The Science of Social Learning

In a world full of self-paced modules and digital content libraries, learning has never been more convenient, or more solitary. The appeal is obvious: log in, click through, and call it a day. Flexible? Yes. Transformative? Not always.

That’s because something vital is missing: other people.

And as it turns out, humans are surprisingly bad at learning in a vacuum. Decades of research in neuroscience and psychology show that learning is not just an individual pursuit. It is deeply, stubbornly, inescapably social. If we want learning that sticks, inspires change, and doesn’t get forgotten between Teams calls, we need to bring people together, even in digital spaces.

Hardwired for Connection

One of the clearest insights into how humans learn comes from the discovery of mirror neurons. These are brain cells that fire not only when we do something, but also when we watch someone else do it, whether that’s making a coffee or managing a conflict.

This ability to mentally simulate others’ actions gave early humans a huge evolutionary advantage. It helped us collaborate, develop empathy, and avoid learning every hard lesson the hard way. (Who needs to touch the fire yourself when you’ve already seen Dave burn his hand?)

Today, mirror neurons are still doing the heavy lifting when we read a room, mirror a colleague’s tone, or learn by watching someone lead under pressure. It’s how we develop judgement, emotional intelligence and interpersonal skill, not by reading about it, but by seeing it done well.

In other words, your brain is built to learn by watching other people. Even if they don’t know you’re watching. (Within reason.)

Behaviour is Caught Not Taught

Psychologist Albert Bandura put this into a framework with his Social Learning Theory. His famous Bobo doll experiments showed that children who saw adults act aggressively were likely to copy them, proving, among other things, that kids are always watching and that inflatable toys have a hard life.

Bandura showed that for observational learning to be effective, four conditions must be met:

Four conditions of effective learning

It’s not just theory. In the workplace, people don’t learn how to manage ambiguity or lead with empathy by osmosis. They learn it by seeing someone do it. Watching a peer handle a tough stakeholder or navigate tension teaches more than a slide ever could.

This is why live, shared learning, whether in a room or on a screen, matters. It gives people the chance to observe, respond, reflect, and most importantly, not learn alone.

Emotion and cognition are not separate; they are deeply integrated processes in the brain that shape decision-making and learning. (Okon-Singer et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)

Why Social Learning Works Better

Beyond observation, social learning helps people actually remember and apply what they’ve learned. When we collaborate, teach others, or reflect together, we activate more areas of the brain, and make learning more likely to stick.

Plus, social learning gives us context. We don’t just absorb information; we test it, question it, and make sense of it through conversation. It’s one thing to hear a concept. It’s another to hear someone else say, “That would’ve helped me last week.”

In short, when learning is social, it’s stickier, smarter, and significantly less forgettable than yet another PDF in the shared drive.

A 32% relative reduction compared to traditional lectures (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4060654/).

Psychological Safety:

The Learning-Innovation Link

Of course, for social learning to work, people need to feel safe. Psychological safety, the feeling that you can ask questions, admit mistakes, and challenge ideas without fear of embarrassment, is essential.

Without it, people stay quiet. With it, they learn faster, speak more openly, and actually change how they work. It’s the difference between ticking the box and opening the discussion. And while we love a good checklist, it rarely leads to innovation.

Design for Connection, Not Just Convenience

So what does this mean for learning design, especially in a hybrid world? It means we need to move past the old binary of online vs in person and ask better questions: Does this experience create real connection? Does it allow people to learn with and from each other? Or is it just a lonely scroll through content with a quiz at the end?

The Most Effective Learning Experiences Include:

Peer learning: Small groups that reflect, problem-solve, and challenge each other
Mentoring and coaching: Real people, real stories, real-time feedback
Live virtual sessions: Less content delivery, more connection
Social prompts in self-paced learning: Encouraging people to bring insights back to their teams
Safe spaces to experiment: Structured chances to try, fail, adapt, and try again

These approaches create learning that is active, energised, and collaborative. And far more likely to be remembered on Monday morning.

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Kalindi Hawkins

Kalindi Hawkins works in research and strategy at Ashorne Advantage, where they focus on bringing real-world insight and cutting edge science into the world of L&D. With a background in curriculum development and research, she is passionate about translating complex information into skill and leadership development.