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TylerJay comments on Group Rationality Diary, January 16-31 - Less Wrong
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I've only just realised this one, but both people I've subsequently mentioned it to have told me it's a common experience.
I'm currently learning about ARIMA time series modelling. I've been on time series forecasting for about a month now, and it's starting to get a bit tiresome. Last night, after a couple of hours of study, I found myself trying to explain what I'd been studying to my (moderately-but-not-highly-mathematical) partner. I didn't explain it very well, and probably failed to make much sense at all, but almost immediately afterwards I felt a lot more positive and enthused about the whole subject.
In retrospect, I can think of several stand-out examples of "I had to explain this subject to someone, and then got really interested in it", but have only just made the connection. There's an obvious selection bias in play, but the stand-out examples also seem to be subjects I've retained more readily. Having now noticed this effect, I'm thinking about (a) how real it is, and (b) how exploitable it might be.
I've noticed this as well. My theory on the phenomenon is that putting something in your own words is a big step in understanding. If you've read so8res' recent posts, his studying method involved reading, doing the exercises, then explaining it in his own words, even if only to a text file.
I think explaining something really solidifies the knowledge in your mind and gives you a better understanding. That itself could make you more enthusiastic, as it provides validation that your hard work has paid off and that you finally understand it.
I find it similar to the way that once you tell a story, you tend to tell it the same way every subsequent time, even if it's fairly long. I have no proof, but I suspect that the act of giving an explanation (or telling a story) forms some kind of very solid and available memory.