5. Learn A New Language By Ditching The Audiobooks
There are all kinds of studies that say learning a new language is good for your brain, not to mention the fact that it makes you, like, really cool. However, taking up a second language is easier said than done, as adult brains are not nearly as good at picking up new words as babies' and children's brains are, not in the traditional way anyway. The result is that a lot of people either become frustrated and give up, or just can't retain the new language at all. Most people, when taking up a language, will buy some kind of "Learn To Speak Italian" audiobook and listen to it on their commute. The listen-and-repeat format of these audiobooks basically imitates the way we learn as children, but it's pretty abysmal for adults. One of the major issues when trying to pick up a language is being able to distinguish unfamiliar sounds that might not exist in your mother tongue. For example, one study found that distinguishing "L" from "R" was near impossible for Japanese adults. The test subjects were randomly played recordings of the words "locks" and "rocks" and asked to identify which it was. They did little better than chance. However, one slight change sent the success rates through the roof. It was found that if the participants were told whether they'd gotten it right or wrong as it happened, in the form of a tick or cross appearing on the screen, then their accuracy rates rocketed up to 80% within an hour. Many studies have since confirmed that the key to adult language learning and retention is feedback and "ear training", and diving straight into conversational vocabulary without this base level is like trying to build a tower block without any foundations. The best way to ensure that the new language goes in and, more importantly, stays in is to familiarise yourself with the sound of it before ploughing into how to order a caramel macchiato in Arabic.