NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children

NurtureShock challenges our most deeply held beliefs about raising children, demonstrating that many popular parenting strategies are not only ineffective but can be actively harmful. Through a compelling synthesis of cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience, authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman reveal why praising children for being 'smart' can undermine their achievement, how losing just one hour of sleep can impact a child's IQ and health as much as lead exposure, why parental silence on race doesn't create color-blind kids, and why lying is actually a developmental milestone. This book is an essential guide for parents, educators, and anyone interested in the real science of how children learn, behave, and thrive, offering a new framework for understanding and nurturing the next generation.

What it argues

This model, inferred from the book 'NurtureShock', posits that specific, evidence-based parenting and educational practices (design levers) influence children's core psychological and behavioral states (mediators), which in turn lead to desirable long-term developmental outcomes. It contrasts these effective practices with conventional but counterproductive approaches.

Key ideas it contributes

• Praise for Effort — A form of parental or educator feedback that focuses on a child's process, strategies, hard work, and persistence rather than on their innate ability or intelligence.
• Praise for Intelligence — A form of feedback that attributes a child's success to innate, fixed traits such as being 'smart' or 'talented', rather than to their effort or actions.
• Sufficient Sleep — The child consistently obtains the age-appropriate amount of sleep, which is critical for cognitive processing, emotional regulation, and physical health.
• Explicit Discussion of Race — Parental practice of openly and directly talking with children about race, racial differences, diversity, and the importance of fairness and equality.
• Executive Function Training — Educational curricula and activities, such as those in 'Tools of the Mind,' designed to develop children's self-control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and planning abilities through structured play and metacognitive exercises.
• Parental Responsiveness to Infant Cues — The parent's tendency to provide prompt, contingent, and appropriate verbal or nonverbal responses to an infant's vocalizations, gestures, and focus of attention.
• Positive Truth Affirmation — A parental strategy for promoting honesty that emphasizes the positive social value of truth-telling (e.g., 'Telling the truth makes me happy') rather than focusing solely on punishing dishonesty.
• Growth Mindset — A child's belief that their abilities and intelligence can be developed and improved through dedication, effort, and learning from mistakes.