Learning by seeking discomfort
Useful paper for teaching & learning. Tell students: “Your goal is to feel awkward and uncomfortable.”
Giving an explicit goal of aiming to feel uncomfortable in order to grow makes folks persist in classes, write better, seek out more info & learn more from political opponents.
From the birth of @stanforddschool, we've told our students that our aim is to help them "get comfortable with being uncomfortable" or I've heard it as "if you're squirming, you're learning." It is nice to see a little evidence to support our goal.
Related ideas
Vygotsky and the zone of proximal develop
Seeking discomfort at the zone of proximal development means you need 'scaffolding' and the support of a 'more knowledgeable other'.
Cognitive dissonance
The discomfort could be related to cognitive dissonance. Your mind asks questions and seeks answers that lead to exploration, discovery and learning.