Stop Ignoring the Science

Lauren Waldman explains why L&D’s neglect Is costing us people, progress, and potential.

We’re humans. Learning is what we do. From the moment we’re born, we’re wired to learn. Babies don’t take a course in “learning how to learn.” They just do it. And yet, somewhere between childhood curiosity and corporate life, we stopped upgrading our ability to learn - better.

Instead of building capacity in ourselves and in our organizations, the learning and development industry has spent decades chasing shiny tools, trendy buzzwords, and quick-fix programs. The results?

• Mass layoffs and redundancies as “learning” departments are deemed expendable.

• Brilliant leaders walking away, exhausted from fighting battles they shouldn’t have to fight.

• Entire workforces losing faith in the learning function because they see no impact.

This isn’t just disappointing. It’s negligent.

An Industry That Forgot Its Own Mandate

Learning professionals are charged with enabling human growth, adaptation, and performance. Yet as an industry, we’ve largely failed to do our due diligence on the one thing that underpins all of this: how learning actually works in the human brain.

For years, cognitive science and neuroscience research has been shouting the same message: Humans can absolutely learn more effectively when we align with how memory, attention, and motivation systems in the brain operate.

• We know how retrieval practice strengthens memory.

• We know how interleaving boosts transfer.

• We know how habits are formed and sustained.

• We know how emotion drives attention and how attention drives encoding.

This isn’t theory. This is evidence.

And yet, how many organizations systematically build these findings into their learning strategies? How many CLOs can confidently say their programs are designed with cognitive science at the core, not bolted on after the fact?

The answer: not enough. Not nearly enough.

The Cost of Neglect

When an industry ignores its own mandate, the cracks show up everywhere:

Mass layoffs. When L&D can’t demonstrate real capability building, they’re the first on the chopping block. It’s easier to cut “training budgets” than to admit we built the wrong programs.

Leadership exodus. Great leaders who care deeply about learning are leaving the field because they feel stuck, boxed in by outdated models, bureaucratic inertia, or executives who don’t see impact.

Disillusioned employees. Workers stop trusting the learning function when what’s offered feels irrelevant, uninspiring, or ineffective. The message becomes clear: learning here is compliance, not growth.

The tragedy? None of this is inevitable.

We Have the Science. We Just Don’t Use It.

In the last two decades, cognitive neuroscience has exploded with insights that could transform how organizations learn. We understand more about:

Memory systems. The hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and basal ganglia each play roles in encoding, retrieval, and habit. We know strategies to strengthen those processes.

Attention networks. The brain’s dorsal and ventral attention systems literally govern what we notice and what we miss. This is why “engagement” isn’t fluff, it’s biology.

Metacognition. Humans can learn to monitor and regulate their own performance when they’re given the tools and space to practice it.

This isn’t magic. It’s cognitive science.

And yet, instead of embedding these principles into the DNA of learning design, the industry too often runs to the next LMS upgrade, the next gamified app, the next branded framework. We chase the external fix while underestimating the internal capability.

What Happens When We Join Forces With the Brain

I’ve seen what happens when we stop bypassing the science and actually join forces with the brain.

People remember more - because retrieval, spacing, and feedback are baked into design.

Leaders feel empowered - because they finally see evidence that learning works.

Organizations build true adaptability - because they’re not just filling gaps, they’re building capability for change.

The difference is night and day. And it’s what this industry should have been doing all along.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

We can’t afford to keep underestimating humans. Not in a world that demands agility, creativity, and constant adaptation.

That means:

• STOP treating “learning how to learn” as a shiny new trend - it’s the foundation.

• START embedding science into every program, not as garnish but as the main course.

• INVEST in upskilling your own people, not just delivering to others.

Because here’s the truth: if we don’t rebuild learning functions on a scientific foundation, we’ll keep repeating the cycle - layoffs, redundancies, lost leaders, and lost faith.

But if we do? We unlock the very thing we’ve been chasing all along: humans capable of growth, organizations capable of resilience, and an industry capable of leading rather than lagging.

My Call to the Industry

I’ve waited more than a decade for this moment - for “learning how to learn” to stop being a fringe conversation and start being taken seriously.

Yes, it’s frustrating that it took a tech giant to declare it a trend for people to pay attention. But frustration aside, I am wildly optimistic. Because now the door is cracked open.

The question is: will we walk through it? Or will we let history repeat itself one more time?

It’s time to stop chasing shiny objects and start building real human capability.

The brain is not a bonus feature. It’s the seat that’s been empty for far too long.

Lauren WaldmanFounder of Learning Pirate Inc., is a globally recognized learning scientist driving the evolution of how organizations approach learning and development. With four certifications in neuroscience - from Harvard, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Michigan - Lauren translates cutting-edge brain science into strategies that transform the way learning is designed, delivered, and absorbed. Connect with her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-waldman-4666bab/