Trying to learn something new is often felt overwhelmed and uncomfortable.
To avoid discomfort later on, what is being learned is interrupted and
moved away.
This feeling of discomfort is a sign of learning possible to perceive. We can call this
framing. Research shows that this framing motivates people to learn new things and
to persist in difficult tasks.
Learning new things often requires some level of discomfort. Getting really bad at something can be frustrating when you
a skill for the first time. You may feel lost when you encounter
unfamiliar subjects. Moreover, facing information that contradicts deeply held
beliefs can also make you feel bad.
Just because something is disturbing doesn't mean it's bad for you. While we often
shy away from doing things that feel bad, we sometimes perceive the discomfort
as a sign of improvement. For example, athletes routinely
engage in physically uncomfortable activities to improve their strength or endurance. So, can we
use the same system to learn new things?
In several studies, researchers have people do various
tasks that can cause discomfort. Some people were given instructions
that discomfort was an important sign of learning, while others were given no mention of the value of discomfort and were given simple instructions. /> For example, in one study, participants performed an impressive writing task designed to
help them cope with an emotionally difficult situation. A study by Jamie
Pennebaker suggests that this type of writing is very effective at helping people cope with the stress of
traumatic events, but the writing process
itself is irritating.
Some participants thought that writing would be uncomfortable, but this discomfort was a sign that the writing
worked. instruction was given. Other participants were told to focus on writing
only. Participants in each group wrote for a similar amount of time, but those who were told that the
discomfort was a sign that it was working felt that the
writing task was more effective than the others. In addition, this group rated themselves as more motivated than others to
repeat the writing task in the future.
These findings suggest that people typically avoid the discomfort, but
discomfort is a source of valuable learning. When framed as a sign that something is happening, people
may
seek discomfort in some situations, or at least be less likely to avoid it. It's important to note that the effects in these studies are reliable, but small. However, this effect shows that people
can learn to appreciate the discomfort and even have a high motivation to learn
despite the discomfort they create over time.
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