One issue that is not discussed enough when talking about learning is mental preparation for learning. We have all had days when learning seemed easier than on other days, but we didn't pay too much attention to it, or we thought that the subject we were learning was more favorable to us, or we classified it as one of the many inexplicable or unrepeatable circumstances of life.

While we understand the importance of warming up for physical activity and recognize the need for a certain aptitude for running, weightlifting, or boxing, when it comes to more intellectual activities, we often leave things to chance: sometimes we are more alert and receptive, while at other times we are less so.

Over the years, I have found enormous benefit in practicing autogenic training, a more Western and scientific version of meditative practices that today seem to arouse the interest of those who deal with these things. I am mentally more alert, more receptive, and learning, which is always challenging, is faster.

▲

uninformedprior 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

> We have all had days when learning seemed easier than on other days

Unfortunately it's hard to trust our feelings on this. There is a lot of literature that demonstrates an inverse relationship between how well we felt we learned and how well we actually learned.

> mental preparation for learning

This is actually really big in the learning literature. It's not meditation, though, it's priming through pretesting and prior knowledge activation. These types of "warm ups" have outsized effects on retention and understanding.

▲

borroka 2 days ago | parent [-]

I appreciate the comment, but it is not what I said, and I would not be that dismissive. I am very familiar with the literature.

As for the first part, yes, we sometimes get caught up in, like, the illusion of fluency, but you can also check how much you've learned, and we all get that there are differences between days within subject.

I have practiced decent-to-highish-level sports all my life (soccer, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, tennis and others), and now I am learning a new one (ping-pong), partly because I want to test some theories about learning, and there are days when you learn better—-you are better. We all know that.

Apart from the vagaries of life, it is my experience and belief that the way you approach a challenge plays a significant role in the quality of the experience.

As for the second part, yes. But you can see this in sports too, and I find it bizarre that cognitive abilities are treated differently from motor skills, given that repetition, climbing up the skill tree, and retrieval practice should be common learning methods. Even top player retrieve and refine continuously basic motor skills.

My approach to the issue was broader and more related to self-confidence, the perspective of having opportunities and potential, and relaxation, all aspects that can be greatly improved by the systematic practice of autogenic training. Now, the ‘funny’ part is that we all know the above (no one has ever said, ‘be as tense as possible and you will learn more’), but it is something we say and think much more than we do.

Let me present a silly example. I like cooking, and when discussing it, some say, "I am not good at cooking" or "I am terrible at cooking", which is, of course, an issue of attitude. There are recipes everywhere, millions of video showing people cooking, there is nothing to invent for the home cook. What I say is, "You won't become the next Ferran Adriá or Massimo Bottura, but I am sure you can cook something delicious, if you just follow the recipe."

How many of us say things like, “I'm not good at ironing, I'll never learn how to do it.” Of course, you can learn. You may not become as good as my grandmother with shirts (according to family lore, she was by far the best), but it's certainly not impossible to learn to do a decent job. Some might say it's laziness, but you can acquire the right attitude through systematic practice.

The same applies to languages: since I speak several languages, people ask me for tips and tricks. After observing dozens of people who have gone through this experience, I can say that there is a wide variance in aptitude, but a positive, winning, and proactive attitude makes a huge difference in the outcome. However, you need to build and reinforce it through systematic training.

	▲	borroka 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		We also live in a very negative society in which it seems that we get paid to criticize ourselves and others. Stuff that should be easy wraps itself in a thorny tangle of trauma, insecurity, and impossibility. I have a 50+% success in making people lose weight by telling them, "You should lose some pounds. You will feel and look much better, and that's what you deserve". Nobody told them. Some call it agency, but how do you build it, especially when it looks like half the world wants you to fail?

▲

fuzzzerd 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

> autogenic training, a more Western and scientific version of meditative practices

Do you have any tips for learning more and getting started? I have searched a bit, but always appreciate anecdotes of those that have found success enough to speak about it.

	▲	borroka 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		I will probably write a book on this topic because there is not enough material in English. But the practice is fairly simple overall and only requires time and a positive attitude. Since there is a somatic response, it is always easy to tell if it is “working", especially for the "lower" exercises. Originally, it had to be taught by MDs, according to Dr. Schultz--the inventor of the method--and his followers, but that ship has long sailed. It is fairly easy to find a copy of Karl Rosa's book “Autogenic Training”, a good starting point, and Luthe's in-depth multi-volume analysis of autogenic training, though I would only recommend the latter to the most avid enthusiasts.