Cate Hall makes a simple observation: humans are mimicry machines. Babies learn this way, absorbing the sounds of native speakers long before they understand grammar, and mastering walking, facial expressions, and social cues through imitation.

Only later, she says, do we develop explicit reasoning—our ability to break the world into representations and symbols that rise into the mental plane. Once that happens, we often let our mimicry skills atrophy and forget their power.

Her workaround is straightforward. She suggests we consciously ask, “What would [name of someone accomplished at this] do?” and briefly adopt that person’s mindset. This small shift helps unlock the learning potential of imitation, improving performance and easing self-consciousness in challenging tasks.

ARTICLE: How to Be Instantly Better at Things

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