Was there any skill or activity you wished you had learnt when you were younger, that you now feel is too late to learn?
If so, don’t worry- It’s never too late to learn. In the third blog in our Five Ways to Wellbeing series, we reveal the multitude of benefits that lifelong learning can bring to you, and suggest ways in which you can integrate learning into your everyday routine.
Priscilla Sitienei, the midwife from Kenya who attended school at the age of 90 to learn to read and write.
The age old expression “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is exactly that- outdated. Much research has debunked this, showing that we are capable of learning new skills our whole lives! One particularly inspiring story is that of Priscilla Sitienei, a midwife from rural Kenya who never learnt to read or write growing up and returned to school to learn these skills at the age of 90 [1]. In the words of Leonardo da Vinci, “learning never exhausts the mind” [2].
In fact, it may surprise you to learn that our brains are capable of continuously adapting and changing, something known as neuroplasticity [3]. A study by researchers from University College London (UCL) identified structural changes in the brains of those taxi-driver trainees who successfully passed the test required to memorize routes around London [4].
A recent learning programme which engaged adults in courses such as stress management, creative writing and yoga experienced better wellbeing, less isolation and reduced levels of depression and anxiety, with these benefits being sustained even 12 months following the course engagement [2]. What’s more, participants appeared to thoroughly enjoy learning new skills, with 94% claiming they would recommend the programme to others [5]. Life satisfaction has additionally been found to be a consequence of lifelong learning [6], as have positive changes in health behaviours [7].
How can we encourage continuous learning?
We present three tips to help you to bring (even) more learning into your life.
1. Do a familiar task differently
They say variety is the spice of life! Try shaking your routine up and learn to take a different approach to a regular task. Perhaps you’ll choose to try presenting your reports or presentations in a new style or format, use alternative ways to keep organised or brainstorm ideas differently.
2. Get into the detail
Take initiative and dive into research into your career area! Pick an area of your work which interests you the most and enjoy discovering more about it. You could explore the background of a policy or legislative change that may impact your work, conduct research into a new consumer group, or learn more about how to effectively lead your team.
3. Lunch and learn
How often do we spend our lunch break just scrolling through social media or replying to emails? Although we always think of them as far too short, making the most of our lunch breaks can provide us with significant time to learn new abilities. Learn a new language, an instrument or take up meditation- the world is your oyster! The possibilities are as broad as your imagination.
Think wide and get stuck into that dream that you’ve always had. What will you learn next?
References
1 Thomas, E., (2015). Kenyan grandmother at school with her great-great-grandchildren. [online]. BBC News. [Viewed 4 December 2019]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30935874
2 Mental Health Foundation., (2011). Learning for Life. [online]. Mental Health Foundation. [Viewed 4 December 2019]. Available from: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/learning-for-life.pdf
3 SmartMinds., (2019). Brain Plasticity: Re-shaping the Mind/ [online]. SmartMinds. [Viewed 4 December 2019]. Available from: https://smartminds.io/brain-plasticity-learning-affects-brain/
4 Maguire, E.A., Gadian, D.G., Johnsrude, I.S., Good, C.D., Ashburner, J., Frackowiak, R.S. and Frith, C.D., (2000). Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 97(8), pp.4398-4403.
5 Dujlovic, A., (2015). Why learning as an adult can increase life satisfaction. [online]. British Council. [Viewed 4 December 2019]. Available from: https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/why-learning-adult-can-increase-life-satisfaction
6 Feinstein, L. and Hammond, C., (2004). The contribution of adult learning to health and social capital. Oxford Review of Education, 30(2), pp.199-221.
7 Schuller, T., (2017). What are the wider benefits of learning across the life course? [online]. Government Office for Science. [Viewed 4 December 2019]. Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/635837/Skills_and_lifelong_learning_-_the_benefits_of_adult_learning_-_schuller_-_final.pdf
