Embracing the unknown deepens everyday experience.

Gillian Deacon describes learning mah-jong at a community centre as an example of how seeking unfamiliar experiences can increase neural plasticity and produce dopamine-linked surprise, helping to build tolerance for uncertainty.

Gillian Deacon recounts an evening spent joining a beginner mah-jong table at the Wong Association community centre. She describes arriving at an unmarked door, climbing a narrow stairwell, and entering a room of newcomers and regular players. The essay links that personal experience to brain science, noting that new learning increases neural plasticity and that dopamine can be released when outcomes exceed expectations. Deacon also reflects that some modern conveniences may reduce everyday friction and make unfamiliar situations feel harder to face. Key details: - Author: Gillian Deacon, who wrote A Love Affair with the Unknown: Leaning into the Uncertainty of Modern Life. - Setting: a Wednesday night mah-jong club at the Wong Association community centre, where beginners and experienced players meet. - Neuroscience point: new learning is described as increasing neural plasticity and producing dopamine tied to prediction errors when events exceed expectations. - Game details: mah-jong is described with 144 tiles, stacked in double rows of 18 to form four walls, and play involves elements such as flower tiles, pongs, and seungs. - Social note: the beginner group was diverse and included patient regulars who helped novices learn. Summary: Deacon presents learning mah-jong as a concrete example of how stepping into unfamiliar experiences can add sensory richness and support cognitive openness. She links that process to small bursts of neural change and emotional uplift tied to surprise. The next personal step she notes is returning to the club and continuing to learn.