6 Learning Myths You Probably Still Believe (and What the Science Says)

We love ideas that feel true, especially when they promise shortcuts: learn faster, think better, unlock hidden potential. The problem is that many of these “intuitive truths” about learning are actually efficiency traps. They steal time, scatter attention, and create the illusion of progress while delivering very little real learning.

These myths persist because they’re comforting. They give us explanations, not results. But if your goal is to learn with less friction and more impact, you need to know where your mental energy is actually going.

What follows are six learning myths that quietly undermine your cognitive efficiency. Once you see the hidden cost behind each one, it becomes much easier to build a learning system that actually works.

This post will debunk eight of the most common educational myths using scientific evidence. By understanding what doesn't work, you can focus on strategies that are proven to help you learn more efficiently and effectively.

Myth 1: People can effectively multitask

We tell ourselves we can study while checking messages or jump between tabs without paying a price. But multitasking doesn’t exist.

True multitasking is defined as performing "two or more conscious thought or information processes at the same time, with no loss of speed or accuracy." What's actually happening when we think we're multitasking is "task switching." Our brain rapidly shifts focus from one task to another, and every switch leaves a residue of the previous task, pulling attention backward while you try to move forward – the "Switching Penalty."

The negative effects of attempting to multitask while studying are clear:

• Lower scores and less information learned.

• Longer study time required to achieve mastery.

To learn effectively, the science is simple: focus on one task at a time.

Why multitasking isn't effective:

You lose speed, accuracy, and depth. Tasks stretch beyond what they require, and your brain never fully enters the state where real learning happens.

The fix: 

Single-tasking is the fastest route to mastery. Your brain learns faster when attention isn’t divided. Even short uninterrupted bursts outperform longer sessions filled with micro-switches.

Myth 2: We learn best according to our “learning style”

One of the most popular educational theories is that people have a specific learning style (e.g., visual, auditory) and learn best when teaching methods match that preference. This belief is incredibly widespread. Surveys show it’s held by 93% of teachers and even 78% of trainees in neuroscience.

While preferences exist, evidence shows they don’t improve outcomes. Matching instruction to a preferred style adds complexity without helping the actual learning process.

Why learning styles isn't effective:

Time is spent optimizing around a preference rather than around the demands of the skill. You misallocate energy to personalization instead of mastery.

• When we talk about learning styles, we're actually measuring preferences, not actual styles that impact learning outcomes.

• It is based on poor and discredited research.

• It provides a rich source of excuses when learning is difficult.

• There's just too many learning styles (72!). It's not possible to apply them consistently and effectively in any practical setting.

The fix:

Focus on the content and the most effective way to teach or learn that content. Vocabulary needs repetition. Complex ideas need elaboration. Writing needs practice. Aim for effectiveness.

Myth 3: Brain games make us smarter

Brain games make you better at… brain games. Their benefits don’t generalize to everyday reasoning, memory, or decision-making.

This belief comes from a muscle metaphor: the idea that you can strengthen the mind through generic cognitive workouts. But the effects of brain training are narrow. What improves is the specific practiced task, not the broader cognitive system you rely on at work or in life.

The skills you gain from a brain game do not have "far transfer," meaning they won't improve unrelated cognitive areas. Getting good at a specific game won't improve your general memory or prevent conditions like dementia. Furthermore, any positive evidence supporting brain games is often scientifically flawed by sampling bias, belief, and the placebo effect.

Why it's wrong:

You invest time in training loops that don’t transfer. It feels productive, but it doesn’t improve the skills you actually use: writing clearly, recalling information under pressure, or solving complex problems.

The fix:

If you want to improve a skill, practice that skill. The best way to get smarter at something is to practice that specific thing, not a puzzle. Real transfer happens when training matches the domain.

Want to get smarter?

If the goal is better thinking, exercise beats brain games every time. Squats do more for your cognitive system than solving another Sudoku.

Myth 4: We only use 10% of our brains

This is one of the most popular and persistent neuromyths. The idea that 90% of our brain lies dormant is a compelling thought, but it has been thoroughly debunked.

The simple truth is that we use our whole brain, just not all at once for every single task. Here is the evidence that proves we use our whole brain:

• While different areas have specialized functions, we use all of our brain over the course of a day.

• Brain imaging technologies like fMRI and PET scans conclusively disprove the 10% claim by showing widespread activity.

• From an evolutionary perspective, natural selection would have favored smaller, more efficient brains if 90% of a large brain was metabolically expensive but unused.

• The brain's natural process of "synaptic pruning" would cause unused neurons to wither and die, leading to a loss of the so-called remaining 90%.

The cost of this myth:

It encourages magical thinking: the belief that “unlocking” hidden potential matters more than practicing the skills that actually drive improvement.

The fix:

Stop looking for unused capacity. Build capability through repeated, meaningful practice. Your brain improves when you strengthen the networks you already rely on, not when you try to unlock a mythical extra 90%.

Myth 5: Being good with technology means being good with information

We often assume that because we use digital tools constantly, like search, apps, cloud platforms, endless tabs, we’ve naturally developed strong skills for evaluating, filtering, and integrating information. Comfort with technology feels like competence.

But the research says otherwise: digital habits rarely map onto digital literacy. Most people, regardless of age, are highly fluent in consumption and surprisingly weak in analysis, verification, and synthesis.

Why it's wrong:

You move fast but absorb shallowly. You misjudge source quality. You mistake familiarity for understanding. Your cognitive load is spent managing noise instead of building knowledge.

The fix:

Treat digital reasoning as an actual skill. Practice evaluating sources, structuring information, and using digital tools for sensemaking, not just consumption.

Myth 6: It doesn't matter what you know, because it's all on the Internet

The idea that we no longer need to store knowledge in our heads because we can simply look up anything is an appealing but dangerous misconception. The internet is a tool, not a substitute for an internal knowledge base.

The critical flaw in this thinking is that your existing knowledge is what makes the internet useful in the first place. What you already know determines:

• What you search for.

• How much you understand.

• What you see.

Why it's wrong:

Without a foundation of knowledge, you won't know the right questions to ask, how to interpret the answers you find. If your internal knowledge base is thin, you waste time reading, misreading, and misjudging information, especially in an era of misinformation.

The fix:

Build knowledge so the internet becomes a multiplier, not a crutch.

Conclusion: Learning How to Learn

These myths survive because they feel intuitive. But intuition is a terrible teacher.

When you stop pouring effort into strategies that don’t work, learning becomes lighter, faster, and more predictable. You spend less time feeling stuck and more time actually building the skills you wanted in the first place.

Efficiency comes from understanding how the mind actually works, not how we’d like it to work. Remove the myths, and learning becomes lighter, faster, and far more reliable.

Your brain isn’t slow. It’s just tired of doing things the hard way.