Exploring gender differences in the relations between passion, grit, growth mindset, compassion and success: an explorative study

The present study aimed to examine the associations among passion, grit, growth mindset, compassion, and success, as well as to explore potential gender differences in a sample of adults in Norway. The sample consisted of 630 participants, including 398 females and 229 males. Passion was assessed using the Passion Scale, grit with the Grit-S Scale, growth mindset with the Growth Mindset Scale, compassion with the Compassion Scale, and success with the Success Scale. The results revealed significant gender differences. Males scored higher on passion, grit, growth mindset, and success, whereas females scored higher on compassion for others and compassion received from others. Correlation analyses showed that 20 of the 21 correlations were statistically significant, indicating a strong overall interaction among the factors examined. Passion, grit, and growth mindset were all positively associated with success. Self-compassion was positively related to passion, grit, and growth mindset, suggesting that a supportive inner attitude may strengthen motivational qualities. Notably, success demonstrated relatively strong correlations, ranging from 0.395 (with self-compassion) to 0.694 (with passion). We further examined the relative contribution of passion, grit, growth mindset, compassion for others, compassion from others, and self-compassion in predicting success. The full model accounted for 83% of the variance in success, indicating substantial explanatory power. When controlling for the other variables, passion showed the strongest association with success (β = 0.43, p < .001). Growth mindset also demonstrated a significant and positive relationship with success (β = 0.32, p < .001), followed by grit (β = 0.25, p < .001). In addition, self-compassion was significantly and positively related to success (β = 0.15, p < .001). Together, these findings suggest that both motivational strengths (passion, grit, growth mindset) and adaptive emotional resources (self-compassion) uniquely contribute to higher levels of success. Overall, the findings suggest that the factors examined in this study play an important role in both achievement and well-being.