Learning About Learning
Ben Dean, Ph.D.

(Adapted from Martin Seligman's online "Authentic Happiness Newsletter,"  this article reviews some long-known material while clearing the way for new insights about how to manage our lives and our learning better. " J.R.)

Defining Love of Learning

People who possess the character strength love of learning are motivated to acquire new skills or knowledge or to build on existing skills or knowledge. They feel good when they are learning new things, even though they may occasionally become frustrated when the material is challenging.

This strength exists as a continuum. It is hard to think of someone who does not love learning in at least one domain, be it history, fashion, bike mechanics, sports trivia, etc. Indeed, some researchers speculate that an across-the-board absence of this strength may be indicative of pathology (Peterson and Seligman, 2004; Travers, 1978).

Although a love of learning appears to be universally valued, the way this strength is manifested and the conditions that foster it may vary across cultures. For example, psychologist Jin Li noted that the Chinese have a concept that roughly translates to "heart and mind for wanting to learn." Whereas students in Western cultures may experience shame or guilt as the result of failing to achieve, the Chinese model of learning suggests that shame or guilt results from failing to want to learn.

Benefits of Having a Love of Learning

Research suggests that individuals who have love of learning as a developed strength are likely to do the following:

•  Have positive feelings about learning new things;
•  Have the ability to self-regulate efforts to persevere, despite challenge and frustration;
•  Feel autonomous;
•  Feel challenged;
•  Have a sense of possibility;
•  Be resourceful;
•  Feel supported by others in their efforts to learn.

The benefits of loving to learn during the school years are obvious.

Nourishing a Love of Learning

Parents and teachers understand how challenging it can be to spark a love of learning that was previously undeveloped. Research suggests that individuals are more likely to take ownership for their learning when the following conditions occur:

1) They are given a compelling, meaningful reason to do the task.

2) They have options to make the task more interesting.

3) Social networks exist to support the learning so that individuals fulfill social needs as they connect with one another through a topic or project.

Developing a Love of Learning

The following activities for building a love of learning are based on a list composed by psychologist Jonathan Haidt at the University of Virginia:

•  Take a class just for fun (cooking, yoga, auto mechanics, astronomy, etc.) [The importance of electives?]

•  Go to an online search engine like Ask Jeeves, ask a question, and explore sites you never otherwise would have discovered.

•  Every day, read a chapter of a book just for fun. [Campus-wide reading programs?]

•  Decide to become an expert in a specialized topic and begin collecting (and reading) books on the subject.

•   Every weekend, discover a new area of your neighborhood, town, or city. [Cultivate town/gown connections?]

•  Subscribe to a newspaper or a periodical of special interest. [Local news affects the campus?]

•  Join an internet discussion group devoted to a topic that you think might be interesting. (For a list of Yahoo discussion groups, visit http://groups.yahoo.com) 

Recommended Readings

•  Covington, M.V. 1999. "Caring about Learning: The Nature and Nurturing of Subject Matter Appreciation." Educational Psychologist 34: 127-136.

•  Fried, R.L. 2001. The Passionate Learner: How Teachers and Parents Can Help Children Reclaim the Joy of Discovery. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

•  Peterson, C. and Seligman, M.E.P. (Eds.). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. New York: Oxford University Press.

•  Sansone, C., Weir, C., Harpster, L., & Morgan, C. 1992. "Once a Boring Task Always a Boring Task? Interest as a Self-regulatory Mechanism." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 63: 379-390.

For more information on Seligman's work and "positive psychology" see www.authentichappiness.org.