The Importance of Neuroeducation for Flourishing

By Irene Yagüe Sancho

We teach people, but we rarely understand the organ that makes that possible.

The Birth of Neuroeducation

Neuroeducation sits at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and education. It translates what we know about the brain into practical insights for teachers, students, and institutions. The roots of modern neuroscience go back to the early 20th century, when Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1923) revealed the astonishing plasticity of the brain. Long before the term “neuroplasticity” was coined, Cajal intuited that experience and effort could physically shape neural connections  — a revolutionary idea that lies at the heart of neuroeducation today.

We might think of learning as something that happens in a specific setting, with a structured outline or a precise purpose, however just the fact of thinking involves learning (Bueno, 2019). The brain interacts with the environment and learns throughout life.

Modern researchers have brought this science into the classroom, building on Ramón y Cajal’s legacy. As neuroscientist David Bueno (2021) reminds us, education cannot be separated from well-being, since a stressed brain learns less and worse. His work also shows that emotion and curiosity are essential biological drives in learning, explaining that curiosity activates the brain’s reward circuits, which facilitates attention and the consolidation of learning (Bueno, 2018).

The Science behind Learning and Well-being

Learning is emotional (Damasio, 1994), social (Bandura, 1986), and experiential (Kolb, 1983). As educators, once we integrate these concepts, we will be empowered to have a meaningful impact on ourselves and our communities. 

Antonio Damasio (1994) already demonstrated that emotion and cognition are two sides of the same coin. The amygdala — together with other structures in the limbic system — helps assign emotional value to experiences, and influences attention, memory, and decision-making. Emotions and feelings affect students’ performance and learning, as does the state of the body, sleep, nutrition, movement, or general health (Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007).

Neuroscience confirms what educators have long observed: learning is social by nature. The human brain has evolved as a “social brain,” equipped with networks that make us sensitive to others’ gestures, emotions, and intentions (Adolphs, 2009). Mirror neurons allow us to learn by imitation (Rizzolatti & Craighero, 2004); the prefrontal and temporal regions help us understand others’ minds, interpreting intentions, beliefs, and feelings; and our reward circuits release dopamine when we connect, cooperate, and belong (Van Overwalle, 2008).

As Francisco Mora (2017) reminds us, school is not only where we learn mathematics or language, but where we learn to live together — to think, feel, and grow in relation with others. Recent research goes further: when people learn together, their brains literally synchronize — a phenomenon known as brain-to-brain synchrony. The more connected and emotionally engaged a classroom is, the more synchronized their brains become, and the deeper the learning (Davidesco et al., 2023). Learning is also experiential: students make sense of ideas through action, reflection, and real-world contexts, which aligns with the neurobiological way the brain constructs meaning from lived experience (Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007).

Modern neuroscience confirms Ramón y Cajal’s intuition: the brain changes continuously through experience — new connections form, and others are pruned or strengthened. This lifelong adaptability, known as neuroplasticity (Konorski, 1948), reminds us that education literally sculpts the mind. As Jesús C. Guillén (2012) notes, every learning experience leaves a trace in the brain’s architecture, shaped by repetition, human connection, and emotion.

Educating for Flourishing

Education is not only about transmitting knowledge — it is about cultivating lives that thrive. Neuroscience and positive psychology show that the conditions that support deep learning are also the conditions that allow human beings to flourish. Research shows that pleasant emotions, curiosity, and a sense of purpose optimize cognition (Seligman, 2011). When we feel safe, connected, and intrinsically motivated, our brains release neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin that enhance attention, memory, and creativity (Deci & Ryan, 2000). As Barbara Fredrickson’s (2001) Broaden-and-Build theory explains, positive emotions expand our cognitive capacities, helping us see more possibilities and build lasting psychological resources.

Flourishing also depends on purpose (Steger et al., 2008) and agency (Seligman, 2011). Neuroscientific studies suggest that having a sense of meaning and self-directed goals activates the brain’s reward and executive networks, enhancing resilience and long-term motivation (Kotera et al., 2022). When learners connect what they study to something that matters to them — to curiosity, contribution, or care — learning becomes self-sustaining. In this light, teaching becomes more than instruction: it becomes an act of human development.

Common Neuromyths

Understanding how the brain learns also means questioning what we think we know. Over the years, a number of neuromyths have spread through education — appealing ideas that sound scientific but don’t reflect how the brain actually works.

One enduring myth claims that we use only 10% of our brain. Modern neuroimaging shows the opposite: virtually every region is active over the course of a normal day. Even when we rest, large-scale networks such as the default mode network are working to integrate memory, emotion, and thought (Dekker et al. 2012). Another popular misconception divides people into “left-brained” logical thinkers and “right-brained” creatives, when in fact both hemispheres collaborate continuously through the corpus callosum (Howard-Jones, 2014). Perhaps the most persistent myth is that each student has a fixed learning style — visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. Research shows that matching teaching to “styles” doesn’t improve learning. What truly matters is engaging multiple senses, emotions, and pathways to meaning (Pashler et al., 2008).

The brain does not work in fragments, but as a living network — a system where cognition, emotion, and social connection constantly interact (Guillén, 2012). Neuroscience reminds us that learning is never isolated from feeling, and psychology shows that curiosity and purpose sustain motivation. Education, at its best, weaves these strands together: science and humanity in dialogue.

What would change if we taught with the brain in mind?

References:

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