Learning to Start Over (Studies on Hating Study II) — How can learning be redesigned when your heart is broken? Hints for recovery interpreted through materials science [Column] Science of Thought (No. 38)

📘 "Learning to Start Over (Studies on Hating Study II)" Science of Thought: No. 38

— How can learning be redesigned when your heart is broken? Hints for recovery interpreted through materials science

🔍 3 Key Points of This Column

• 1️⃣ "Hating study" was caused by "mental strain"!
  — The reason for the hate isn't you. Let's re-examine the structural problem through materials science.

• 2️⃣ Learning can be changed by how you apply force and the combination of materials!
  — A broken heart can also be started over. Redesign with phase changes and composite materials.

• 3️⃣ 6 "transformation factors" turn hate into love!
  — Flip the vector of learning with freedom, play, meaning, empathy, permission to fail, and creativity.

🌱 Introduction | "Hating study" is not your fault — What is the true nature of that "strain"?

Please see the following for the previous column, "Studies on Hating Study" ✨

When you say "I hate studying," you feel like you're a failure.

You whisper to yourself somewhere in your heart, "I have to try harder" or "Maybe this isn't for me," and your shoulders slump just a little.

But wait a minute.
Perhaps that feeling of "hating study" is not something missing within you, but rathera natural reaction to the "force" applied from the outside.

For example, if you pull a wire from both ends, it stretches flexibly at first, but once it passes a certain point, it loses its shape and eventually snaps.

This is a phenomenon that follows the"stress-strain curve" in materials science.
Force (= stress) is applied to seehow much an object deforms (= strain), and it is a curve that shows at a glance "how much it can withstand" and "where it exceeds its limit."

Actually, our"feelings toward study" are just like this wire.
At first, you can flexibly handle a little stress, but if you are repeatedly pressured, told to "keep going without understanding," or if days of "constant comparison" continue... eventually, you willbecome so distorted that you can never go back.

What I want to re-examine here is this.

In this "Science of Thought," we will interpret the structure of the emotion of "hating study" from the perspective ofmaterials science.

And if you could change the direction of the "hate" vector, what elements should you combine?
How can you feel that "it's okay to fail"? How can you laugh and say "I get it now!"?
By re-examining the relationship between the "material" of study and the "force" applied to it, your landscape of learning will surely become softer, more flexible, and a little more fun.

Come on, let's explore together.
On a journey to face the true nature of the "strain" hidden behind the "hate."✨

🧪 Chapter 1 | "I can't take it anymore!" is the breaking point of the heart — The mechanism of "hate" interpreted through stress and strain 🤔

One day, a child came home from school and said this:
“I couldn't do the test at all. I don't want to study anymore.”

This “I don't want to anymore” is not a whimsical excuse, nor is it just being spoiled.
It might be a sign that somewhere in their heart, they have passed their “breaking point.”✨

📉 1. Stress, Strain, and Fracture

In the world of materials science, when force is applied to a substance, the degree of deformation is represented by a graph called a “stress-strain curve.”

At first, even when force is applied, the material returns to its original shape. This is called the “elastic region.” However,
once it passes a certain limit (the yield point), the deformation becomes permanent, and the material undergoes “plastic deformation.” And if you continue to apply force...
eventually, it will “fracture.”

Doesn't this phenomenon seem a bit like studying?

📚 2. There is also a “mental strain curve” in studying

For example—

• “I keep making mistakes no matter how many times I try.”

• “I was embarrassed on a test.”

• “My scores didn't improve even though I worked hard.”

• “I was compared to my friends and felt rejected.”

When experiences like these pile up, feelings that were initially just “a bit of a shock” gradually turn into “I hate studying itself.”
This is truly the process where stress accumulates in the heart, and the strain (emotional distortion) grows.

And then, at some moment, it exceeds the limit.
“I can't do it anymore,” “I don't want to do it anymore”—when they say that, they may have passed their heart's “breaking point.”

🧩 3. “I can't do it” might not be an emotional problem, but a structural one

Behind the dislike of studying, there is not just simple “aptitude,” but a more complex structure.

• “Forced” experience → The memory of not being able to choose for oneself strips away agency

• “I can't do it” / “I don't understand” helplessness → Repeated failures lower self-efficacy

• “Meaningless” content → Learning does not connect as something “personal”

• An atmosphere where only “correct answers” are sought → The assumption that mistakes equal failure

• The pressure of being "compared" → The anxiety of having your worth measured by someone else's score

These "invisible forces" gradually exert pressure on your heart.
It is just like,a metal that looks fine on the surface, but has micro-cracks spreading inside.

🛠️ 4. "So, is studying impossible now?" — That is not the case

There is still hope for materials that have become distorted.
In the world of materials,you can use a technique called "annealing" to reset internal strain or strengthen the structureof the material.

The same applies to studying.
Even if it feels like your heart has fractured,if you "apply force in a different way," you can start over again.

In the next chapter, let's explore together how an environment where "failure is okay" canmake our hearts "soft and strong" materials once again.

🌱 Chapter 2 | Gently wrapping a "broken heart" — Learning where failure is okay becomes a material that can absorb force again🤝

If you have ever thought in the past, "I don't want to study anymore,"
I believe that was surelythe result of your "heart material" being stretched to its limit.

If excessive force is applied, even the strongest metal will break.
That is not because you were weak, but simply becausethe force applied and the properties of the material did not match.

So, can a broken heartbecome a "material that can absorb learning" once again?

The answer isyes.
There are definitely "ways to start over" in the world of materials as well.

🔥 1. The "technique of starting over" called annealing

Have you ever heard the term "annealing"?
It is a technique of heating metal or glass to a high temperature and cooling it slowly to remove internal strain and return it to a soft and flexible state.

Our hearts are very similar to this.
"Being forced to move forward without understanding," "getting scolded for making mistakes" — it is natural to reach a limit somewhere if you keep running in such a state.
But what if, after that,there was time to face things carefully or an environment that felt like a warm embrace?

That is truly a time for "annealing" the heart.
It is okay to fail. It is okay to stop. No one will get angry if you start over.
Such a place for learningmakes a hardened heart "flexible" once again.

❌ 2. Liberation from "you must not make mistakes"

"Maybe this answer is wrong..."
Have you ever had your hands stop the moment you thought that?

In school classes and tests, it is easy to feel like "getting the right answer" is the goal.
However, if you think from the perspective of materials engineering,to strengthen a material, it is important to intentionally apply load slowly and gradually to "smooth it out".

Similarly, in a place of learning, just having the freedom to "make mistakes," "be halfway there," or "try it for now"
makes the heart much freer.

For example—

• When asked in a science class, 'What do you think will happen with this phenomenon?', you can laugh and say, 'Hmm, maybe it'll explode?'

• In a Japanese literature class, there is an atmosphere where it's okay to talk about your own way of reading.

• With a math problem, you can try approaches other than the correct answer, asking, 'Is this formula okay too?'

Just by increasing these kinds of situations, studying becomes much more interesting, and the material of your heart becomes 'hard to break and able to flexibly absorb force'.

🪴 3. 'Recrystallization' as a Small Success Experience

Another term used in the world of materials is 'recrystallization'. This is a phenomenon where a crystal structure that has been disturbed by processing is reorganized through heat treatment, improving its strength and properties.

There are moments of such 'recrystallization' in studying as well.

• 'Oh, I think I understand this part.'

• 'I solved it a little faster than before.'

• 'I can read this diagram better than before.'

The accumulation of these small 'I did it' moments rebuilds the structure of your confidence that was about to break.

That might not show up in test scores right away. But that feeling of 'understanding just a little bit' or 'making a little bit of progress' is exactly what becomes

the seed of the power to love learning again.

🧪 4. To the Next Step—Materials Are Alive

There are things you only understand because you have experienced breaking. 'If the way the load is applied changes, I can change too.' 'If there is a chance to start over, there are things I can do.'

There is no need to blame yourself for having come to dislike studying. Your material can still change.

In the next chapter, let's explore the moment when such 'change' happens all at once, like ice turning into water and then into steam,
a turning point in learning as a phase change.

💡 Chapter 3 | The Moment When Rigid Studying Softly Melts—The 'Boiling Point of Learning' Caused by Phase Change 🧐

Water changes its form from ice to water at 0°C, and from water to steam at 100°C. But we don't usually pay much attention to the 'moment' that change occurs.

When ice melts into water, or when water boils into steam. That is
a dramatic change where the same substance takes on a completely different form depending on the conditions.

Actually, a phenomenon very similar to this occurs at the moment you change from 'I hate studying' to 'Maybe this is a little fun'.

🧊 1. Has studying always been like "ice"?

When you struggle with studying, it might feel like solid, frozen ice.

• You feel stuck because the things you don't understand keep piling up.

• Past failures remain cold, and you can't find the motivation to start.

• Your heart shrinks with the anxiety of "what if I can't do it again?"

But even in that icy state, if you add a little bit of "heat," the moment will eventually come when it melts and begins to move.

🔥 2. The "Heat Source of Learning" that Causes Phase Changes

So, what is the "heat source" that melts the "ice" in your heart?
It is not the pressure that forces the temperature up, but something much gentler and warmer.

For example—

1. 🧩 Freedom: Because you can choose, you can start moving

“I want to research insects today,” “I want to summarize it in my own way”
→ Learning you can choose for yourself naturally harbors heat.

2. 🎮 Play: It melted while you were absorbed in it

“Math card games,” “English vocabulary apps”
→ Even if it doesn't have the label of "study," there is learning in play.

3. 🌱 Meaning: It softens the moment it becomes personal

“This study might be relevant to my future,” “The content of this book is similar to my current worries”
→ When a sense of conviction sprouts, knowledge melts from "ice to water" all at once.

🌡️ 3. The "Boiling Point of Learning" Varies from Person to Person

Just as water boils at 100°C, learning also has a "boiling point".
However, the location and conditions for that vary from person to person.

• For some, it might be meeting a teacher they can trust.

• For others, it might be a casual remark made while chatting with a friend.

• And for some, it might be a single successful experience of "I did it!"

For everyone, there is a possibility that “a moment of change into liking something” will arrive for them.

✨ 4. Once it boils, the change doesn't stop

Boiling water stays warm for a while even without heating.
In the world of learning, too, from the moment you think, “I see, this is interesting” or “I want to try this,” studying will no longer return to being “cold ice.”

That is proof that not only your “knowledge” but your “emotional state” has changed. Something has undergone a phase transition within you, and
the very material of your heart has changed into a new form.

🧪 5. To the next step — “Blending materials” makes it even more interesting

Just as water changes, learning does not need to stay in “one form.” In the next chapter, let’s go one step further and think about
how to combine “learning materials” that suit you — in other words, “study methods as composite materials.”

Your “best way to learn” is surely a design unique in the world.

🧪 Chapter 4 | Let’s design your own “learning materials” — Study methods as composite materials🎓

Iron is strong. But it can be too hard and break. Rubber is soft. But it is unreliable for supporting heavy loads.

So, what happens if you combine these two properties?

Actually, a completely new “strong and flexible” material is born. This is the concept of
“composite materials” in materials science. CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic), which combines carbon fiber and resin, is used as a material for aircraft and F1 cars.

Now —
what if studying also changed through “combinations of materials”?

🧩 1. If “just reading” doesn't work for your learning, let’s mix it up

We are often told, “This is how you should study.” When you feel that “single-material” learning of “reading textbooks → solving problems → memorizing”
doesn't suit you, some people might think, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”

But that might just be a matter of material compatibility.

For example —

• Grasping the big picture with video before reading the textbook

• Actually explaining it to someone else

• Organizing it with sketches or diagrams

• Trying to memorize it by setting it to a song

• Try reconstructing it as a project or a story

By combining various materials in this way,
both "hard to remember" and "don't really get it" will gradually turn into "your own" things.

🎨 2. What colors is your learning made of?

Some people say, "It's clearer when I turn it into a diagram."
Others say, "I can organize my thoughts by talking about it."
Still others say, "I'm good at learning through sound."

These are all "learning materials." And
the combination that allows you to understand most enjoyably and deeply is your "own unique way of learning."

Just like coordinating an outfit.
Just like a recipe for cooking.

Find, combine, and try out the learning materials that you feel are "comfortable" and "easy to understand."
Such "material design" becomes the key to long-lasting learning.

💬 3. From "learning alone" to "learning by connecting"

Composite materials have another characteristic.
That is, different materials "support each other" to create new strength.

Learning is the same.
"Quizzing each other with friends," "trying to talk to someone about your ideas,"
"worrying together," "engaging in dialogue" — these bring "empathy" and "discovery" to learning.

• You see perspectives you couldn't see on your own

• Things you didn't understand suddenly click through someone else's words

• By "teaching," your own understanding actually deepens

In that way, "connected learning" makes your learning materials stronger and more flexible.

🧪 4. Your materials can still evolve

Your way of learning doesn't have to be a copy of someone else's.
Just tracing existing methods isn't enough to say, "This suits me."

That is precisely why by "combining" things, you can find a way of learning that is uniquely yours. And that connects to your confidence, interests, and motivation more than test scores ever could.

Learning is not merely "taking in information," but
"how you receive it, how you nurture it, and how you convey it" — it is a creative act.

🧪 5. To the next step — the "magic of multiplication" that changes the vector

Once you know about learning as a composite material, the next step is to look at the perspective of "what materials, when combined, turn dislike into like?"

In the next chapter, I will introduce six 'transformation vectors' that can change your dislike of studying.
There is surely a moment in your own learning journey where the 'direction will change' as well.

🔄 Chapter 5 | 6 Vector Transformation Recipes to Change 'I Hate Studying'🚀

Our feelings, while invisible, certainly have a 'direction'.
For example, 'I feel excited,' 'I don't feel motivated,' or 'This is a hassle'—
these are all proof that the vector of your heart is pointing somewhere.

And this vector can change its direction by combining it with 'other elements,' like multiplication.

Just like in mathematics, vector × vector = a new vector.

In this chapter, I will introduce six perspectives on what elements you can multiply with the vector of 'hating study' to create a new vector of 'maybe I like it a little' or 'I guess I'll give it a try.'

🧩 1. Recipe ①: 'Freedom' × 'Hating Study' = Learning You Can Choose Yourself

When you are told to 'do it,' you lose motivation.
That is a very natural reaction.
Our hearts have a fundamental desire to 'choose for ourselves.'

Therefore, if there is even a little 'room to choose,' studying begins to become something 'personal.'

✅ Example: 'Can I research insects instead of math today?'
✅ Example: Being able to decide for yourself whether to 'do it on paper or on a tablet' for the same content

'Being able to choose' is the primary energy source in learning.

🎮 2. Recipe ②: 'Play' × 'Hating Study' = Learning You Can Get Lost In

Studying might be boring not because you are bad at it, but simply because 'the way you are doing it is boring.'

However, when elements of games or play are added, feelings like 'I want to try it one more time' or 'I'm a little frustrated that I lost' begin to sprout.

✅ Example: It's fun to beat my younger brother at 'Kanji Card Battle'
✅ Example: A class where we quiz each other on the laws of physics

A 'playful spirit' melts the ice in your heart and creates a flow state (being absorbed).

🌱 3. Recipe ③: 'Meaning' × 'Hating Study' = Learning That Becomes Personal

'What is the point of doing this?'
When you can properly answer this question, learning changes its color all at once.

✅ Example: 'I want to study biology and math because I want to research animals'
✅ Example: 'I want to be able to speak English because I want to work abroad in the future'

The moment you understand the meaning, learning stops being a 'means' and becomes a 'path to your wishes.'

🤝 4. Recipe 4: “Empathy/Dialogue” × “Hating Study” = Learning that Connects

The reason it’s scary to say “I don’t understand” is because you are “alone.”
However, if you think about it with friends or share, “This is difficult, isn’t it?”
study is freed from loneliness andtransforms into “co-creation.”

✅ Example: Discussing “Why do people go to war?” with friends in a social studies class
✅ Example: Presenting a group-made presentation together

Dialogue is the “material” that creates not just knowledge, but the joy of learning itself.

🔄 5. Recipe 5: “Allowing Failure” × “Hating Study” = Learning that Allows Experimentation

It’s embarrassing to make mistakes, you’ll get scolded, or you’ll be laughed at—
in such an environment, no one wants to take on a challenge.

However, if there is an atmosphere that says, “It’s okay to fail” or “This is a place to experiment,”
your heart will gradually change into a material that can absorb the force (as I introduced in Chapter 2).

✅ Example: A class where you are told, “It’s okay to be wrong, just try saying it”
✅ Example: A science experiment where you form a hypothesis and enjoy seeing what the result will be

An environment that allows failure is “time to temper the material.” You can become stronger by that much next time.

🎨 6. Recipe 6: “Creation” × “Hating Study” = Learning that Allows Expression

“Given study” tends to be passive at times.
However, by “creating” it yourself, learning becomes much more fun and deeper.

✅ Example: Drawing and presenting a “history manga” in a history class
✅ Example: Acting out physical phenomena as a play in class

“Creation” is the magic that turns study into a “work of art.”

🧪 7. Six vectors that begin to move your learning (bullet point version)

• 🧩 Freedom
  　→ Study = Command → To the joy of choosing for yourself

• 🎮 Play
  　→ Study = Boredom → To an experience you can get lost in

• 🌱 Meaning
  　→ Study = Aimless → To a path that connects to life

• 🤝 Empathy
  　→ Study = Loneliness → To learning that can be shared

• 🔄 Allowing Failure
  　→ Study = Correct-answer-ism → To exploration that allows experimentation

• 🎨 Creation
  　→ Study = Passive → To the joy of expression

🧭 8. To the Next Step — Let's Go Find Your Own "Vector"

Did you find any "hints for changing your learning" in here?

It might not be a panacea that works for everyone.
But,even just one of these might become a "vector" that slightly changes the direction of your learningperhaps.

In the next chapter, while looking back on what we've learned so far,
we will scientifically unravel the feeling of "hating to study,"and summarize ways to softly and freely redesign it.

🧩 Summary | Both Materials and Design Can Be Changed — Your Learning Can Be Designed More Freely 💬

“I hate studying” —
That feeling is by no means your fault.
The stress on your heart, the sense of compulsion, and the anxiety when you make a mistake—these have piled up, and without you knowing it, they have created a vector called "hate."

But, what ifyou could change that vector?
By understanding the structure behind the "hate" and freely designing the materials of your learning,your learning should change into something much richer and more enjoyable.

📚 Treating Learning as a "Material"

Studying doesn't have to be confined to a single "mold."
"Reading," "writing," "speaking," "experiencing" — combining various methods to learn will be the optimal solution for you.

For example, if you like music, try turning what you've memorized into a song, or if you're good at drawing manga, try turning what you've studied into a story.
By skillfully combining your "likes" with your learning, any kind of study can beturned into your own unique material.

🧪 6 "Transformation Factors" to Change Your Vector

Your learning vector doesn't have to be suppressed by force; it canchange naturally by multiplying it with "other elements".
Let's look back once more at the six transformation factors introduced so far.

• 🧩 Freedom: Learning you can choose liberates the heart

• 🎮 Play: Studying turns into something fun

• 🌱 Meaning: Learning becomes personal

• 🤝 Empathy: Deepens through learning with everyone

• 🔄 Tolerance for Failure: An environment where you can try things encourages growth

• 🎨 Creation: Learning becomes a place for expression

By multiplying these elements, your emotional vector for learning will change from
"boring" or "I don't want to do it" to
"exciting" and "I want to take on the challenge."

🪴 Redesigning the Materials of Learning — Designing a New You

If you are convinced that “studying is just a chore” and “results are everything,” learning tends to become increasingly stifling.
However, learning is a creative process of “how you perceive it and how you nurture it”.

That is precisely why you should never forget that your learning can always be “redesigned.” It is okay if you do not follow the “textbook.”

Learning at “your own pace” and in “your own way” will ultimately become the deepest and most enduring learning.

🧭 The future of learning is designed by you

How you perceive learning now is an important choice that shapes your future self.
Let’s take a step forward to move beyond your past self who hated studying and toward
a self that can feel “learning is fun!”

Find a method that feels comfortable for you, combine various materials, and
feel free to enjoy designing your own unique learning.

🌟 In conclusion

There was, of course, a reason for that feeling of “hating study.”
But it is also an opportunity to create a way of learning that is uniquely yours.

You can learn more freely.
To do that, you must have the courage to face the materials of your heart and change the vector of your learning.
That first step will become the power that expands your world of learning.

From here on, let’s continue to enjoy your own way of learning while actively incorporating new methods.
And if you ever feel like you “hate studying” again, try remembering the perspectives introduced today.

Infinite possibilities are spreading in learning—
May your learning become increasingly free and enjoyable.

✍️ Afterword | It is okay if you have a past where you “snapped.” Toward a “soft yet strong” learning that starts from there ✨

To you who have read this column this far, there is something I want to tell you first.
Feeling that you “hate studying” is never a bad thing.

Rather, it is a very important emotion.
Because it is proof that your heart is properly telling you its own voice, saying “this is tough” or “this doesn’t suit me.”

But when you feel like you are about to break like that, or when you feel like you have truly snapped, we tend to blame ourselves, thinking “I am no good.”

However—please remember.
In the world of materials science, even materials that have broken can be reborn as “strong and soft” materials again through annealing and redesigning. Our hearts are the same.

Our hearts are the same.

A past where you hated studying.
Experiences where you tried hard but it didn’t go well.
Memories of being compared to others and feeling down.

These are all the history of your materials.
But precisely because you have that history,
from now on,
a “learning that is uniquely yours” that is supple, firmly resilient, and hard to break no matter what force is applied will grow.

Actually, this column was also woven together while engaging in dialogue with the generative AI, ChatGPT.
By borrowing the breadth of knowledge and ideas that AI possesses and multiplying them with human questions and emotions, a single “crafting of knowledge” is born—it was also
an experiment exploring the future of learning and creation.

I would be happy if this article provided even a little bit of insight, peace of mind, or hints for relearning.

Learning from now on will no longer be just about tracing the correct answers.
Asking questions, thinking, combining ideas, and engaging in dialogue with others to create your own way of doing things.
A future where such 'creative ways of learning' expand your worldis surely waiting for you.

Please, be honest with your feelings.
Instead of labeling the emotion of 'dislike,' pleasetry re-examining it as a 'material'.

That material
can freely change its shape.
It can be combined if necessary.
And, as your own 'new learning,' you can start over as many times as you like.

🌟 If you enjoyed this column, it would be a great encouragement if you could support me with a
'Like'❤️or a 'Follow'👤.🚀✨ The reactions I receive become the driving force for my curiosity about the next theme and for expanding the dialogue of learning.📣😊

I look forward to seeing you again in another 'Science of Thought'.
Thank you very much for reading until the end.📘🌱

Profile | Kazuomi Matsunaga

Biography:Graduated from a national university engineering department in Kyushu (Materials Engineering) => Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in the Chukyo region (Production Technology) => Advertising sales for a local free paper in Nagasaki Prefecture => School corporation staff (← Now here). A person in their 50s living in Nagasaki Prefecture.

I am a writer who lets my thoughts play every day at the intersection of 'questions' and 'curiosity.' Recently, I have been writing about my own unique perspectives on themes such as education, stories, psychology, AI, and design, centered on the serial column 'Science of Thought.' I am exploring 'free knowledge design' that goes beyond existing frameworks. My motto is 'Imagination opens up the world.'

In my professional life, while working in university and education-related fields, I value carefully observing the moments when people 'like' something and the scenes where questions sprout.

🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that help a 'new perspective' sprout within you after reading.

📮 Impressions and messages of support are always welcome!