Smarter in your sleep and other learning myths

In his new science communication book, which will be published by mvg-Verlag on April 14, 2025, Michael Skeide sheds light on how brain research debunks the biggest misconceptions and how we can really learn better.

“The book draws attention to the fact that many everyday ideas about how learning works have little to do with what has actually been observed in the world's research laboratories. For example, the idea that you can connect your brain hemispheres more strongly by drawing horizontal figure eights in the air in front of you,” explains the brain researcher, who heads the ‘Learning in Early Childhood ’ group at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig. His motivation in writing the book was to strike a balance between suspenseful entertainment and providing complete scientific evidence. Every statement in the book can therefore be transparently traced back to original studies.

Michael Skeide's research page: https://www.cbs.mpg.de/independent-research-groups/learning-in-early-childhood