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View Winners → Why Is It a Good Practice to Be a Constant Learner?
Education May 20, 2020
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A few hundred years ago, peopledid not have access to as much information as we do today. The only way thatyou could learn something was by going to school and reading books. This was aproblem because not everybody had access to a great education and reading booksmeant that you had to buy them.
Nowadays you can read a short guide about motorcycle goggles on the internet, but back then, if you wanted to buy something, you did not have access to such information. The world has changed and we have a lot of learning opportunities that we do not take because we do not have the habit of being constant learners.
Yes, it is a habit and we willtell you how developing this habit will help you in the long run.
Can we learn forever?
Even though it has beenpreviously believed that we lose the capacity of learning and forming newneural pathways during adulthood, new research has shown that we can learn newthings throughout our lifetime, even at 90.
Many researchers have studied how learning a new language or how learning to play an instrument at an old age can help the brain and they have concluded that these activities form new neural pathways and connections in our brains and can help prevent memory loss and diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Furthermore, learning somethingnew at an old age can prevent boredom and make us feel less useless. A problemthat some seniors have is that they feel like their life has ended when theyretired, so learning something new can give them a curiosity boost and givethem a sense of purpose.
How can it influence yourcareer?
Learning something new can alsocome with some other type of reward. It gives you an advantage when it comes tofinding a job. This can mean that you can learn something that is related toyour current work field and it is needless to say that the more you know, themore proficient you become and companies will be eager to work with you.
On the other hand, learningsomething entirely different from your work can also be an asset. If for somereason your work field will hit rock bottom or you simply feel at some pointthat you are tired of doing the same thing every day, you can always start overwith the knowledge you have in a totally different domain.
Furthermore, developing theability to learn new things is a quality that most interviewers look for in anemployee. And even if something goes wrong and you realize that the job youcurrently have is not for you, you know that you have the ability to learn newthings and change your life.
Can learning make you happy?
Scientists have researched how different neurotransmitters involved in happiness are working inside our brains and have concluded that information has the same effect on the brain as eating or drinking. This means that becoming a constant learner can help you keep high levels of these neurotransmitters.
Learning new things can alsogive you a feeling of self-worth and help you enjoy all of life’s beautifulaspects, aspects that you have never thought of researching. You can find outhow things in nature work, how your brain works or how to build a robot.
It doesn’t matter what you learn as long as you are passionate about it. Especially now, when you can find all the information you need about almost anything on the internet and in public libraries and even the opportunity of taking free courses and university modules online.
