We have baby and adult. Who is smarter? The adult, by far. But who is better at learning?
Most people will say babies are better at learning, which is true but I argue that it’s not because they are smart, or because their brains are wired specially for learning.
In economics there is something called the rule of diminishing returns. In a baby vs. adult learning competition this rule translates as, “the older we get the longer and harder it takes to learn something.”
The return on investment for a newborn baby in terms of learning currency is huge. A baby is an empty cup and an adult is a ¾ full cup.
It seems to make sense that babies are hardwired to learn better than adults.
However, the why for this occurring has long been debunked in neuroplasticity. The brain does continue growing new neurons well into adulthood and books like The Brain that Changes Itself shows us how powerful the brain is, even in old age.
Yet the statement “the older we get the longer and harder it takes to learn something” still seems to holds true.
I feel the reason why we think babies learn better than adults is because they have to. If I put you in an environment where you have to learn or face living a life that is similar to being dead, you will learn.
Say I throw you in 16th century Japan for a year or two. No one speaks English, no phone to call home, no Internet – nothing. You are going to have to learn Japanese, and a shit-ton of other things.
I believe both adults and babies have the same capacity to learn.
There is nothing special about a baby’s brain. Babies are dumb! What is special however is the environment a baby is put in. A baby is put in the perfect learning environment, pair that with a human brain and you get rapid learning.
This perfect learning environment (from observing a baby’s world) consists of three things:
- You have to learn
- You are allowed to make mistakes
- When you learn, you are praised like crazy
The second involves lots of kisses and hugs, lots of coos and ahs, lots of high-toned baby voice that is sweet melody to a child. In this environment a baby is happy making mistakes – lots of them. She imitates noises she hears from people and when she accidentally mumbles a word like, “Dada” she is praised like crazy.
Can you imagine sitting in a French class at school and the first French word you say gets greeted with people hugging you, kissing you, and flowering you with praises?
We can see why language learning in schools is such a flop. There is no ‘have-to’ when learning French in school. The instructions are given in English, all the students around you speak English. In a French lesson, French is basically useless.
Mistakes are not encouraged and are usually met with negativity. Most students are paralysed with fear when asked a question in a language class.
Praise is common, but without an environment that allows mistakes, praise is reserved mainly for the gifted, the ones who just ‘get it.’
The three points are simple. And with a bit of creativity they are easy to apply to anything you learn.
Make yourself have to learn by going public on your learning project. Allow yourself to make mistakes by practicing making mistakes on purpose. Surround yourself with positive people who will praise you, and more importantly learn how to praise yourself.
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