Are learning styles a myth or valid?

You’ve probably heard the advice: tailor your training to match different learning styles — visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and so on. It’s a familiar concept in education and L&D. Intuitively, it sounds right. But increasingly, research suggests otherwise.

In fact, many psychologists, educators, and neuroscientists now view learning styles as a persistent myth — a well-meaning but scientifically unsupported belief about how people learn. So, what does the evidence really say? And what should L&D teams be focusing on instead?

This is the first article in a two-part series examining learning styles through the lens of today’s L&D challenges. We’ll explore how the myth took hold, what the data reveals, and how moving beyond learning styles can actually free up time, budget, and impact for your team.

There’s no question that people have different preferences and strengths. But the popular idea that learners perform better when instruction matches their “style” — visual, auditory, etc. — hasn’t held up to scientific scrutiny.

Over the past two decades, multiple studies have tested this theory. The results are consistent: there’s no meaningful benefit to tailoring instruction to a specific learning style. And in some cases, rigidly adhering to learning styles may even limit learners’ growth.

Despite this, belief in learning styles remains widespread. One global study found that 89% of educators believe tailoring training to learning styles improves outcomes. Why the disconnect?

Dr Shaylene Nancekivell, whose work in the Journal of Educational Psychology explores this exact topic, offers a simple explanation: “People prefer brain-based accounts of behavior, and they like to categorize people into types. Learning styles allow people to do both.”

It’s an appealing concept — simple, tidy, and seemingly actionable. But people are more complex than categories. And learning is a dynamic process that shifts with context, subject matter, and experience.

Study after study has tested the effectiveness of learning styles. Here’s a snapshot:

• A UK study found that 90% of higher education providers see learning styles as conceptually flawed, with most citing concerns around pigeonholing learners, wasting resources, and creating unrealistic expectations.
• In a study published in Anatomical Sciences Education, undergraduate students tailored their study habits to their dominant learning style — yet saw no improvement in their grades.
• Another experiment found that “visual learners” didn’t recall images any better than their peers, and “aural learners” didn’t retain words more effectively either.

Across the board, researchers concluded that aligning instruction with learning styles doesn’t improve outcomes. Instead, it can distract from more evidence-based strategies that actually do.

For L&D leaders under pressure to deliver results with limited time and budget, this makes a difference. Belief in learning styles may lead to wasted effort — designing learning interventions that feel personalized but don’t actually improve engagement or outcomes.

Instead, a more effective approach is to use a range of instructional methods that match the content itself — not the learner’s supposed style. For example, diagrams work well for processes, while stories and case studies bring soft skills training to life.

As Education Next puts it: “The belief in learning styles stems from an incorrect interpretation of valid research findings.” There are real differences in how people learn — just not in the neatly boxed categories we’ve been taught.

Moving away from learning styles doesn’t mean ignoring learner needs. It means shifting focus to strategies that are evidence-based, scalable, and more likely to drive lasting impact. In the second part of this series, we’ll dive into:

• What does make learning stick
• How to accommodate preferences without reinforcing myths
• How technology supports adaptive, flexible learning

If you're rethinking your approach to learning delivery, you're not alone. Speak to one of our experts today to see how we help L&D teams simplify content access, boost engagement, and drive meaningful outcomes.