Yanwen’s blog

Both children's and adults' brains undergo changes in neural connections when we learn. However, the way these changes occur differs considerably.

The Big Difference Between Children and Adults

Children (0–18): Build extensively, then refine.

The brain goes through periods of rapid synapse formation, followed by synaptic pruning. It initially creates an abundance of connections, and experience, repeated use, and developmental processes help refine them.

This period of development is characterized by greater plasticity in many brain systems. Children are particularly receptive to certain kinds of learning, including language acquisition. Their brains are still building the neural foundations that will support future learning.

Adults: Build selectively and strengthen existing pathways.

Adults no longer experience the same widespread periods of synapse formation and refinement that characterize early development. Nevertheless, synaptogenesis and neuroplasticity continue throughout adulthood.

Adult learning relies heavily on modifying existing neural circuits, strengthening connections through repeated use, and forming new connections in response to experience.

In other words, adult brains do not stop changing. Their changes are generally more selective and influenced by established neural pathways.

Synaptic pruning and other forms of neural refinement also continue in adulthood, although their patterns differ from those during childhood. Skills and mental habits that receive little use may gradually weaken, while frequently practiced skills become more established.

How Adults Should Approach Learning

Because adult plasticity is more selective, our learning strategies need to change as we age.

Instead of relying primarily on broad exposure, adults benefit from deliberate practice, repetition, and consistent engagement.

1. Focused, spaced practice

Random exposure alone is not enough to develop a new skill.

To establish and strengthen new neural pathways, adults need repeated, active engagement over time. Spacing practice across days and weeks, rather than concentrating everything into one session, helps support long-term learning.

Whether learning a language, playing a piano, or developing a new physical skill, consistency matters more than occasional bursts of enthusiasm.

2. Expect slower progress, but recognize that progress is possible

Adults generally cannot acquire every new skill as easily as young children acquire their first language.

Some learning processes become less efficient with age, and may take longer to develop and stabilize.

But slower learning does not mean an inability to learn.

Adults bring something children do not yet have in the same measure: accumulated knowledge, experience, and the ability to understand connections between new information and what they already know.

These advantages can make adult learning more meaningful, even when it requires more practice.

3. Changing old patterns is harder than learning new information

Adults have spent decades developing established neural pathways, habits, and ways of thinking.

These pathways can become highly efficient and automatically activated. That is useful in everyday life, but it can also make changing an established habit or reaction difficult.

Changing a habit is not simply a matter of adding a new one. It often requires learning a different response, practicing it repeatedly, and gradually reducing reliance on the old one.

This is why changing our behavior, biases, or automatic reactions requires more than understanding what we should do differently.

Try thinking differently from yourself. Hard, right? We must practice doing it differently.

4. Enrichment still matters, but its purpose changes

For adults, an enriched environment remains important for maintaining cognitive health and supporting the brain's capacity to adapt.

Physical exercise, social interaction, intellectual engagement, and new experiences all contribute to a healthier environment for the brain.

These activities do not guarantee mastery of a complex skill overnight. Instead, they help maintain the conditions that support learning, cognitive reserve, and healthy aging.

We don't aim at making our brains young again, we aim at keeping them active, engaged, and capable of responding to new experiences.

5. Sleep and recovery are essential for learning

Learning does not end when we finish practicing.

Sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation, helping the brain stabilize and reorganize information acquired during the day.

Adults sometimes try to compensate for limited practice by cramming more information into a short period.

But temporary activation is not the same as lasting learning. Without sufficient sleep and recovery, newly acquired information may be harder to retain and use.

For adults, effective learning requires not only focused practice but also enough time for the brain to consolidate what has been learned.

In Summary

Children's brains undergo extensive development, building and refining neural connections as they interact with the world.

Adult brains, by contrast, rely more heavily on established neural pathways. Although they remain capable of forming new connections and adapting to experience, changing old patterns and acquiring unfamiliar skills often requires more deliberate effort.

The adult learning strategy is therefore different:

Deliberate practice, repeated engagement, spaced learning, the willingness to change established habits, and sufficient sleep and recovery.

Some forms of learning are especially sensitive to developmental timing. Certain aspects of language and sensory development, for example, are more readily acquired during childhood. Adult learning cannot always reproduce the same developmental conditions.

Adult neuroplasticity is real, even though it operates differently and has limitations.

And perhaps this is the most encouraging lesson: We may not be able to learn everything as effortlessly as we did when we were young, but we can continue to learn, develop new abilities, and change the way we think and live.

As long as we remain curious, keep challenging ourselves, and give our brains the practice and recovery they need, there is still room for growth.

In the end, I think of this Chinese words: 活水源头 (Huó shuǐ yuán tóu) — A fresh water keeps flowing because it has a living source, a metaphor for keeping our minds fresh, active, and open to new ideas. Like flowing water, our minds stay vibrant when we continue learning, exploring, and embracing new experiences.

Interestingly, that was not how my sister felt back in 2020, when her son started dating this young woman, a native Beijinger who works as a school counselor. Her son had earned his bachelor's degree from a university in the United States. At the time, my sister was worried that he might find a girlfriend from outside Beijing—an 外地人 (wàidìrén), or someone from another part of China.

My youngest sister once commented that perhaps the biggest benefit of her nephew's American degree was that it helped him find his current girlfriend, a Beijinger.

Now, however, my sister faces a different disappointment: the possibility that she may never have a grandchild from her son. I couldn't help wondering whether things might have turned out differently if he had dated a non-local girl. There are several families from other parts of China living in our neighborhood, and they all have at least two children.

Our conversation then turned to the subject of people from outside Beijing. My sister said that one of her biggest concerns about her son marrying an 外地人 was that the woman might come from a poor family and, after marriage, bring her poor relatives to Beijing, placing an additional financial burden on the couple.

But I think we should look at this from another perspective.

People who leave their hometowns to seek a better life in a big city such as Beijing are often taking considerable risks. They leave behind familiar surroundings and the security of home. They have to find jobs, establish themselves, and adapt to a new environment. If they manage to settle down in a competitive city, that itself speaks to their courage, determination, and willingness to venture into the unknown.

These are valuable and admirable qualities. In fact, the willingness to leave familiar surroundings and explore new possibilities is one of the forces that has driven human progress.

Imagine what Elon Musk's life might have looked like if he had stayed in South Africa. Imagine how different our own lives might have been if our parents had not left their villages as teenagers in the 1940s.

And what about the United States? Much of its history and development has been shaped by people who came from somewhere else. My family and I are among them. We, too, are outsiders who left our original homes to build a life in a different country.

The person we regard as an outsider today may become an important contributor to the community tomorrow. Or their children might become a CEO of their own company!

There is a Chinese saying: 人挪活，树挪死 (Rén nuó huó, shù nuó sǐ)—literally, “When people move, they find life; when trees are moved, they die.” It means people thrive when they move while trees die when they move. Sometimes, leaving familiar surroundings is exactly what allows us to grow, discover new possibilities, and build a better life elsewhere.

After all, almost everyone has a hometown somewhere. What matters is not where we come from, but what we make of the opportunities we find along the way.

According to the tribute, one of her most important contributions was acting as a buffer for capable people: identifying talented scientist-administrators, shielding them from political, bureaucratic, and interest-group pressures, and maintaining long-term strategic direction even when their work faced criticism or opposition.

In the author's view, her legacy is reflected in two lasting achievements: the widespread use of artemisinin-based treatments, which have saved millions of lives, particularly in Africa, and the development of China's electric-vehicle industry, which has reshaped the global auto market.

Today I'd focus on what we can learn from these stories about good leadership.

1. Understand expertise before making judgments

Liu studied engineering and had experience working in a factory. This background helped her understand the technical reasoning behind scientists' proposals rather than judging them solely on political considerations or public opinion.

The lesson is simple: Don't rush to judgment on complex professional or technical matters. Take time to understand the underlying issues, listen to specialists, and remain open to ideas that challenge conventional thinking.

2. Have the courage to support talented people

The tribute describes Liu as providing protection for people such as Chen Zhu and Wan Gang, allowing them to concentrate on their work rather than become overwhelmed by resistance.

Good leadership is not about taking all the credit or avoiding criticism. It is about creating an environment in which capable people can do meaningful work—and being willing to stand with them when their ideas face opposition.

3. Think long-term rather than chase quick results

Both the development and international recognition of artemisinin-based treatments and China's electric-vehicle industry required years of effort. Neither could have succeeded without sustained commitment through periods of uncertainty and criticism.

Transformative work rarely produces immediate results. A good leader must distinguish temporary setbacks from fundamental flaws and resist abandoning a promising long-term strategy at the first sign of trouble.

4. Exercise sound judgment in a crisis

During the EV subsidy fraud scandal, public anger and criticism put the entire policy under pressure. Rather than abandoning the overall strategy, the response described in the tribute was to punish fraudulent practices, tighten subsidy rules, and improve technical standards.

The broader lesson is to distinguish failures in implementation from weaknesses in the underlying strategy. Correct what is wrong without automatically discarding what is worth preserving.

5. Build trust through human connection

The story of Liu's old photograph with Hillary Clinton illustrates her ability to connect with people on a personal level, rather than relying only on formal diplomatic language. Finding common ground can help build trust and open doors to cooperation.

Facts, reason, and data are important, but relationships matter too. Persuasion is not always about winning an argument; sometimes it is about helping people recognize shared interests.

6. Be humble and let others shine

The tribute portrays Liu as gentle and unassuming, like water—quiet but powerful. Her name may not be attached to the scientific discoveries or industrial breakthroughs themselves, but her contribution, as the author sees it, was to help create the conditions in which others could succeed.

A leader's impact should not be measured only by personal recognition, but also by what continues to work after that leader steps aside.

This brings me back to an idea from Walter Lippmann that I discussed in an earlier essay: good leaders should build institutions and arrangements that can function well without depending on them personally.

Perhaps that is one of the highest forms of leadership: helping others succeed and creating something that outlasts your own involvement.