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"Optimized" learning for females

 Language Learning Forum : General discussion Post Reply
46 messages over 6 pages: 1 2 3 4 5
Serpent
Octoglot
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 Message 41 of 46
18 March 2012 at 12:49pm | IP Logged 
"Many people in the general population may not realize that the effects of a woman’s fertility level go well beyond chocolate cravings, moodiness, and one’s chances of conception."

http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/16/how-a-fertile-woman-af fects-the-way-men-talk/
http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/24/is-he-gay-ovulating-wo men-can-tell/

Great articles.

I tracked the effects during the 6 week challenge. Detailed stats coming in my log someday... but this whole thing was mostly motivating during the "active" phase. (in the sense that achievements and rankings matter) That was the only time when I cared about tweeting my stats asap, even from the phone.
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buchstabe
Tetraglot
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 Message 42 of 46
18 March 2012 at 11:56pm | IP Logged 
If this was scientifically studied and it came out that there is a correlation of the menstrual cycle and a woman's cognitive performance, I wouldn't be completely and utterly surprised. I already noticed circadian differences in how fast I take in new words and how well I can recall structures I learned the day before, so why shouldn't there be similar variation within the menstrual cycle.

Let's assume for a moment that there is a proven connection. Still, if you will forgive my honesty, I couldn't be bothered to keep track of it. The menstrual cycle is too long to make sense for me to track, because I don't plan my learning activities that far in advance. I wouldn't want to wait as long as week before doing something I'm keen on doing, just to take advantage of me being in a slightly better shape for that particular task.

Also, I take the freedom of adjusting my plans to how I feel each day anyway. It doesn't matter to me why exactly I feel either full of energy or awkward and obtuse (lack of sleep or a common cold for example can have a significant impact too). I don't need to know the reason to take care of myself and plan realistically.
Checking my menstrual calendar even sounds like a step backwards to me, because it would replace mindfulness of how I actually feel by an external device. Just like I don't check my calendar to determine if I'm the mood for sex, although the connection with the menstrual cycle is probably scientifically proven. ;)



Edited by buchstabe on 19 March 2012 at 12:02am

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Kerrie
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 Message 43 of 46
19 March 2012 at 1:23am | IP Logged 
tricoteuse wrote:

Since I know that the moody and depressive periods are purely hormonal, it doesn't take that much to convince me that other periods of some behavior or other are also influenced by hormones. Obviously some women experience more variation than other, and I think contraception helps for very many (and not only with the pain).


I know, for me, when I went on b/c pills and had my hormone levels stabilized, my "depression" and "bipolar disorder" all but disappeared. I'm probably more of an extreme case, but I suffered from clinical depression and bipolar disorder from the time I was twelve or thirteen until I started taking the pill in my mid-twenties. It's hard to convince doctors of anything that's so "subjective," though.
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Serpent
Octoglot
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 Message 44 of 46
09 August 2012 at 1:01am | IP Logged 
There's a new post in my log, about something amazing and period-related. I don't feel comfortable writing about that in English here (though I don't sell anything! I'm just a happy enthusiast), so it's in Spanish.

buchstabe wrote:
The menstrual cycle is too long to make sense for me to track, because I don't plan my learning activities that far in advance. I wouldn't want to wait as long as week before doing something I'm keen on doing, just to take advantage of me being in a slightly better shape for that particular task.

Checking my menstrual calendar even sounds like a step backwards to me, because it would replace mindfulness of how I actually feel by an external device. Just like I don't check my calendar to determine if I'm the mood for sex, although the connection with the menstrual cycle is probably scientifically proven. ;)
Oh, I definitely don't plan things that far in advance either, only those that I need to do more. (For example, I've realized I'm more sensitive to the phonetics/pronunciation when I'm on my period. So I try to do more phonetics-oriented listening when my brain is better at perceiving the differences). I definitely don't wait if I want to do something, but I'm not disappointed if there are objective reasons why I don't do so well.

More importantly, I don't know if it's just me, but do you always know clearly what you want? Is there always something specific you want to do and are you always excited about your options?

Very often, I just want to do something, but I don't know what and I don't feel like doing anything specific. In this case, knowing what might get me excited is great for getting more ideas. I might know, for example, that something romantic is a good idea. Or something funny. Or something creative. That's just a starting point. (It's especially important during the 6WC and Tadoku when I feel like studying but I'm not sure which language to do and what to do in it)

If even seasons can be important, then sure your personal seasons are also important?

And I don't even actually believe in discipline. (a great thread about that) If you believe in discipline, the cycle becomes an even more valuable tool.

Edited by Serpent on 09 August 2012 at 1:05am

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Serpent
Octoglot
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serpent-849.livejour
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 Message 45 of 46
12 August 2012 at 6:07pm | IP Logged 
Bao wrote:
The problem's those parts that I neither have intrinsic motivation for nor can build up a good habit for: Speaking and writing.
A habit doesn't imply 'daily'. It should simply be regular. Especially if you're not comfortable with speaking and writing, it's a good idea to do these at an appropriate time. Don't force yourself to speak an L2 when you don't really want to speak even your L1 and would rather be left alone. Don't force yourself to write when you'd rather speak or read.
Here's a related article. As I've already mentioned, the woman who wrote these books never expected to be able to write one!!! However, she noticed that for one week a month, the PMS week, writing flows easily. It's a very creative time, and the emotional issues happen if we don't release our creativity. I've personally noticed just how much easier creative tasks/challenges are during PMS (I write fanfiction and make some graphics).

I'm also quite shy, but it gets a lot better during ovulation. It's easier to talk to women as well, not just men - there's more empathy, understanding and less selfishness. The 'selfish' active phase is a good time for socializing as well, though - but it'a time when you're more focused on yourself than on others. You might also be less tolerant of corrections than you normally are.

So basically, my advice would be to start with building the habits in the right time - and only when you can consistently do this for 1-2 weeks per month, start doing it more.

For clarity:
-the active phase is when you're alive again after your period :) for many that's around the 7th day of the cycle, but it can be as early as day 3-4.
-the ovulation phase happens about a week after that, often starting on day 14-15
-the PMS week starts on the 21st day or so, but just like the symptoms are more noticeable at the end of the phase, the same happens with the abilities. an initial goal could be to do 2-3 pieces of creative writing per week.



PS If any man is reading this and being sceptical, have a look at this:)
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Bao
Diglot
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 Message 46 of 46
13 August 2012 at 1:44am | IP Logged 
I see some problems with that idea, for myself.

Communication requires other people to be involved, and that means I can't just freely choose the times when I want to communicate based on how I myself feel - simply because other people I get along with aren't always available, and because they themselves have their moods and don't expect me to match to theirs. (Fora and IMs/chatrooms make it a bit easier, I know. But they don't force me to communicate in the same way having a real person in front of me does.)


Secondly, I don't see that my cycle has a big impact on my desire to talk to people. That includes my native language. I talk to people when they're there. When there's nobody around me, I don't actively search for a conversation partner. Not having people around me for a couple of days actually unbalances me, but I still don't look for company when there isn't any.


And then, for me to establish habits, they have to be practiced frequently and they need what I call action triggers: when I arrive at work, I see my Korean coworker, and greet her in Korean. Not seeing her means there is no reason for me to greet anybody in Korean.
So, if I want to build such a habit I need to do it as a follow-up for something that occurs at least every second day, better if daily. Otherwise I just forget that I wanted to do it regularly.


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