3 The mutual relationship between mental health and learning
Learning is often associated with childhood, or being a young adult, but nowadays many adults return to studying in later life. A lot of adult learners have families, and may be juggling work and caring commitments on top of any child-care or home responsibilities they may have. Given such pressures, some learners are opting for online learning as it eliminates the need to travel, saves time and money and often means they can study in their own time and at their own pace. Other learners may choose online study because of social anxiety or because they are neurodivergent, as it reduces the pressure of face-to-face interactions.
Learning and mental health can be mutually beneficial. Good mental health can support learning via good brain functioning and memory. Learning new information and skills can also change the physical structure of the brain by stimulating neurones and creating new neural pathways. The more neural pathways in the brain, the faster that connections can be made (Doidge, 2008). This is like creating shortcuts through an overgrown wilderness, rather than taking the long path around; the more the shortcuts that are used, the quicker your route will be, in this case to cognition and understanding.
The coping skills used to deal with different life stresses are also useful in education because undertaking a course of study can be a long and demanding journey, likened to a marathon rather than a sprint.
Good mental health is often linked with good physical health, which can help learners study effectively and retain information well (Fusar-Poli et al., 2020; Canadian Mental Health Association, 2022). Such learners are also better positioned to effectively balance different aspects of their life and manage their time effectively (Vidourek and Burbage, 2019). Furthermore, learning new skills through studying can improve mental wellbeing by building self-confidence and improving self-esteem, helping provide a sense of purpose and connection with other people (National Health Service, 2022).
Adult learners engaging in some sort of learning have reported feeling more positive about themselves and more able to cope with stress and anxiety. Setting targets and achieving them seems to help create feelings of accomplishment and achievement and can act as a motivating factor. Learning something new can release the ‘feel good’ chemical dopamine. This can increase energy levels, boost immunity, and help people cope with stress. Studying also helps people learn up-to-date and relevant information which can improve employability. Learning can also be a good distraction from life’s worries (Buchanan and Warwick, 2020). Learners who complete their studies have shown better levels of wellbeing and less intense symptoms of depression and anxiety, and these effects were maintained for at least twelve months (Robotham, Morgan and James, 2011).
Activity _unit3.4.1 Activity 2 Exploring the mutual relationship between mental health and learning
- Read Case studies 1 and 4 from the following document: Case studies. Write down in what ways you think the mutual relationship between mental health and learning could be present for each learner.
- Consider such factors as: distraction; self-esteem; ability to cope with life stresses; isolation or ability to make friends; and motivation.
Discussion
The relationship between mental health and learning can be identified in the two case studies as follows:
- Case study 1, Viraj, is motivated to study and could utilise learning as a useful distraction from feeling isolated. He may make new friends through studying and learn that talking about mental health is culturally more acceptable in learning environments within the UK than in his own culture and country. In this way he will be well situated to access support. Therefore, the mutually beneficial relationship between his mental health and learning can be seen in terms of distraction, reduced isolation, making friends, boosting self-esteem and accessing support.
- Case study 4, Jolanta, has a desire to succeed and that personal motivating factor may help give her a ‘dopamine/feel good’ effect. Despite having low confidence, studying may help boost her self-esteem and help her develop coping strategies in other areas of her life, such as helping her cope with her bereavement by focusing her mind on study matters. Thus, the mutually beneficial relationship between her mental health and learning can be seen in terms of motivation, boosting self-esteem and confidence and potentially the development of coping skills.
Research shows that positive mental health is associated with increased learning and engagement. In turn, this can lead to improved creativity and productivity, more pro-social behaviour – which also benefits others – positive social relationships, and better physical health and life expectancy (Charles Darwin University, 2020).