You use the abbreviation SL.

When I first came across this abbrvn, I read it as ’subliminal learning’, not ’social learning’. Funny enough, the context of the matter I was reading about made no significant difference to my understanding of it. Only some time later, when I realised I’d read the abbrvn wrongly, was I able to put it all together.

This made me stop and think about so-called social learning. You say it happens all the time. I say you’re right. But more than that. I say it happens and often we may not realise that it is happening.

What is it that’s been learnt when someone says, “I can’t put my finger on it, but there was something in the way she spoke, the way she reacted”, etc. We pick things up, socially, and often are unaware of what ‘it’ is, though it still makes an impact, however small that may be.

I believe that a lot of social learning is like this. I frequently ask my teenage children about the things they do with their friends and acquaintances. There are some things they do that prompt me to ask about them and sometimes I get back an answer like, “I don’t know why we did it, we just did,” or something similar.

Behaviour in social circles is not always understood or understandable, but it is learnt and recognised by others in the group.

Subliminal learning, which I believe happens all the time, is of a nature that makes it very difficult if not impossible to give any assistance. Social learning is similar.

Catchya later

from Middle-earth