If you think failure is the secret to success, you’re wrong. Here’s why

According to psychologists, failure doesn’t actually make you stronger—and that perception can even be damaging.

When we fail, we tell ourselves there’s a silver lining: that failure is a necessary stepping stone for success. Thomas Edison wrote that he failed his way to success. J.K. Rowling’s Harvard commencement speech on failure went viral, while Steve Jobs warned, “If you are afraid of failure, you won’t get very far.”