Study Cards

A love of learning

Love of learning means a passion for learning, a desire to learn just for learning’s sake. While curiosity is the motivating force that leads you to seek out new information, love of learning refers to the desire to hold on to and deepen that information. Students who love to learn are more likely to engage in their schoolwork and receive positive feedback from teachers and peers. But the benefits of this strength extend far beyond graduation through the working years and into retirement. A love of learning may be particularly valuable during older age in that it may prevent cognitive decline. Research suggests that individuals who are able to develop and maintain interests later in life are likely to be more physically and mentally healthy than their less-engaged peers.

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

1. Take a class just for fun (cooking, yoga, auto mechanics, astronomy, etc.)
2. Go to an online search engine, ask a question, and explore sites you never otherwise would have discovered.
3. Every day, read a chapter of a book just for fun.
4. Decide to become an expert in a specialized topic and begin collecting (and reading) books on the subject.
5. Every weekend, discover a new area of your neighborhood, town, or city.
6. Subscribe to a newspaper or a periodical of special interest.
7. Join an internet discussion group devoted to a topic that you think might be interesting.

What tips can you share on developing a love of learning?