I Asked ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini the #1 Habit of Successful People—Here’s the Winner

Once upon a time, many of us speculated about what it would be like if artificial intelligence played a role in our daily lives. Now that AI is an ever-present force and is growing more embedded in our society, more people are using the technology in a variety of ways. AI platforms can jumpstart an interior design project, help you research a work assignment or offer practical advice on a number of topics. With many AI users increasingly turning to these programs for advice, Parade decided to put them to the test and asked ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini the top habit of successful people.

We were curious to know which of the three programs would be the best AI chatbot for advice, so we pitted ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini to see what they would describe as the best habits for professional growth and the daily routines of highly successful people.

When used in conjunction with advice from real-life professionals, AI productivity hacks and self-improvement AI prompts can help you think in new ways, so we wanted to see how this prompt comparison would shape up.

Which of the AI chatbots offered the best advice? Find out below.

Related: 9 Ways Successful People Handle Constructive Criticism, According to Psychologists

The Experiment: Asking AI for the Ultimate Success Habit

Before this experiment, I’d never used ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini before, so I enlisted the help of my bestie and her husband, who are far more familiar with the programs than I am.

To make sure each of the AI chatbots had a fair chance, we gave them the exact same parameters:

• We asked each of them the following question: “What is the number one habit of successful people?”
• We instructed each program to exclude generic answers like “waking up early” and focus on cognitive habits.

ChatGPT’s Answer: Feedback That Challenges Your Thinking

ChatGPT suggested that successful people “deliberately seek feedback that challenges their thinking.”

“The highest performers in business, sports, science and the arts share one cognitive habit: they are constantly trying to prove themselves wrong rather than prove themselves right,” the chatbot said.

For example, ChatGPT said most people ask, “Did I do a good job?” But successful people ask the following questions:

• “What am I missing?”
• “Where is my blind spot?”
• “How could this have been better?”

“This habit compounds over time because it shortens the learning cycle,” the chatbot shared.

ChatGPT gave an example of two people who make the same mistake and said Person A “protects their ego and explains why it happened”, while Person B “becomes curious and investigates what led to it.”

“After 100 mistakes, Person B has learned 100 lessons. Person A has simply defended
themselves 100 times,” the chatbot said.

Per ChatGPT, successful people train their minds to “separate criticism of their work from criticism of themselves” and “change their minds quickly when presented with better evidence.” Additionally, they “review failures without shame or excuses” and “ask people who disagree with them for input.”

“This is one reason top athletes watch game film, elite surgeons review procedures and great CEOs conduct postmortems after both failures and successes,” the chatbot said.

ChatGPT recommended the following daily practice to emulate these habits:

“At the end of each day, ask yourself three questions:

1. What did I assume today that might have been wrong?
2. What piece of feedback did I resist?
3. What is one thing I’ll do differently tomorrow because of what I learned today?”

Overall, ChatGPT offered the following summary of success.

“Success often isn’t about having better ideas—it’s about becoming better at correcting your own thinking. Over years, that ability compounds into better decisions, stronger relationships and greater achievement.”

Related: Parents and Grandparents Who Raise ‘Successful’ Kids Often Do These 10 Things Differently, According to Child Psychologists

Claude’s Answer: Deliberate, Structured Reflection

Claude described the number one habit of successful people as “deliberate, structured reflection.” The AI chatbot said the habit tasks people with “actively reviewing decisions and outcomes to update their thinking, rather than just moving forward on autopilot.”

Per Claude, deliberate, structured reflection shows up “in a few specific forms,” including the following, which we’ve shared directly from the chatbot:

• Premortems: Before committing to a decision, imagining it failed and working backward to find why, catching blind spots before they cost anything.
• Distinguishing decision quality from outcome quality: A good decision can still lead to a bad result (and vice versa), so they evaluate their own reasoning process separately from whether things worked out. This keeps luck from being confused with skill.
• Actively seeking disconfirming evidence: Instead of looking for information that supports what they already believe, they specifically hunt for reasons they might be wrong. This fights confirmation bias, which most people don’t even notice they’re doing.
• Calibrated uncertainty: Thinking in probabilities (“I’m 70 percent confident”) rather than binary certainty, which makes it easier to update when new information shows up instead of digging in defensively.

Related: I’ve Tried 9 Free ‘Productivity Apps’—Here Are the 2 That Surprised Me the Most

Gemini’s Answer: Metacognition

Gemini named metacognition as the number one habit of highly successful people. Per the chatbot, the term refers to “the practiced mental habit of actively monitoring and questioning one’s own assumptions, biases and current thinking models.”

“Instead of defaulting to fast, emotional reactions or defending initial impulses, high achievers routinely step back to evaluate how they are making decisions,” it said.

Gemini broke down the “mechanics of metacognitive monitoring” and offered up the following critical steps, which we’ve shared directly from the chatbot:

• Disconfirming Evidence Search: Actively hunting for data that proves their current belief wrong rather than looking for validation.
• Premortem Analysis: Mentally dismantling a plan or project before it launches to find hidden logical flaws or blind spots.
• Thought Auditing: Regularly pausing to ask, “What am I missing here?” or “Is this a fact or just my preference?” 

Gemini noted that these practices drive success for the following reasons, which we’ve shared directly from the chatbot:

• Prevents Escalation of Commitment: Allows leaders to cut losses quickly when initial strategies fail instead of doubling down out of ego.
• Reduces Cognitive Biases: Minimizes the impact of overconfidence and confirmation bias that derail complex projects. 

The Head-to-Head Comparison: How They Differed

Since they’re all unique chatbots, it’s not surprising that ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini offered different responses when I asked them to share the number one habit of successful people. However, I was impressed with how similar their responses were at their core.

For instance, ChatGPT said successful people “deliberately seek feedback that challenges their thinking.” In its response, the chatbot suggested that successful people embrace, rather than shy away from, criticism and review failures with an open mind. They also welcome differing opinions.

Similarly, Gemini’s number one habit—metacognition—is about “actively monitoring and questioning one’s own assumptions, biases and current thinking models.” The habit might be a bit more focused on evaluating decisions and plans before they’re executed, but it steers clear of ego and overconfidence, similar to ChatGPT.

Meanwhile, Claude cited “deliberate, structured reflection” as the number one habit of successful people. The chatbot noted that people with this habit are very intentional about avoiding confirmation bias and are open to disconfirming evidence. Similar to Gemini, Claude cited premortems as a regular practice of successful people. ChatGPT was the only chatbot to mention postmortems.

Overall, all of the chatbots seemed on the same page when it came to keeping an open mind and seeking feedback.

Related: 9 Workplace Habits That Make You ‘Instantly Unlikable,’ According to Etiquette Experts

The Verdict: Which AI Actually Gave the Best Advice?

Overall, I’d have to go with ChatGPT here. Without a doubt, the chatbot offered the most comprehensive advice out of the three programs. It also spoke in clear terms, making it easy to understand.

I enjoyed the fact that ChatGPT offered up valid examples and action items. The summary of success it provided really hit the nail on the head.

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