“Why don’t my grades improve as much as I study?”
A mental strength training method that allows you to study independently, enjoyably, and to the end.

* Professor Joo-Hwan Kim, who first established the concept of GRIT in the world
Newly published after 12 years, incorporating the latest research findings!
* Apply the theory of "Inner Communication," which has moved 150,000 readers, to your children's education!

Professor Kim Joo-hwan's book "Grit," beloved by readers for revealing the secrets of human achievement, has been fully revised and republished after 12 years.
After publishing "Resilience," the author, who had been contemplating a book containing practical solutions for real-world situations, judged that achieving goals was everyone's desire, from students preparing for exams to office workers living in fierce competition, and presented the concept of "grit," or the "secret to increasing achievement," for the first time, publishing the first edition in 2013.
In this comprehensively revised edition, the author redefines the concept of grit by incorporating the author's latest research findings based on brain science.
GRIT stands for “Growing through Relatedness + Intrinsic motivation + Tenacity.” It means helping children grow well through the three mental strengths of self-regulation (Tenacity), interpersonal skills (Relatedness), and self-motivation (Intrinsic motivation).


In this book, Professor Kim Joo-hwan asserts that it is a big mistake to think that the more parents are strict, the better their children's grades will be, and that the key to achieving the academic improvement that parents so desperately desire is whether their children have "grit," the source of achievement.
“Improving grit, or mental strength, means making children healthy and happy, and is the most effective and fastest way to improve their academic performance.”
It is also said that when this kind of mental strength training is done consistently, the child will grow into an adult who is not only good at studying but also achieves great things in whatever he does.
This book, "Grit," which unravels the secrets of achievement after over a decade of research, will provide more realistic and clear solutions to parents who want to raise their children to be happy individuals who excel at anything in our educational reality, which is still called the hell of college entrance exams.

Studying is not something you have to grit your teeth, endure, and endure hardships.
A widespread misconception in our society is the ideology of “no pain, no gain.”
This flawed ideology that is so prevalent in our society is causing many parents to push their children over the edge.
It is no coincidence that the suicide and depression rates among Korean youth are among the highest in the world.
Please remember that children must be happy for their bodies and minds to be healthy and for them to study well.
If you have fun while studying, if studying itself is fun, your results will be greater.
You can achieve more when you live in the present, in this moment, and today happily and enjoyably without pain (Less Pain, More Gain).

---From the "Prologue"

The core of the problem is not early education or pre-learning.
Anything that brings 'fun' to the child is fine, whether it's pre-learning or something else.
If your child can have fun solving math problems, then you can let them solve any math problem, no matter how high the level.
If your child finds it fascinating and fun to memorize the multiplication tables, then let them memorize them.
However, even if it is play, whether it is origami, playing with a ball, building a sand castle, or making Legos, you should never force your child to do it, scold them for not doing it, nag them, or pressure them as if something big will happen if they don't do it.
The moment negative emotions are triggered, whether it is play, pre-learning, or gifted education, it turns into something extremely harmful to the child.

---From "Our Prejudices and Misunderstandings About Studying"

Of course, intelligence is related to grades.
However, while this association may be statistically significant, its magnitude makes it practically meaningless.
A comprehensive review of numerous studies suggests that the correlation between school grades and intelligence is approximately 0.5.
This means that only about 25% of the differences in students' grades can be explained by intelligence.
The remaining 75% is determined by grit: motivation, persistence, and self-control.
---From "The First Misconception: Are Intelligence and Grades Inherited?"

Of course, there are clear differences in intelligence and talent between people.
When learning something for the first time, there are bound to be students who learn quickly and students who learn slowly, even if they put in the same amount of effort.
But when it comes to long-term goals like college admissions, being a little slower is perfectly fine.
What really matters is whether you have the ability to consistently and persistently work at something over many years.
A student with high intelligence but no ability to work hard will never succeed.

---From "Effort is also an ability"

For strong self-regulation to occur, the prefrontal cortex must function strongly.
In fact, brain imaging studies have shown that people with high self-control have higher activity in their prefrontal cortex.
Children with weak prefrontal cortex function know that they need to study and want to do so, but they cannot concentrate on their studies because they do not have the self-control and willpower to put it into practice.
It's not that I don't do it because I don't want to, but I want to do it but I can't because I don't have the self-control to do it.
---From "It's not a matter of will, it's a matter of the prefrontal cortex"

People who maintain happy and harmonious relationships with those around them are healthy in both body and mind.
Even in stressful situations, the level of amygdala activation and stress hormones in the body remain low.
The important thing is to feel strongly connected to the people around you.
This is especially true for students who suffer from the pressure of studying every day.
Maintaining good relationships with your friends, teachers, and parents can make you much healthier.
As stress levels decrease, the function of the prefrontal cortex naturally strengthens, leading to increased self-regulation and concentration.
---From "The most powerful force to relieve stress, interpersonal skills"

Friends are the key to healthy relationships for a growing child.
People often ask when they can study if they just hang out with their friends, but if you want to study better, it is very important to be close with your friends.
In terms of the development of the human brain and learning ability, relationships with parents are important during infancy, but later relationships with peers play a much more important role.
In fact, cultural customs, values, language, and behavior patterns are more influenced by peer groups.
Although issues directly related to survival are influenced by parents, how to live specifically is more influenced by peer groups.
---From "Why Children with Many Friends Do Well in School"

There is no specific reason why a child does not study, nor is it because something else is more fun.
Because there was no motivation to study.
Even if you are motivated, you may lack the mental energy to actively put it into practice.
The more these children are like this, the more we need to encourage their self-motivation so that they can motivate themselves.
Motivation is a kind of driving force that makes you work hard to do something.

---From "There are other reasons why children do not study"

Self-control and self-motivation are the 'ability to make an effort'.
To study well, you also need the ability to do well on tests.
The 'ability to make an effort' is based on a neural network centered primarily on the prefrontal cortex.
Meanwhile, the ability to do well on tests is mainly related to amygdala stabilization.
Feeling overly nervous when taking a test or making inappropriate mistakes while solving problems are all symptoms of test anxiety, which is caused by excessive activation of the amygdala.
To efficiently retrieve what you've studied and make accurate judgments within the stressful and limited time of an exam, it's essential to develop the habit of relaxed prefrontal activation (activating the prefrontal cortex and stabilizing the amygdala).
---From "Grit is necessary for exams too"

The goal of getting higher in the rankings brings endless stress to children.
Therefore, no matter how important grades are, you should never make 'raising your rank' your goal.
It is very dangerous to have performance goals such as, “I got 50th this time, but I will definitely get in the top 20 next time,” or “I got 4th this time, so I will definitely get 1st next time.”
This is because it can cause tremendous stress and even test anxiety.
Rather, it is better to aim for improving your score.
If you got an 80 on this test, you should aim for a 90 or 100 next time.

---From "Overcoming Test Anxiety with Self-Control"