People Can Learn to Appreciate the Discomfort of Learning

“Across several studies, the researchers had people do a variety of tasks that were likely to lead to discomfort. Some people were given instructions that discomfort is an important sign of learning, while others were given control instructions that did not mention the value of discomfort. Then, they looked for persistence with those learning tasks. For example, in one study, participants performed an expressive writing task designed to help them deal with an emotionally difficult situation. Research by Jamie Pennebaker suggests that this kind of writing is very effective at helping people to deal with the stress of traumatic events, but that the writing process itself is uncomfortable to do.

Findings from these studies show that it is possible to reframe discomfort as a positive. People typically avoid discomfort, but when discomfort is framed as a signal that valuable learning is taking place, then people may seek discomfort in some situations (or at least be less likely to avoid it). It is important to note that the effects in conducted studies are reliable but small. So, you can’t make people much more likely to look for opportunities to be uncomfortable in the service of learning just by giving them brief instructions. However, this effect suggests that people can learn to appreciate discomfort, and over time may even be highly motivated to seek out learning situations despite the discomfort they create.”

Read the whole article at Psychology Today

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