By: Joe Walton, ORT Times Science Writer
You have just met someone new and for all intents and purposes the first interaction goes well—you shake hands, trade names and exchange pleasantries. Then, in a mortifying act of treachery, your brain purges all memory of your new acquaintance’s name. This familiar social gaffe is both embarrassing and common, but not for everyone. In 2017, memory champion Yanjaa Wintersoul set a world record by memorizing 212 names and faces in 15 minutes. Surely, this cognitive feat is the result of extraordinary brain anatomy or superhuman intellect? Not so says science, and according to research, you too can train your brain to make dramatic memory improvements.
Making memories
Memory not only allows us to learn new information, it connects us to the events and people of our past. The formation of memory has long been understood as a multistep process. First, sensory inputs are received and held in an automated buffer known as ‘sensory memory.’ While most of this information is rapidly lost, what remains is encoded and transferred to short-term memory, a temporary reserve with limited capacity. Next, consolidation stabilizes these labile memories. This process depends on several factors including attentiveness, how frequently the information is repeated or rehearsed and even our quality of sleep. Memories that are sensory-rich and emotionally charged tend to consolidate more easily. The collection of neuronal changes that underpin consolidation is referred to as a memory engram. Finally, retrieval describes the interplay between internal or external cues and the memory engrams stored in our brains.
Hooked on mnemonics: welcome to my palace
To perform their impressive cognitive feats, Yanjaa and other memory athletes rely on a set of techniques known as mnemonics. First developed in the ancient world, these methods ‘hack’ memory formation using a system of ‘elaborative encoding.’ Instead of rote memorization, new information is immediately linked to previously existing memories and knowledge. It is given visual/spatial context, rich sensory material and surprising or emotionally charged frameworks. The result is the instant attainment of accessible retrieval cues enabling easier recall.
Perhaps the most famous mnemonic is the creation of a ‘memory palace’ where visualization of a familiar environment places new information in specific physical locations. Recall involves mentally retracing your journey through the palace and leveraging the strength of spatial memory. Other common techniques include the peg-word method, the PAO (person, action, object) system and the Major System for memorizing numbers.
In 2017, a study published in Neuron examined 51 participants with no previous experience in mnemonic strategies. After six weeks of training, not only did they improve overall memory ability, they also displayed durable, functional connectivity changes that correlate with those of elite memory athletes.
Next time you are studying for an exam or simply trying to remember someone’s name, think like a memory athlete and flex your mental mnemonics!
To learn more, check out:
- Moon Walking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything (2011)
- Memory Games (2018) - http://memorygamesfilm.com
- https://artofmemory.com