We humans don’t learn as easily as we should. We learn better from direct experience than from others. And we learn better from failure than from success. Why is that? What exactly do we learn after ...

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Sure, risking failure is important. Not stupid failure – the kind that comes from testing the depth of water with both feet. Rather the well-considered variety: the ‘intelligent failures’ essential to ...

Contrary to the widespread belief that people learn from their mistakes, new science suggests that failure is not always the best teacher. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Clark ...

Imagine you are watching a movie, a delightfully engaging and entertaining film. Now imagine that the person sitting next to you is an acclaimed director, an expert at making movies. Will you see the ...

You often hear that failure provides an opportunity for learning. Indeed, it is intuitively appealing to assume that people will use their failure experiences as means toward finding success.

Corrected: A previous version of this essay included a misspelling of Amy C. Edmondson’s name. The best teachers create classrooms where students understand that making mistakes and even experiencing ...

A chemist at the 3M research lab had been working to develop an adhesive strong enough to be used in the construction of an aircraft. One of those many failures resulted in a thin, weak substance that ...

Whether you’re running a small startup or a Fortune 500 corporation, the ability and willingness to learn from failure is paramount for future success. And yet, focusing too much on understanding past ...