In a 10-year study of 400 fifth-graders, psychologist David Dweck found that kids who were praised for being smart were more likely to give up, lack confidence and be afraid to take risks  When she repeated the experiment at different social stages, she found the same results for both men and women
Not all praise is positive, and the effects vary widely depending on the specific content and form of praise.
 Even preschoolers are not immune to the negative effects of praise