Since taking my USMLE Step 1 Examination, which is
required of all allopathically trained medical students after the first 1.5-2
years of a science-based curriculum as a way to prove in some manner that you
now know enough science to start learning how medicine is actually practiced in
the clinical and hospital setting, I have had a sudden wealth of free time to
read anything but lists of drug side effects, CYP450 enzyme interactions and
microbial classification schemes. While basking in this freedom, I happened to rather, accidentally, stumble
upon three quite profound videos/podcasts/articles all seemingly related to the
study of learning, the motivation behind our cognitive endeavors, and the
manner in which praise can reinforce these behaviors.
The first insight came from watching Carol Dweck's
recent TedTalk "The power of believing you can improve."
Watch
Here:
Carol Dweck and Praise
In the talk Dweck expounds upon her fascinating
research into the motivation of our youth towards academic pursuits. Her work
has lead her to propose an overarching construct known as a "Growth
Mindset" is used as a way to positively confront life’s challenges. In
essence with a "Growth Mindset," we can see failure and difficulty
solving our problems as simply "it hasn't happened yet." Investing in
the process of learning and attempting to solve one's problems is the true dedication and the
fact that today you could not get the answer is not a reflection of your
intelligence, or lack thereof, but rather, the reality that "Not Yet"
seems much more applicable than "I Am a Failure." The fact that
nearly 80-90% of our thoughts on a given day, resulting from the constant activity
of the brain's neural circuitry, often have no real reflection on any particular relevance ("truth") ocurring in your life. Some wonderful examples including the thoughts: This is too hard," "I have no time to
sleep," I need to go eat something out of a box," can all ultimately be
traced back to primarily unconscious electrical signaling. Now we can debate
about consciousness and that is something way too big for any post and people
spend lifetimes thinking about such constructs, my main point is this: when we
approach learning and problems with a "Growth Mindset" and are
mindfully aware that the majority of the ideas that come into our head during this
process aren't actually reflective of any true beliefs or concerns, we are free to live in the
space of genuine, undisrupted thought. We can engage in the process of learning by
pursuing excellence and expertise in our given field/work, yet ultimately
remain unattached to the final outcome.
People
often tell kids after losing a game or performing poorly on a test, that it’s
okay because they tried hard, did their best, and put forth a valiant effort.
Assuming the effort was indeed present, this reinforcement is EXACTLY what we
need to hear. Adults would laugh in your face saying this is childish and the
bitter truth is my job is at stake, or who is going to pay the bills if I crap
around all day, but what becomes quite clear is that for those of us who
approach our work with a "Growth Mindset" and invest our energy in pursuing excellence by utilizing the utmost focus IN THE PROCESS of our work,
ultimately will be rewarded with satisfying results. And if the satisfying
results do not come from this precise and mindful effort, then one can step
back and say, “Is there something wrong with the process I am using?”
As
Peter Attia on the Eating Academy has said so brilliantly on his blog, the fact
that millions of Americans suffer from debilitating obesity, insulin resistance
and the Metabolic Syndrome, despite following all the current USDA, ADA, or AHA
nutritional recommendations, in addition to any recommendations for daily
exercise, presents a rather interesting conundrum: Are the people not "trying" hard enough or is there something wrong with the process? Lucky for us, we have
people like Dr. Attia and NUSI to spend the time to research and analyze “THE
PROCESS” so that ultimately we can spend our time focused on living a quality
life. It is hard enough to focus on all of our work and routine tasks, wouldn’t
it be nice to free up some thought space from constant vigilance or critiquing
am I doing this the right way with enough effort? While we all certainly
benefit from regular check-ins and revaluations of our current physical health,
quality of life, mental well being, etc, simplifying our lives in this age of
abundant technology and creating space to actually creatively think outside of
our normal work can become more rewarding than anything I can imagine.
In Part II, I will discuss my ideas related to the
reinforcement and praise of the process of learning as gleaned from an
interview with Ashley Merryman in Episode 51 of the Primal Blueprint
Podcast.
Listen/Read
Here:
http://blog.primalblueprint.com/new-york-times-bestselling-author-ashley-merryman-part-1/#more-561
Merriman has done some fascinating research
in relation to the work of Carol Dweck on the effects of praise and competition
within American education.
She and Po Bronson first published an article in NY
Magazine called "The Inverse Power of Praise"
Merryman has subsequently released 2 books Top Dog and Nuture
Shock which further analyze the issue of parenting and schooling presented
in the NY Magazine Article.
Part II
Part II
