Children are very good at picking up patterns implicitly. But after age 12, we lose some of that capacity to absorb new information.

This does not mean that adults can't learn. We still have "neuroplasticity" - the ability for the brain to rewire itself in respons...

• We have many things screaming for our attention every minute of the day and we often trick ourselves into believing they’re more important than a conversation unfolding right in front of us.
• We have a biological challenge, too: We can listen about three times faster tha...