It has long been thought that scientists are constantly discovering new evidence about learning and the brain that could help us learn in more efficient ways.
The following 8 important findings illustrate how different things can have a positive and negative impact on our brains, so that our brains can reach their due potential.
If you want to be an effective learner, you need to understand this knowledge well.
1. Stress can damage memory
When we're under a lot of stress, it does give us a feeling that we don't want to try.
But a new study published in the journal Neurology suggests that stress can impair memory and may even accelerate cognitive decline later in life.
The study involved more than 2,000 healthy middle-aged volunteers who were asked to complete a series of memory tests. People with higher levels of the hormone cortisol in their blood performed worse on the test, and the researchers even found that their brain volumes shrank slightly compared to volunteers with normal cortisol levels.
The study highlights that learners need to invest enough time in stress management strategies, such as maintaining a mindful meditative state, learning positive self-talk, and applying effective organizational skills to reduce stress.
Otherwise, stress can end up causing damage to your brain.
2. We produce new brain cells all our lives
It used to be thought that the brain would stop producing new cells after puberty.
But a new study suggests that healthy older men and women produce as many new brain cells as young men and women.
The researchers found that we produce new neurons in parts of the brain associated with learning, memory, and emotion throughout adulthood.
In addition to neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's that affect the functioning of the brain, this result reminds us that we should never think of ourselves as too old to learn new things.
Anything you learn will make a difference in your brain development.
For example, scientists have found that taxi drivers have a larger hippocampus than bus drivers.
This is because taxi drivers take different routes each day than bus drivers, so they need a better sense of space.
3. Forgetting leads to better learning
When you can't remember some of the key details you've just learned, you may be frustrated with your ability to learn.
But research shows that forgetting plays a positive role in learning. In fact, while this may sound counterintuitive, forgetting can actually improve the performance of long-term retention, retrieval, and use of information.
Why is that?
Because when we forget something and are forced to go back and retrieve the information, it is more strongly imprinted in our memories.
Other studies have shown that taking a short break of 10-15 minutes after learning something new can also help you remember it better later, as short breaks give your brain the opportunity to process and store new information.
Therefore, learning really needs to be a combination of work and leisure, do not think that blindly learning, is efficient.
4. Room temperature affects our ability to learn
When we settle down to study, most of us usually don't think about the temperature of our current learning space.
However, a U.S. study conducted on behalf of the National Bureau of Economic Research, which analyzed the test scores of 10 million students in tenth and eleventh grades, found a relationship between temperature within schools and students' academic success.
In fact, the researchers found that for every 1 degree Fahrenheit increase in classroom temperature, learning ability dropped by 1 percent. The reason for this is that when we are physically unwell, it is difficult to concentrate and learn.
So it's important to have a comfortable learning space, not too hot or too cold, so that our bodies can perform at their best.
5. You can trick your brain into making it perform better
In general, multitasking is a bad idea because it's impossible for us to focus on two things at the same time.
So when we "multitask," we're just having our brain switch back and forth between tasks, and we do less work than focusing on one thing at a time.
But research published in the journal Psychological Science suggests that if we tell ourselves that we are multitasking at the same time, even if we are not, we can trick ourselves into performing better on certain tasks.
Participants are assigned to a multi-task group or a single-task group. People in multitasking groups are told they need to complete two tasks at the same time, studying and writing. People in the single-task group were told they would complete a task that tested their learning and writing skills.
Curiously, participants who thought they were multitasking outperformed participants in a single-task group each time. They are also more focused and engaged in tasks.
This doesn't contradict previous findings that showed that multitasking has adverse effects, the researchers explain, but it shows that our perception of multitasking can have a positive impact on our performance.
Therefore, breaking down a larger task into different components and treating it as multitasking can help you complete tasks more efficiently, even if you're not really multitasking.
For example, attending a meeting is considered a task, but you may be working on multiple tasks, such as taking notes while listening and forming opinions.
6. Uncertainty helps us learn
While it's good to feel certain about something, a new Yale study suggests we can learn more from uncertainty.
The researchers explain that when the situation is predictable and the results are obvious, our brains don't need to do much. When our environment is unstable, our brains are forced to work harder.
For example, once you become familiar with a particular topic, your brain will reduce the flow of blood to those areas. As a result, daydreaming, attention loss, and apathy can occur.
That's why finding new experiences and opinions is a great way to stimulate brain activity and keep learning going, as novelty encourages the brain to absorb more information.
7. Sitting up straight can help us control our learning anxiety
Sitting up straight is important for your physical health. At the same time, related research shows that it can also work wonders for your academic performance.
A university of San Francisco study found that students performed better on math tests when they sat up straight and their shoulders were back than when they collapsed at their desks. Students with math anxiety disorder also reported being more likely to behave when sitting up straight.
The researchers explain that adopting more confident and powerful body postures can optimize your focus, especially when it comes to stress.
So, if you're going to read, lying in bed may be a more relaxed way, but it doesn't necessarily allow you to learn.
And if you can sit at the study table with a very "sense of ceremony" and read with a book, you can learn more.
Because the brain will feel that you are learning right now, it will devote more resources.
8. When storing memories, the brain prioritizes the most valuable memories
Have you ever wondered why you can clearly recall an incident that happened ten years ago, but not remember what you ate for lunch two days ago?
A study by Researchers at Columbia University found that overnight, the brain classifies our memories and prioritizes high-reward events that are useful for later decision-making, while filtering out less important ones.
In the study, participants were asked to go through a series of digital mazes to find hidden gold coins. For every gold coin they found, they got a dollar. As participants navigated the maze, they would see pictures of some common objects, such as umbrellas or coffee cups.
Participants later underwent an unexpected test to see how well they could remember the objects. When they were tested 24 hours after completing the maze, they were able to remember the object closest to the reward. Surprisingly, when they immediately tested it, the researchers didn't find such a pattern.
So while these objects were initially meaningless, they were later classified as important because they were found to be closer to rewards.
The researchers note that their findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of memory and decision-making and have important implications for education.
In short, your brain never stops growing and changing. This means that your lifestyle can help you maintain your brain's mental acuity.
Doing small things like brain games, developing a new hobby, or learning an instrument are all ways to keep your head up.