Perhaps it is cliché, but the phrase “you learn something new every day” has always struck me. It is an aphorism embedded in our culture and often repeated by parents, teachers, advisors, and mentors. Learning has always mattered to me. In my experience, learning is the foundation for growth, open-mindedness, good health, opportunity, personal success, connection, and passion. Cliché or not, I’ve always wanted to be the kind of person that learns something new every day, and I think that is why the term “lifelong learning” really resonated with me when I first discovered it.
Lifelong learning is the use of both formal and informal learning opportunities to foster the continuous development and improvement of advanced knowledge and skills. The benefits that accompany an attitude of lifelong learning are not limited to just expanded knowledge, but can have a profound impact on your overall health and wellbeing. Lifelong learning Guru, Nancy Merz Nordstrom states, “When you look at the benefits gained from keeping your mind sharp, it’s incredible. Lifelong learning is like a health club for your brain. And an active mind can stimulate physical activity and keep your spirits high. It’s an all-around fantastic tool for better health.”
Here are 4 examples of the tangible impacts that lifelong learning can have on your life:
1) Improve your brain function.
Learning something new exercises your brain, which can help improve many cognitive functions including concentration, attention to detail, and memory recall. Learning later in life also promotes neuroplasticity, which is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. Developing new neural pathways can help you gain new perspective on the world around you, take on new challenges, and can also help ward off dementia. In fact, people used to believe that the brain became fixed after a certain age, but newer research has revealed that the brain never stops changing in response to learning.
2) Help you foster connections.
Taking a class, picking up a new hobby, or simply sharing a new endeavor or skill can help foster connections with friends, acquaintances, or even a stranger. A study published in the Journal of Aging and Human Development reveals that “university based lifelong learning programs have provided older adults with opportunities to not only develop skills and knowledge but also to expand social networks with people of different ages.” These kinds of multi-generational relationships keep individuals mentally and socially active as well as connected to the world around them.
3) Keep you feeling fulfilled.
A commitment to continuous learning is an important factor in a positive emotional state. A deep sense of satisfaction follows a newly-mastered skill or advancement in knowledge. Learning is empowering and contributes to feeling stimulated, energized, and engaged. Feeling fulfilled can also help reduce stress. Furthermore, learning provides greater perspective, expands horizons, and extends one’s knowledge of the world. In fact, depression is often marked by a limited perspective where one feels trapped within their circumstances. A broader worldview often correlates with a sense of fulfillment and joy.
4) Lead to career advancement.
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of lifelong learning is its impact on your ability to advance in your career. New skills result in new opportunities and a broadened perspective carries immense value in all disciplines.