Several myths associated with the process of learning are passed on by parents and teachers. This advice, instead of being useful, can sometimes become a drawback and does not help you get good grades. Get to know facts and myths about learning in order to study effectively, efficiently and with pleasure.
Fact 1. You should study in silence or with quiet music
This is true - it has been scientifically proven that loud and quick music causes decreased concentration levels. Furthermore, if you listen to music that you are familiar with, you can easily get distracted or instinctively start jiggling around along with the rhythm and you may even find yourself singing or humming along. If you do not like studying in dead silence, it would be best to listen to a calm melody with no lyrics – for example classical baroque music or sounds from nature like warbling birds or the roar of waves.
Myth 1. Energy drinks are great help during learning
This myth is popular nowadays and energy drinks producers have been inventing more and more different beverages in order to increase sales. High school and university students are vulnerable to such temptations and keen on testing market novelties. As a result they often become a target of adverts which argue that energy drinks allow you to memorise new information more effectively. That is why it is useful to know a few facts about the products before reaching for them. Firstly, too big a dose of caffeine is very unhealthy for the body - you feel alert at first but after a couple of hours you start to lose concentration and cannot focus on studying. Secondly, such beverages contain a lot of sugar which means that although you experience an energy boost for a short while, you soon feel completely out of form. Finally you must be aware that energy drinks rinse out the magnesium and potassium from your system; both of which are essential during the studying process.
Fact 2. Tidy up before you start studying.
Although tidying up is not a popular activity, you often feel a sudden urge to do it when you have to study. It is often caused by a desire to postpone the learning process, which is considered boring and laborious. However tidying can be of benefit because it has been proven that it is easier to focus when you are surrounded by order and if the area around you is organised neatly.
Myth 2. You should not read in a dark room
It has always been said that reading in a dark room can ruin one's eyesight. It turns out that reading in semidarkness can have a positive effect on your sight. That is because sight problems are not a result of bad light but of damage to the eyeball, which usually occurs when reading in too bright conditions. Reading in semidarkness might at first be a little inconvenient, but after a while you will notice that your eyes adjust. What is more, the semidarkness allows eyeballs to relax, which keeps your eyes healthy.
Fact 3. Studying makes you sleepy
This is partly true – it is mainly caused by the fact that your brain works very intensely while studying, using 20% of the total energy and oxygen available in your body and in the air around you. As a result, if you do not watch your diet and do not ventilate the place where you study, you begin to yawn. This is usually a sign of oxygen deficiency.