The myth that failure is always a good teacher may need an update. People tend to overestimate the likelihood of success following failure, which may make us less willing to help others who are struggling, according to a new study. A team of researchers from the business schools of Northwestern, Cornell, Yale and Columbia universities analyzed data from different online surveys including over 1,800 adults in the United States mostly between the ages of 29 to 49.
“The main finding is that people systematically — blissfully — overestimate the likelihood of resilience following failure,” according to the researchers. This “pollyannish” perception allows people to take more chances despite erroneously believing that failure fuels success, Eskreis-Winkler said in the email. “But from a helping perspective, exaggerating the benefits of failure is disastrous.