Desirable difficulty in learning
Subject in Self-Improvement
Desirable difficulty in learning has come up in 1 episode across 1 podcast in TMT, including The Mel Robbins Podcast. 1 person has made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Lara BoydNeuroscientist and physical therapist, professor at the University of British Columbia and director of its Brain Behaviour Lab
Boyd rejects any magic number of practice hours and says practice must get progressively harder to keep changing the brain.
“you can't just practice at the same difficulty over and over again, right? It needs to get harder as you go”
The Mel Robbins Podcast: #1 Neuroscientist: After Listening to This, Your Brain Will Not Be the Same (Oct 12, 2026) · Listen from 43:15
Boyd reports that the most neuroplastic change occurs when stroke patients succeed at a task only about half the time.
“when they're struggling, when their success rate is right around 50, 60%, so it's hard. this is when we're seeing the most neuroplastic change”
The Mel Robbins Podcast: #1 Neuroscientist: After Listening to This, Your Brain Will Not Be the Same (Oct 12, 2026) · Listen from 18:00
Podcasts
- The Mel Robbins Podcast · 1 episode
Episodes
#1 Neuroscientist: After Listening to This, Your Brain Will Not Be the SameThe Mel Robbins Podcast · Oct 12, 2026 · 1 h 15 min
Mel Robbins talks with UBC neuroscientist Lara Boyd about neuroplasticity, how struggle, sleep, exercise and stress reduction rewire the brain, and how to make learning stick.