Do you believe people are born with a certain amount of ability and intelligence? Or do you think these things can be changed through effort and education? Your answers to these questions may decide how well you chase your own goals in life! Researchers in Norway looked at over 1,500 people aged 13 to 77. Participants filled out a survey asking them questions about how much they think people's abilities and intelligence can grow with effort and education. They also filled out two more surveys: one asking how passionate they are about the things they are interested in, and one asking how persistent — and consistent — they are in chasing their goals. For example, they were asked how much they agree with statements such as, "I use a lot of time on the projects I like," for passion, and "I finish whatever I begin," for persistence. The researchers then looked at the people who got the 5% highest and lowest scores for belief in people's ability to grow. It was found that those with the greatest belief in growth also had significantly higher scores in passion and persistence. Interestingly, although 60% of all the study participants were women, in the group with the lowest belief in growth almost 60% were men. "The belief in growth is important for large parts of our society," said Hermundur Sigmundsson, one of the study's authors. "This is true for school, sports, work and family life." The authors also pointed to other studies that have found that it's possible to help people believe in personal growth — particularly as children — and that this can result in greater persistence. Looking at their own results, the researchers said it can be argued that belief in your ability to grow may be important for both passion and persistence. However, they also noted that it could also be that passion, perseverance and belief in growth all support each other.