How We Learn：The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens

InthetraditionofThePowerofHabitandThinking，FastandSlowcomesapractical，playful，andendlesslyfascinatingguidetowhatwereallyknowaboutlearningandmemorytodaymdash;andhowwecanapplyittoourownlives.Fromanearlyage，itisdrilledintoourheads：Restlessness，distraction，andignorancearetheenemiesofsuccess.Wersquo;retoldthatlearningisallself-discipline，thatwemustconfineourselvestodesignatedstudyareas，turnoffthemusic，andmaintainastrictritualifwewanttoacethattest，memorizethatpresentation，ornailthatpianorecital.Butwhatifalmosteverythingweweretoldaboutlearningiswrong?Andwhatiftherewasawaytoachievemorewithlesseffort?InHowWeLearn，award-winningsciencereporterBenedictCareysiftsthroughdecadesofeducationresearchandlandmarkstudiestouncoverthetruthabouthowourbrainsabsorbandretaininformation.Whathediscoversisthat，fromthemomentweareborn，wearealllearningquickly，efficiently，andautomatically;butinourzealtosystematizetheprocesswehaveignoredvaluable，naturallyenjoyablelearningtoolslikeforgetting，sleeping，anddaydreaming.Isadedicateddeskinaquietroomreallythebestwaytostudy?Canalteringyourroutineimproveyourrecall?Aretheretimeswhendistractionisgood?Isrepetitionnecessary?Careyrsquo;ssearchforanswerstothesequestionsyieldsawealthofstrategiesthatmakelearningmoreapartofoureverydaylivesmdash;andlessofachore.Byroadtestingmanyofthecounterintuitivetechniquesdescribedinthisbook，Careyshowshowwecanflextheneuralmusclesthatmakedeeplearningpossible.Alongthewayherevealswhyteachersshouldgivefinalexamsonthefirstdayofclass，whyitrsquo;swisetointerleavesubjectsandconceptswhenlearninganynewskill，andwhenitrsquo;ssmartertostayuplatepreppingforthatpresentationthantoriseearlyforonelastcramsession.Andifthisrequiressomesuspensionofdisbelief，thatrsquo;sbecausetheresearchdefieswhatwersquo;vebeentold，throughoutourlives，abouthowbesttolearn.Thebrainisnotlikeamuscle，atleastnotinanystraightforwardsense.Itissomethingelsealtogether，sensitivetomood，totiming，tocircadianrhythms，aswellastolocationandenvironment.Itdoesnrsquo;ttakeorderswell，toputitmildly.Ifthebrainisalearningmachine，thenitisaneccentricone.InHowWeLearn，BenedictCareyshowsushowtoexploititsquirkstoouradvantage.