Pressure to succeed and avoid failure is all around us. From athletes who seek perfection in their physical form, to young professionals who deal with burnout while they strive for that next role — most of us try to avoid failure. In 2018, research found that 60 percent of young people have trouble coping with the pressure to succeed.
However, various studies have shown that failure is by no means synonymous with a lack of accomplishment. Indeed, researchers from Northwestern University have decreed failure to be “the essential prerequisite for success,” and a University of Arizona study says we must fail to learn and failing 15 percent of the time is the “sweet spot.”
“Striving to be perfect is likely complex,” explains Daniel Madigan, a professor of psychology at York St. John University. “There is little wrong with wanting to do well and have high standards. The problems arise when achieving those standards is tied to one's sense of self.”
