5 Science-Backed Qualities of Successful Lifelong Learners

#3 — Learn. Unlearn. Relearn.

The best way to learn is to live.

The ancient philosopher Socrates also argued that the best way for us to live is to learn.

The unexamined life is not worth living.

— Socrates

Neuroscience somewhat backs up his claim from over 2,000 years ago as we’re beginning to understand how the brain benefits from novelty-associated learning. By continuously creating new connections, your brain becomes like a well-oiled machine. Richer in connectivity and an overall greater number of brain cells.

On top of that, we also know that it simply feels good to learn. Really good. This is down to the pleasure chemical, dopamine. Every time we learn something new, we release dopamine. This gives us a great sense of reward and keeps us coming back for more. Like a drug, but the best possible kind.

Lifelong learning gives us a natural high and ensures our journey through life is both highly stimulating and filled with a sense of achievement.

Studies have shown the following five principles can support you in becoming a successful lifelong learner.

1) Intellectual humility

“A foolish person thinks, “I already know that.” He keeps anything new from coming into his mind. A wise person thinks, “I don’t know the whole story.” She opens herself up to even greater wisdom.”

— Haemin Sunim

When I interviewed Prof. Noel Caplice on our podcast last year, he spoke about how his experience working at the Mayo Clinic revolutionised his learning forever more.

As he sat beside the world’s leading medical experts in meetings every day, Noel was struck by how often they would respond to a medical question with the reply:

“I don’t know, let’s go find out what the answer is.”

Is it a coincidence that some of the world’s leading medical experts have the humility to say these 3 powerful words and many of us do not?

Psychology would argue absolutely not.

The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know.

— Albert Einstein

The Dunning-Krueger effect was first published in 1999 by two psychologists from Cornell University. The study involved interviews with participants in which they tested them on their logic, sense of humour, and grammar.

After the tests, they interviewed participants and found that those in the lower quartile consistently overestimated their skills. For example, those in the 12th percentile estimated they would be in the 62nd, etc.

The researchers found that those of us that are incompetent suffer a “dual burden.”

Not only do they overestimate their own abilities, but this failure to accurately estimate their own competence prevents them from ever learning as they see no need to improve these blind spots.

The same authors found in later studies that people can learn to avoid this cognitive bias by being humble enough to reach out to others for critical feedback or by objectively testing themselves.

I’ve been on the receiving end of more than my fair share of rude awakenings in my education thus far. What’s initially uncomfortable and a dent to the ego has huge benefit in the long run in finding out where your actual level of performance lies. Highlighting blindspots essential for marginal gains in understanding and communication which compound over time.

With this objective insight, you can learn to improve your metacognition and learn to fill in previously hidden gaps in your knowledge base.

Don’t allow your ego to stunt your lifelong learning.

2) Knowledge is not knowhow

“Knowledge is not knowhow until you understand the underlying principles at work and can fit them together into a structure larger than the sum of its parts. Knowhow is learning that enables you to go do.”

— Peter Brown

In the brilliant book ‘Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning’, psychologists from Washington State University explain the concept of “elaboration” in learning and memory formation.

This long-term memory model suggests we need to actively interpret information to make it stick in our long-term memory. Otherwise, the information inevitably fades and we soon forget it.

Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.

— André Gide

We don’t learn from information itself; we learn from the time we spend reflecting on and actively interpreting this information.

Never take an experience at face value. Figure out the underlying principles at play so that you can apply them in the future, on a practical level. Dive deep into a subject to gain a true understanding of what you're learning.

Take notes, keep a journal.

Learning is a verb, it’s an action.

I like to use the analogy of the Brain on Learning and the Body in the Gym, specifically in relation to progressive overload strength training . This involves gradually increasing the intensity of workouts over time. The goal of progressive overload is to maximise results by regularly challenging the body, so that you provide a sufficiently strong stimulus for muscle growth to occur.

A similar phenomenon can occur in the brain, in the form of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity, in simple terms, is the brain’s ability to change and adapt throughout a person’s life. It means that the brain can reorganise its structure and connections in response to learning, experiences, and recovery from injuries. This adaptability allows us to learn new things, form memories, recover from brain damage, and develop new skills, making the brain incredibly flexible and versatile.

The more effort it takes for you to recall and learn a new topic, the stronger the stimulus for effectively imprinting this into your long-term memory and ultimately, the more likely you are to remember it over time.

Slow down to speed up your long-term learning.

3) Learn. Unlearn. Relearn.

“The illiterate of the future are not those who can’t read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

— Alvin Toffler

In the 1950s, the psychologist Leon Festinger put forward the theory of Cognitive Dissonance. He suggested that as humans we strive for our beliefs to be in perfect harmony with each other and that when this is not the case, we undergo a great deal of discomfort.

And yet, this micro-stress we experience when we try to hold two conflicting thoughts in our mind can be an incredibly powerful tool.

This imbalance forces you to engage in the highest quality of learning. Learning that is both active and independent as you grapple with both previously held and new ideas.

The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.

— Albert Einstein

As we learn to wrestle with the complexity of a topic, we become less fixed in our previously held belief and more open to critically analysing these old ideas and “unlearn” them if need be.

This opens you up to a lifetime of learning — learning again, learning better.

4) Grit

“Enthusiasm is common, endurance is rare.”

— Angela Duckworth

The eminent psychologist Angela Duckworth defines grit as “a combination of passion and perseverence” over a period of decades or a lifetime.

Her research has shown that success in any area has little to do with intelligence or natural-born talent and much more to do with the level of work you put in.

Many of us like to glorify “geniuses” or “freaks of nature” when it comes to high-performers.

The easy option is to put these people on a pedestal. The harsh truth is perhaps they simply put in the work while you didn’t.

Many of us don’t stick at a particular area of learning long enough to get good at it. We get stuck in what Seth Godin calls “the dip”. Once the initial shiny allure of venturing into a new project wears off, our enthusiasm and energy levels plummet.

As we come to terms with the difficulty which comes with learning a new topic, many of us get stuck in this dip and don’t persevere with it long enough to gain any level of mastery in it.

What happens next? We move onto a new area and the cycle repeats.

Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

— Angela Duckworth

Once you find something you’re truly passionate about, stick with it, put in the work. It sounds simple, and it is, but nobody said it would be easy. It takes effort, consistent effort, which compounds over a lifetime.

Play the long game and endure to bring about successful lifelong learning.

But how do we find something we’re passionate about?

5) Curiosity

“If knowledge is power, then curiosity is the muscle.”

— Danielle LaPorte

I’d also argue that if grit is the engine, then curiosity is the fuel.

Here’s a fact you probably didn’t know about your brain:

Your brain is hard-wired to be attracted to laziness.

Scientists say this goes back to our evolutionary need to preserve energy in order to survive. Especially in our search for food, shelter, mates and, most importantly — not becoming Lion’s lunch.

Is it any wonder so many of us succumb to Netflix and Social Media binges so? What does this say for our pursuit of lifelong learning?

Ask yourself this: What do you think makes children want to learn?

Research suggests it’s largely driven by the joy of exploration.

It must have some element of fun. It must be intrinsically rewarding for you to overcome the urge to revert to default and engage in couch-potato mode.

The fact is that all four previously mentioned habits for successful lifelong learning take considerable energy and focus.

Your energy levels are limited, so if you don’t choose to pursue activities that maintain that sense of childlike wonder and joy, learning becomes stale and can often come to a grinding halt rather quickly.

The subject feels like work, it becomes lifeless, and it soon becomes a thing of the past, never to be revisited. The fun factor keeps it sustainable.

Research shows that curiosity has as big of an impact on performance as hard work and that, when combined, curiosity and hard work account just as much for success as intelligence!

Many people underestimate the power of curiosity and allow themselves to fall into the trap of allowing their curiosity to fade as they get older and knuckle down to the “business of life.”

Curiosity is a powerful factor in enhancing your ability to learn and one you should strive to protect at all costs.

Prioritise learning that lights a spark of curiosity in you and don’t let that joyful element ever dim. For with it the light of lifetime learning can often quench.

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

— Dylan Thomas