Do you remember the feeling from elementary school when the fog of a difficult concept finally began to lift? What about the wave of accomplishment experienced after mastering a new recipe, figuring out how to strum the chords to your favorite song or constructing an IKEA shelf sans leftover screws?
As unrelated as those experiences may seem, they share a commonality: it feels good to learn. The benefits of learning are long-lasting too. From delaying dementia to boosting motivation, the time and effort dedicated to expanding one’s mind is always well spent.
Interested in investing in your knowledge but don’t know where to start? Here are some ideas.
LEARN A LANGUAGE
Whether you boast a 400-day streak on Duolingo or enroll in a beginner’s class, adding another language to your lexicon doesn’t just make ordering tapas on vacation easier.
In addition to opening the door to richer cultural opportunities and understanding, language acquisition can do wonders for your brain. New experiences push neurons to form new connections, which improve your brain’s lifelong capacity to adapt to situations. And as anyone who’s attempted to learn another language knows, language study is nothing but new experiences: new sounds to attempt, new grammar rules to abide by, new cultural norms to comprehend. As a result, your brain becomes better equipped to handle whatever curveballs life may throw at you — from unexpected changes to brain injuries.
And while learning a language seems like a daunting task, studies show that the brain benefits from language study regardless of proficiency. So redownload Duolingo, start listening to a language podcast during your commute, or take a language course at your local community college. Your brain will thank you!
REAP WHAT YOU SEW
There’s arguably no greater act of self love than following through on the commitments you set for yourself. One way you can get better at keeping your goals is by regularly challenging yourself to learn new hobbies or skills — from sewing to playing the saxophone — and then sticking to them.
Take woodworking for example. If you’ve always had an eye for shaker boxes and rocking chairs, the feeling of enrolling in a six-week course and then showing up week after week for yourself may be as thrilling as your cherry wood keepsake.
This may be one reason people with hobbies tend to have lower rates of depression, although other contributing factors likely include a sense of community, regular cognitive stimulation and practiced mindfulness.
If you have yet to find a hobby that excites you, try browsing local fitness studios, art centers and event pages to spark some inspiration.
UPSKILL AT WORK
It’s no secret that the higher your degree is, the better compensated you can expect to be. In fact, according to a 2015 study, individuals with college and graduate degrees make hundreds of thousands more in a lifetime than those with just a high school diploma.
But formal education isn’t the only way to develop professionally. A cursory scroll on LinkedIn can show how low-pressure lifelong learning can be. Plus, the resources available are abundant, from online certifications to bite-sized LinkedIn Learning courses and TED Talks.
The practice of perpetual career development, also known as “upskilling,” doesn’t just make you better at what you do. It may have the power to save your job too.
A SOUND INVESTMENT
Whether your motivation for learning something new is tied to brain health, fulfillment or increasing your paycheck, you can rest easy knowing that investing in your knowledge is a gift that will keep on giving for the rest of your days.
New experiences push neurons to form new connections, which improve your brain’s lifelong capacity to adapt to situations...As a result, your brain becomes better equipped to handle whatever curveballs life may throw at you.