为什么小孩学东西比成人快？

Do you find that you learn things faster than your parents sometimes? Congratulations, you could be right!

Scientists at Brown University, US, found that school-aged children learn new knowledge (知识) and skills faster than grown-ups. This has something to do with a chemical (化学物质) called GABA in our brains. It reduces (减少) brain noise so that we can learn things more easily. It also makes new knowledge stay longer in our heads.

The scientists scanned (扫描) the brains of children (8-11 years old) and adults (18-35 years old) before, during, and after doing a learning task. It turned out that when children learn new things, the amount (数量) of GABA rises quickly. But there’s little change in adults’ brains. This tells us why children are better learners than adults.

The finding, the scientists said, should encourage (鼓励) teachers and parents to let children learn anything from riding a bike to playing an instrument (乐器) to learning times tables (乘法表) in their childhood. It could also be used to help adults learn faster by increasing (增加) the amount of GABA in their brains.

BOX：

Tips to learn better

-Make a learning timetable.

-Take notes.

-Set a target (目标).

-Teach others.

-Reward (奖励) yourself.

-Get enough sleep and exercise.