What Can Riding a Backwards Bike Teach Us About Learning?

TL;DR

Riding a backwards bike reveals that knowledge does not equal understanding, as Destin struggles to ride despite knowing the mechanics. After eight months of practice, he learns to ride it but initially finds it difficult to revert to a normal bike. This highlights the complexities of cognitive bias and neural pathways in learning.

Transcript

Hey it's me Destin. Welcome back to Smarter Every Day. You've heard people say, "It's just like riding a bike" meaning it's really easy and you can't forget how to do it, right? But I did something. I did something that damaged my mind. It happened on the streets of Amsterdam and I got really scared honestly. I can't ride a bike like you can anymor... Read More

Key Insights

• 🚲 The algorithm for bike riding is complex, involving multiple forces and movements.
• 👶 Children have more neural plasticity than adults, making it easier for them to learn new skills.
• 🟰 Knowledge does not necessarily equal understanding.
• 🌍 Cognitive biases can affect our interpretation of the world.
• 🥺 Unlearning and relearning can be challenging but can lead to new skills and understanding.
• 🥶 Small distractions can disrupt the neural pathways and revert the brain to old algorithms.
• 🤩 Practice and persistence are key to unlearning and relearning.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why does Destin struggle to ride the backwards bike, even though he has the knowledge of how to operate it?

Destin struggles because the algorithm for riding a bike involves multiple complex forces and movements that are deeply wired in the brain, and changing any part of it affects the entire control system.

Q: Can adults learn new skills as quickly as children?

No, children have more neural plasticity than adults, making it easier for them to learn new skills and adapt to changes in algorithms.

Q: What did Destin learn from this experiment?

Destin learned that knowledge does not equal understanding and that biases can affect our interpretation of the world.

Q: Why did it take Destin 8 months to learn how to ride the backwards bike?

It took Destin 8 months to overcome his cognitive bias because he had to unlearn and rewire his brain's neural pathways for bike riding.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Destin tries to ride a specially built bicycle where turning the handlebar in one direction causes the wheel to turn in the opposite direction.

• Despite having the knowledge of how to operate the bike, Destin struggles to understand and control the bike, realizing that knowledge does not equal understanding.

• After 8 months of persistent practice, Destin successfully learns to ride the backwards bike, but finds it difficult to switch back to riding a normal bike.