How to Unlearn Anything

“The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn”,

— Gloria Steinem

We start learning the day we are born. Before we even get close to a school class, we are already shaped in so many ways. Children learn by observing others and encoding their behavior. This is called “observational learning” and it shows that kids learn from the “models” around them, from parents to extended family, peers, or even characters on children TV.

People are social animals. From a very young age, we learn how to behave in groups. A 2016 study from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, revealed that “three-year-olds not only learn social norms from direct instruction and prohibition — as traditionally assumed, but also seek norms themselves — even inferring them where adults see none”.

The same study goes on to state that “Preschool children commit the fallacy originally pointed out by the Scottish philosopher David Hume to derive what ought to be from what is”.

While this is essential for our growth as humans and our ability to interact with others, we also end up learning many things that are not necessarily true. Or useful. Or maybe they were at some point, but the world evolved and they became old knowledge we cling on to that hinders our ability to progress.

The 5 Monkeys Experiment is a perfect example of this. While the new monkeys in the cage followed the same ways as the old monkeys, their behavior was not the most beneficial for them. But they wouldn’t know this because they didn’t even consider an alternative. They were monkeys. But we are not.

While modern society puts an emphasis on learning, it is fundamental that we learn to unlearn. This Zen story shows us why.

“An Emperor asks a Zen Monk how he can improve in life. The Monk listens politely to the story and the question of the Emperor. Then he asks if the Emperor wants a cup of tea. The Monk pours the tea into the…