The Best Thing To Do After Learning Something New May Be Nothing At All

By Paul E. Bendheim, MD — Founder of BrainSavers; board-certified neurologist and Clinical Professor of Neurology, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix; author of The Brain Training Revolution: A Proven Workout for Healthy Brain Aging

Weng L, Yu J, Lv Z, Yang S, Jülich ST, Lei X. "Effects of wakeful rest on memory consolidation: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, volume 32, pages 1937–1968, published online March 14, 2025.

Most of us were raised to think of an idle moment as wasted time. When we finish one thing, we reach for the next one, or for the phone. A large review of the research suggests that right after you learn something, a few minutes of doing nothing at all may be one of the best things you can do for your memory. And the people who gained the most were older adults.

I spend a lot of time talking about neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change and learn at any age. This study focuses on the step right after learning, when the brain takes something new and files it away so it lasts. Scientists call that step consolidation.

What The Researchers Did

A team at Southwest University in Chongqing, China, gathered every study they could find that tested the same simple idea. People learn something new, such as a list of words, a short story, a set of pictures, or where objects were placed. Then, for a few minutes, one group rests quietly while staying awake, usually sitting with their eyes closed. The other group spends the same minutes on something that takes attention, like a game or a puzzle. Later, researchers test everyone on what they remember.

This kind of study is called a meta-analysis. It pools many experiments to get a clearer answer than any one of them can give on its own. This one combined more than 60 experiments from about three dozen published studies, with 2,622 people between the ages of 10 and 90. That included 416 healthy older adults, most of them in their 60s and 70s.

What They Found

Quiet rest helped people remember. Across the studies, people who rested right after learning remembered more than people who kept their minds busy. The researchers describe the overall effect as small to medium.

The benefit lasted. In studies that tested people a week later, those who rested were still ahead after seven days.

Older adults gained the most. This finding is what made me want to write about this paper. For younger adults, the benefit was small. For older adults, it was large, almost three times the size.

A few minutes seemed to be enough. Most of the experiments used five to 10 minutes of rest, and those short breaks worked about as well as rests of 10 to 30 minutes. The lighting in the room and whether people sat or lay down didn't seem to matter. Most studies asked people to close their eyes, and the evidence is strongest there.

It showed up most in remembering on your own. The benefit was clearest when people had to recall information themselves, like recalling a name, rather than picking it out of a list. It helped memory for words, stories, pictures, and places. There weren't enough studies of physical skills to say whether rest helps with those.

Why Older Brains May Benefit More

A new memory is fragile for a while after it forms, and whatever comes next can crowd it out. The authors point out that with age, the brain becomes more sensitive to that kind of interference, and it may need a little more time to settle new information. A quiet pause gives it that time.

They also describe something scientists have seen in recordings of brain activity. When the brain isn't busy taking in new information, it seems to replay what it just learned. The benefit doesn't seem to depend on people deliberately going over the material, either. Many of the studies were designed so people were unlikely to rehearse, and the benefit was still there.

What This Study Does Not Say

These were laboratory memory tests, mostly with word lists and short stories. The older adults were healthy, and the study says nothing about dementia or preventing it. About one in six of the people studied was an older adult; most were younger. The authors didn't grade the quality of each study, and in many, nobody checked whether a resting person had quietly dozed off. The longest follow-up was one week.

So this isn't a reason to sit idle all day. It's a reason to stop treating a few quiet minutes after learning as wasted time.

The Really Good News

For a long time, the story about the aging brain was a story of loss. What I like about this study is that it shows an older brain responding more strongly than a younger one to something simple. It costs nothing, needs no equipment, and takes five minutes.

It also fits the way we think about brain health at BrainSavers. Using your brain matters, and so does giving it a chance to rest. That's part of why our sessions include relaxation segments alongside the physical and cognitive exercise.

A Note For BrainSavers Instructors

Quiet time after a memory exercise or a new lesson isn't dead time. In this research, five to 10 minutes were enough, and older learners benefited most. A good way to open the conversation is to ask the class what they usually do right after learning something new. Most people will say they check their phone or move straight on to the next thing.

For BrainSavers Participants

The next time you learn something you'd like to keep, such as a new neighbor's name, directions to a new place, or a recipe, give your brain a few minutes before you jump into the next thing. Sit comfortably, close your eyes if you like, and let your mind drift. You don't have to go over what you learned. In these studies, the benefit showed up even when people weren't trying to rehearse.

Three Things You Can Do This Week

• Take a quiet five. After a class, a lecture, or something new you read, sit for five to 10 minutes with your eyes closed before doing anything else.

• Put the phone down first. Save the email, the news, and the puzzle for after your quiet minutes, not right before them.

• Pick one moment to try it. Choose one thing this week you really want to remember, then give yourself the pause afterward.

You are not simply a passenger on the journey of your own brain aging, and sometimes the way to steer is to sit still for a few minutes.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not medical advice. Talk with your own healthcare provider before making changes to your health, exercise, or medication routine.