Have you ever had to sit there and persuade someone to do something you know they are perfectly capable of doing, because you've already done it yourself? Or maybe you're that friend who always needs convincing?
It can be something simple, like learning how to use a new software program, a new kitchen gadget, learning how to float in a pool. Where as some jump at an opportunity that might take a bit of elbow grease, others scoff at the idea of even beginning an attempt.
Sometimes it's bigger changes, like applying to a new job or pursuing a particularly difficult college major like Microbiology.
On one side of the spectrum you have those who detest change and prefer to stick to what they know. On the other end, you have those who are the trend setters: the first to buy a fancy new gadget, try the latest technology and quickly subscribe to new ideas and take on new challenges.
So what are the underlying factors at play behind these vastly different personality types?
Growth mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
According to Carol Dweck, growth mindset is is the belief and world view that humans are capable of increasing their knowledge, intelligence and ability. In other words, you're not stuck with the talents you have. This means an elder, with time and effort, can learn the latest technology or a sedentary person can become a body builder or gymnast.
On the other side of the spectrum are those with a fixed mindset, who take on the view that you either possess intelligence, talent and ability, or you do not. Furthermore, they believe that if you do not, it is not possible to develop this with effort and, in fact, effort is seen as shameful and should be avoided.
It's fairly easy to see why someone with a growth mindset would have a "can do" attitude and someone with a fixed mindset would not. The individual with a fixed mindset is more focused on the fact that they do not already have the knowledge needed, and fear failure.
Loss/Risk Aversion
Losses loom larger than gains. This concept was popularized by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky and it describes the pain of losing as more powerful than the satisfaction of gaining. When chances are equal, humans typically will prefer to avoid a loss than take a risk for a potential reward.
This loosely explains why someone would be afraid to invest $10,000 into a business that has the possibility of multiplying that amount exponentially. The certain loss of $10k is more painful than the possible gain of hundreds of thousands. Of course, there is individual variability; if we didn't come with various degrees of loss aversion either everyone would start their own business, or no one would start a business
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
For some, the simple fear of not being on trend or missing out on an experience is enough to make them take action. To an extent, this falls in line with loss aversion, except that in this scenario the loss comes from inaction, rather than from taking action. Here, the fear of missing out outweighs the "can't do" attitude.
Low Confidence
An experiment by Jonathan Brown and Keith Dutton has participants perform either a hard task the they'd almost certainly fail or an easy task that they'd easily succeed at. The results of the experiment suggested that after failing the task, individuals with lower self-esteem had lower feelings of self-worth than those with higher self-esteem.
This implies that those with lower self-esteem are harder on themselves when they make a mistake or fail, whereas those with higher self-esteem can mitigate those harsh feelings. This would lead those with lower self-esteem to avoid new tasks as a defense mechanism against low feelings of self-worth that come with an undesirable result.
The good news is, all of these mechanisms and beliefs come in varying levels in different individuals. You might have low self-esteem but fear of missing out will get you to invest if you see your friends are doing it. You might be loss averse but decide to do enough research to convince yourself the loss is unlikely or the potential gains are worthwhile.
To some extent, being careful is great for our survival. It's the little voice that prevents us from taking way too high a jump, leaving a job without having another lined up, or blowing our life savings on a bad investment. However, greatness and joy come with some level of risk, challenges and novelty!