"Today I Learned": People Share 40 New Curious Facts You Can Learn Today Too (New Pics)

With so much information bombarding us every day, it may be challenging to separate valuable information from things that do nothing but waste our time. So Bored Panda reached out to Alex Wong, the “Hijack” Copywriter, who has been on a mission to help small and corporate businesses “hijack” their clients’ minds and help them to grow their businesses and sales.

"When it comes to learning something new, I always try to stick with reputable sources. Well-respected sites, books, journals, and academic papers are better than blogs or sites focused on getting the most attention and clicks," Wong said.

He added that if he's not sure, he always asks others who are more familiar with the topic what they recommend. "Reddit and Quora are great resources to get feedback on a wide variety of topics," Wong added.

It's no secret that when it comes to learning new things, many people don't know where to start or try to find excuses not to. Wong, however, believes that he's built differently than most people since he doesn't lack motivation.

"For me, once I found out that learning something is beneficial, even if I may not want to do it initially, I will still find a way to do it. For example, I’m currently learning how to run FB ads to market a book I published. Even though it would have been easier to hire someone to do it, I figured it would be beneficial for me to learn about the platform and how they work. That way, I will be able to run ads for any products in the future," he explained.

Wong argues that in the end, it all comes down to finding your "why". "Once you find a strong enough reason to do something, the next step is figuring out 'how' to do it. Most people don't want to put in the hard work to learn something new but still want the results," Wong concluded.

Previously, we also spoke with Helen Marlo, a licensed clinical psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst who provides psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and consultation about how we can all become better at learning new things every day.

According to Marlo, “it helps to understand what messages we have internalized about curiosity as well as the responses received from others when we express curiosity.”

“For example, many internalize that being curious means they “do not know something” or are not intelligent. That inhibits curiosity and its negative effects are compounded because it limits further learning,” the professor explained.

Research suggests that “individuals who feel secure in relationships are more likely to feel and express curiosity including feeling free and confident to explore others’ viewpoints; pursue a new hobby, or learn a new subject area,” Marlo noted.

Among many new things we can learn every day, language is one of the most beneficial ones. She explained that learning a new language has many benefits including improving cultural awareness and increasing empathy. 

There has been an argument that learning languages have the ability to prevent diseases like dementia, but Helen warns that data on that is still unclear. “However, very generally speaking, there is a “use it or lose it” principle when it comes to our brain health. We are less likely to “lose it” when we “use it."