About the brain and learning

For many years it was believed that the adult brain is formed once and for all, that the decline in learning ability with age is a physiology that cannot be overcome. And also that nerve cells are not restored.

As you may have guessed, all this is not true.

Let's start with how the brain works.
If we simplify to the schematic, then any of our experiences gives us neural connections. When you encounter something for the first time (like learning to drive a car), new neural connections are made. It's hard and long. You have to try, strain, put in a lot of effort to do everything right.
If you drive regularly, the brain often uses the necessary neural connections and you no longer think about when you perform the necessary actions. What seemed so complicated and required a lot of effort, now you do it automatically, without much thought. But what happens if you don't drive for five years? Your neural connections will weaken and your skills will suffer significantly. Automatism will disappear, again you will have to make efforts, again you will have to learn how to perform maneuvers correctly. But, it is worth getting behind the wheel again and making an effort, and you can get back into shape - connections will be restored. This is neuroplasticity - the ability of the brain to change under the influence of external factors.

The brain is plastic and we can influence it, regardless of age!

But we know for sure that age affects learning. So there is a difference between an adult and a child's brain?

There is indeed a difference between the work of an adult and a child's brain, but it is not in the ability to learn, but in how a person learns. The child's brain prefers to form new connections, while the adult tries to make the most of existing ones. The brain tries to work in "energy saving" mode. He does not want to strain too much and strive to solve the tasks with the help of the skills that he already has.

Of course, new connections are still formed, you just have to make an effort. Difficult tasks that you don’t want to take on so much are a “gym” for the brain. Gym, which is so lazy to go!

Several conclusions can be drawn from all this:
1 The brain ages and degrades not when a person grows up, but when he stops “training” him - learning and mastering something new.
2 At the beginning of any training it will be difficult, but the longer you study, the easier it is. The brain rewards the persistent.)
3 The more skills you master, the easier it is for you to get all subsequent skills. The brain knows how to adapt its experience to the new, which means that the more experience in different areas you have, the more resources you already have. For our brain, any experience and skill is important.

Regardless of age, a person needs to learn to keep his brain active. Listen to yourself, choose interesting directions and go for it!
Your brain will surely thank you!