Moving Beyond Your Comfort Zone When Learning

Have you ever noticed that when something you are working on or learning is too easy, you feel bored and lose interest? Sure you have. We’ve all been there. Another result when something is not challenging enough is that you probably didn’t remember much about that activity and didn’t learn anything new. Why is that? It’s because you didn’t leave your comfort zone.

According to the Oxford dictionary one of the definitions of the term “comfort zone” is “a settled method of working that requires little effort and yields only barely acceptable results.” If what we are learning is too easy and not challenging enough, then we are not fully activating our cognitive functions. As a result, there won’t be much growth. It’s similar to building muscle. In order to achieve muscle growth, you need to put it under conditions more demanding than the last time by using heavier weights or introducing different movements. The principle is the same with our cognitive function. We need to put it under more demanding conditions to stimulate growth.

In one class that I was teaching, I had the mandate to help the students not only learn English, but also how to learn English in a Western school system. To that point, the students were only used to memorizing information and finding the answer to fill-in a blank. I needed to help them move beyond their comfort zone and teach them analytical skills, problem solving, creativity and self-expression. These concepts really pushed the students past what they were used to doing. In one instance, I showed a student a picture of a sports player just after he had scored a goal in a game. The player had his head pointed up as his arms were raised in victory. Then I asked the student, “What do you think this person is feeling, and why?” The student was absolutely perplexed. He stared at the image for several moments. Then he turned the page over a couple of times looking for the written answer. When no answer was to be found, he asked where he could find it. I told him the answer is what he makes it to be. He couldn’t believe it. He was still trying to “fill in a blank.” It took some time, but he learned to formulate his own opinion about the image, and how to support it with his own reasoning. In trying something that he was not used to, he learned something new and challenging. As a result, he gained more confidence to speak and he never forgot the lesson! That’s the power of moving beyond one’s comfort zone!

This is actually a documented technique of learning. In 1907, psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson conducted experiments and came to conclusions that are now known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Their study showed the correlation between performance and anxiety. Low-level anxiety, that is remaining in one’s comfort zone, resulted in low performance and boredom. As the subjects were brought out of their comfort zone, the anxiety increased and so did their performance.

This principle remains true today. It’s one of the fundamental keys to learning, including learning a language. When you are studying, challenge yourself with either a higher level difficulty in what you are learning. For example, if you are at an intermediate level, study an upper-intermediate textbook. If you have only learned from non-native English teachers, take a class with an native speaker that uses common English expressions and nuanced vocabulary.

Another suggestion is to approach the material from angles that you have never thought of before. Perhaps you can visualize different situations where you could use the knowledge. Consider how you would explain it if you were the teacher. You can also try being creative with the newly acquired knowledge and use it in a piece of writing, like a script dialogue or a story.

The whole idea of moving beyond your comfort zone when learning is to make it challenging. It brings about more benefits. You will remember more, have a more thorough understanding and have better performance when applying what you have learned. So, how will you challenge yourself when improving your English?