression, anxiety and burnout are at record levels, and we often believe we are the problem. Psychologist Dr Thomas Curran isn’t so sure.

Instead, he argues that the issue is a culture that tells us we could be anything. His research shows that humans need limits to thrive and give life meaning. Limits tell us where to put our energy - to know the difference between chasing the horizon forever and setting off for somewhere you can actually arrive. This talk outlines what Dr Curran calls modern society's "tyranny of the could" and explains why it is today's hidden epidemic.

Dr Thomas Curran is a BPS chartered psychologist and a world-leading expert on perfectionism. In 2018, he gave a TEDMED talk entitled ''Our Dangerous Obsession with Perfectionism is Getting Worse'' and in 2023 he published his debut book, "The Perfection Trap".

🔴 Tom Curran is Associate Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at LSE, https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/thomas-curran

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