How to Unlearn?

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

The above quote is attributed to the American businessman and futurist Alvin Toffler who made this prediction more than 50 years ago.

The concept of "Learn, unlearn, relearn" is now universally accepted paradigm for adaptive learning. It is critical for individuals and organizations to remain relevant and effective in a rapidly changing world.

While we are very conversant with what “learning” involves, can we say the same about “unlearning” or is it bit hazy? In this article, I’ll try to explore the concept of “unlearning” so that we can become more adaptive learner.

1. Learn, Unlearn, Relearn

Learning involves acquiring new knowledge, skills, behaviors, or understanding. For example, learning German, mastering project management, or understanding the concepts of Quantum Physics.

Unlearning involves letting go of outdated or incorrect knowledge, beliefs, habits, or practices. For example, you probably grew up learning that Pluto is a planet. Then, all of a sudden, you had to unlearn that, because it was no longer a planet.

Relearning involves learning something that you may have forgotten or learning something again in a new or updated context. For example, relearning standard deviation while learning data analytics, or relearning how to send message when your PC got upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

Unlearning-relearning is essential not just for growth, but for very survival itself. During Covid, we all had to unlearn the ways of working in office and relearn working from home. As Google keeps on updating its search algorithm, the digital marketing team has to continually optimize their SEO strategies to ensure that their web pages come as top-rated pages in Google search.

2. Unlearning Scenarios

Unlearn and relearn is sometimes necessitated as the basic theory on which the previous learning was based has changed. For example, the theory of atomic models has changed several times from watermelon model, to Rutherford model, then to Bohr’s model and now the Quantum Model. Even though this may or may not be the final model, it is important to keep our knowledge updated with new theory.

Unlearning can be behavioral, for example, breaking bad habits like procrastination, unhealthy eating, or smoking. Or shifting from an old work routine to a new, more productive one. It could also be emotional like overcoming fear of electric socket based on past experience of spark. Or, letting go of resentment with someone due to past grudges. Or it could be overcoming some prejudices related to gender, race, ethnicity, etc. and accepting the diversity. Or it could be as simple as our change in our social interactions based on environment.

For example, having spent more than 25 years in corporate environment, I had learnt that calling people by first name is the norm. When I moved over to my 2nd inning in the field of education & training, I had to unlearn that and relearn that in the new environment, students and learners calling you “Sir” was very normal. In the corporate environment, calling somebody “Sir” is no-no.

3. Unlearning is Tough

Unlearning can be very tough. For example, have a look at the following video where the effort is to unlearn how to ride a bicycle, and ride it differently.

When your ‘muscle memory’ has become completely adept in riding bicycle, there is almost no conscious control applied when you ride it. So, when the way of riding bicycle changes, you are almost unable to apply any control on your muscles. It’ll require probably months of training to relearn riding the bicycle in new way.

Sometimes, you can relearn new way through conscious effort. When I travelled to US for the first time on official visit, the company was providing a rented car for driving. But, as a first thing, I had to unlearn the habit of driving on the left side of the road. As I survived near accident, I had to become extra conscious while driving and not slip into ‘background mode’.

The relearning in the second case was relatively less difficult because car driving requires much more alertness and conscious control in comparison to riding a cycle.

4. Neuroscience of Unlearning

To understand, why we keep falling back to old learning, let us understand unlearning from the perspective of neuroscience.

The learning involves creation of new neural pathways in the brain. As this learning gets repeatedly used over period of time, these neural pathways do get strengthened. The forming and strengthening of neural pathways actually leads to physical changes in the brain and when we ‘unlearn’, these neural pathways do not get simply ‘deleted’. What our brain does when we learn something new, is to create a new neural pathway corresponding to the new learning and inhibit the neural pathway of the earlier learning through conscious control. This is why it is also called, “inhibitory learning”.

With sustained and repetitive practice of new learnings, the new neural pathways get strengthened and the older pathway gets weakened due to inactivation. In other words, the new neural pathway becomes more automatic, fast, precise and less energy-consuming. Now, when we are faced with a high stress situation, we are not able to apply conscious control and our brains switch back to older, more familiar and less energy consuming neural pathway. With repeated use, the new neural pathway becomes like a habit and it gets invoked even in absence of conscious control.

Hence, from a neuroscience perspective, it's more accurate to say that the brain counterlearns by inhibiting competing old habits, rather than completely erasing them. In this context, counterlearning is a process that the brain can initiate easily, but it remains fragile until the new habit becomes strong through consistent and repeated practice.

5. Why unlearning is hard?

Unlearning is not about forgetting. It is accepting an alternative perspective or paradigm. This happens naturally over time as we mature and gain experience. However, sometimes we need to consciously unlearn habits and beliefs, to stay relevant in the constantly changing world.

Unlearning is difficult because it involves change… and why change is difficult?

Our brain is programmed to keep us safe and hence it looks for predictability of what is happening in the environment. It resists change as it brings in uncertainty. But, as our environment is changing rapidly, we have to overcome this resistance and change ourselves.

The acceptability of change depends on perception of risks versus rewards associated with change. Other factors are complexity and scope of the desired change. Changing a simple behavioral health habit such as drinking water on a regular basis is very different from changing more ingrained behaviors such as the micro-management or gender bias.

6. Success Factors for Unlearn-Relearn

Here are some factors that enable your success in unlearning.

1. Shun Ego and Attitude

Unlearning needs one to be modest and devoid of “I know everything” attitude.

Empty your glass to get new filling. Unlearn what you think you know to relearn what you need to know.

2. Opening up to differing perspectives/ideas

As Jim Collins, author of Good to Great wrote, “The most important lessons lay not in what I needed to learn, but in what I first needed to unlearn.”

Trying a new dress requires that you let go of your love and comfort for the old dress.

3. Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is a tendency to favor information that confirms our existing beliefs while disregarding or minimizing evidence that contradicts them. For example, if you believe that a particular brand of phone is the best, you might focus on positive reviews and dismiss negative ones as outliers or the result of user error.

It is extremely important to identify our limiting beliefs and unlearn them. It requires that we consciously evaluate such situation by being objective.

4. Preconceived Notions

Preconceived notions can hinder our chances of growth in changing circumstances.

Steve Jobs was initially hesitant about creating a phone because he was concerned about entering the highly competitive and regulated mobile phone market. He also feared that it might distract Apple from its core products, like the iPod, which was hugely successful at the time.

Jobs was fixated on the wrong idea of a mobile phone. The growing market of smart phones made him realize the need to overcome the fear of mobile phone related regulations. Also, he realized that the technology they were developing for the iPad could be applied for phone. He had to unlearn everything he believed about phone companies before his team could develop iPhone – Apple’s unique take on mobile phone.

5. Paradox of Success

“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith emphasizes the importance of continually updating our assumptions. The methods that have brought us success up to this point may not necessarily guarantee success in the future. It's crucial to objectively assess the effectiveness of our current practices in relation to the present environment. For instance, while a weekly team meeting may have been effective in the past, the demands of agile working now necessitate daily standups

6. Sunk Cost Fallacy

Imagine you've invested a lot of time, energy, and resources on a project, but the project is not going anywhere. But you continue to push forward with the project because you’ve already spent so much time and effort on it. Instead, starting a new project or shifting focus would likely yield better results.

7. Unlearn to Relearn - Four Stages

Here I outline a 4 stage model for Unlearn-Relearn:

1. Evaluate – being open to evaluate current frame of mind, recognizing what is no longer useful or applicable, such as outdated information, prejudices, or ineffective practices.
2. Accept – accepting the need for change and willingness to put effort for that
3. Commit – get into the new frame of mind; committing the new paradigm, knowledge, ways of working in memory
4. Conscious Control – consciously start practicing in new ways when situations arise; keeping conscious control to not fall back to old learning

At the end..

Acquiring new skills and knowledge supports healthy aging by stimulating the brain, enhancing cognitive function, and lowering the risk of age-related diseases.

Healthy aging is also fostered by letting go of old habits, beliefs, and assumptions that may hinder ongoing growth and development. In this sense, one might argue that the ability to unlearn is a crucial skill for aging well.

In a constantly evolving world, unlearning, and relearning is vital not just for growth, but for survival itself. Thankfully, our brain is extremely malleable. But to take full advantage of our brain’s amazing neuroplasticity may require change of mindset. And needs your commitment and conscious focus.

Let us start asking yourself a question at the end of each day, “What did I unlearn today”