• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

How to Learn From Both Success and Failure

While we may indeed learn through failure, we can also learn through our successes. In a recent paper, some scientists examined exactly how.

Craig Marker

Written by Craig Marker Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

“We learn from failure, not from success!” Although these words presented in Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula seem to be common knowledge, success and failure may be more closely linked. Thus, can we learn from success as well?

“We learn from failure, not from success!” Although these words presented in Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula seem to be common knowledge, success and failure may be more closely linked. Thus, can we learn from success as well? A recent paper in the journal Psychological Science attempted to answer how people learn from both failure and success.

The Importance of Failure

Learning from failure is important because we benefit from seeing what went wrong in athletic performance, the workplace, and relationships. In general, we probably don’t seek out failure to gain learning experiences and in some circumstances failure would have dire consequences. For example, we probably don’t want to learn from failed manned space missions.

Thus, we have to look at our successes for learning experiences to avoid a future disaster. For example, an Olympic lifter who barely completes a competition snatch can still learn from his or her performance to improve the next lift.

The researchers in the Psychological Science paper described three mechanisms for how we can look at success and failure. Success and failure utilize each mechanism more or less and in different ways.

  1. Self-Explanation: analyzing our behavior and trying to find reasons why we failed or succeeded.
  2. Data Verification or Counterfactual Thinking: brainstorming different ways we could have approached the problem and how we might affect the outcome.
  3. Feedback: determining whether there is success or failure (first step) and then stating what we learned and what we will do to change in the future.

Mechanism #1: Self-Explanation

In failure, self-explanation can be blocked by explaining away our failure to some external event and in turn, we do not focus on what we can do better. For example, in losing to a competitor I might look at all of the support gear and simply stop analyzing my role and focus on his competitive advantage.

Thus, I lose the ability to be self-reflective in that I am focused on external reasons. This focus on external reasons has benefits in that I don’t damage my self-esteem in the loss (this mechanism is quite useful in keeping us from being depressed). However, it makes me lose the ability to focus on what I might do better.

If we can get past the immediate mechanism to focus on external reasons why we did poorly, then we can start looking at how to improve. The researchers mention the best strategy is to focus on what we did well, in addition to what did not go well, as this can help buffer the self-reflective process. That is, our self-esteem is protected by placing our failure in context of what we did well in the situation.

life lessons, failure, learning from failure, learning from success, learning

In success, self-explanation is easier as we can focus on how we succeeded. Our explanation comes to us easier in that we can’t damage our self-esteem (because we succeeded*).

We can focus on minor technical issues of what we might do better. For example, I might focus on the snatch attempt where I barely finished the lift. “My second pull might have been better, but luckily my third pull under the bar was quick enough.”

Mechanism #2: Data Verification and Counterfactual Thinking

In success, counterfactual thinking can be difficult. I succeeded, so why would I look at alternatives? If we take the attitude that what we did is “good enough,” it makes it tough to learn from successes.

Questions, such as “what might I do better?” can be helpful to break through the problems with counterfactual thinking. There is probably a fine line between enjoying your success without focusing on what went wrong and over focusing on mistakes. The right balance can help us learn from our successes.

Mechanism #3: Feedback

In success and failure, the feedback mechanism is needed to cement what has been learned. That is, we must focus on what we can do better, as well as plan out how we will use this information.

In the example above, I could use the information that my second pull was not quick enough and focus on that part of my movement the next time. If it is a fundamental problem, then I will create a program where I can get better at it. The feedback system is where we will take what we have learned from self-reflection and counterfactual thinking and put in a plan of action.

What Can We Learn From Success?

The researchers found that after a failed experience, improvement takes place when we focus on both correct and erroneous actions.

Focusing on what we did correctly can soften the blow from the information on what we did not do so well. After a successful experience, we learn best from focusing on what we did wrong. After success, we may feel safe to discuss errors more freely without having to protect our self-worth.

life lessons, failure, learning from failure, learning from success, learning

Take Home

Our successes can be analyzed to ensure future success and to make sure we are still learning from these experiences. If you are too successful and not learning from your experiences, go do some karaoke or some other experience where you fail and can learn from it.

Furthermore, we can ask ourselves different questions after success and failure:

  • After success, we can ask, “What did I do wrong and how can I make it better next time.”
  • After failure, we can ask, “What did I do well and what did I do not so well? How will I change the next time?

*Footnote: For people who are depressed, success is often attributed to external reasons, such as, “I was lucky, today.” External focus for success and internal focus for failure is hypothesized to be one potential cause of depression. These feedback mechanisms may not work the same for people with psychological illness.

References:

1. Ellis, Shmuel, Bernd Carette, Frederik Anseel, and Filip Lievens. 2014. “Systematic Reflection Implications for Learning From Failures and Successes.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 23 (1): 67–72. doi:10.1177/0963721413504106.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

Craig Marker

About Craig Marker

Craig Marker, Ph.D. CSCS, StrongFirst Senior Instructor, is a fitness enthusiast who has spent his life trying to help people improve their lives. He is an Associate Professor at Mercer University teaching psychology and research methods. He works with students on how best to understand research and place it into context. He has published over fifty articles on psychology and research methods. As a researcher, he understands the latest cutting-edge research on fat loss, muscle gain, sports performance, and nutrition.

As a psychologist, Craig has focused on research and treatment of anxiety disorders, which positions him to understand motivation and the fear of making life changes. His upcoming book, the AntiFragile Self, takes on the topic of building a stronger person in the mental and physical domains.

As a certified StrongFirst Kettlebell Instructor, Craig views kettlebells as one tool in the trade of forging a better person. He also has certifications in CrossFit, CrossFit Mobility, and CrossFit Gymnastics. He uses the Functional Movement Screen and multiple corrective movements to make sure his students are performing at their best for the rest of their lives. You can visit him in person at CrossFit Empirical in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

View All Articles

Related Posts

Fergus Crawley 5K Run Tips Photo
Fergus Crawley Shares 5 Tips For Running a Better 5K
Actor Chris Hemsworth in gym performing dumbbell row
Chris Hemsworth Diagrams a Killer Upper Body Workout Fit For an Action Star
Hugh Jackman Deadpool 3 Workouts Spring:Winter 2023
Hugh Jackman Returns to Wolverine Condition in Workouts for “Deadpool 3”
Method Man Incline Dumbbell Presses December 2022
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About