Improving one’s memory using a system has several key ingredients that are consistent across all the different methods that are presented in the literature. In this section we introduce these key ingredient and the rules with which they must be applied. It is crucial to again point out that these rules were established after decades of research and experimentation, and have been shown to be the optimal combination of steps in terms of retention as well as speed and efficiency.
Key concepts
In order to remember something we need to first pay attention to it (hence we covered concentration in the first chapter), but we tend to only pay attention to topics or events that are of interest to us or are of survival significance. The idea behind most memory system is to ‘trick’ the mind into believing that the concept being memorised is out of the ordinary (thus interesting) or so shockingly unusual that it triggers primal emotions (survival significance). It is simple to notice then that any memory system would need to take the information and add spice or emotion to it before it can be committed to memory. We therefore introduce the ‘tools’ that would allow us to implement a system:
Image s - Images are the crux of the memory techniques presented here. Use objects that the words represent or convert abstract concepts into images- then apply the techniques.
Link method- this is the method used to take two pieces of information at a time and connect them together, replicating the natural way in which new information is incorporated by the brain.
For example say you wanted to memorise a list of items, one way to do so is to link each item to the next:
Shoes, sofa, hose, coffee, iPad, orange, kettle In essence we would need to link shoes to sofa to hose to coffee to iPad to orange to kettle. The idea is to link each item we do not know to an item we already know. There are several ways to do this:
Logic- if a logical connection exists between the items and the list does not allow the possibility for confusion- logic can be used to remember it. Unfortunately, the list above does not have an obvious logical representation and the list is not short so a different tool needs to be employed:
Creative linking - this is the ‘glue’ of memory systems: using this technique, one can link any items in any order without the need for a logical connection between them. The idea behind this method is to employ the 2 basic principles behind the imprint of any memory:
a . The need to pay attention- we do so by creating exaggerated pictures that are unusual, full of colour, have nonsensical action, are novel and interesting- most importantly they need to be absurd.
b. The need to make the picture of primal significance (through emotions) - in connection with the above, the picture that we create needs to evoke emotions (e.g. hilarious, scary, disgusting, confusion, lust etc).
To use the list of items above as an example, we begin with the first item, shoes. Picture a pair of shoes in your mind, now link it with the next item, sofa. To do this you should create a picture that contains a sofa and shoes in the most absurd manner you are able to imagine. An example could be a giant pair of shoes sitting on a sofa with the shoelaces folded behind the back of the top of the shoe (imitating a person with his arms crossed behind the head and hands resting on the back of the neck). The key in this picture is to make it vivid and exaggerated- so visualise in your mind as clearly as possible the details of the shoe (colour, is it new?, is it clean/shiny or muddy etc... – no need to ask these questions just make your picture vivid in this manner) and exaggerate the proportion of the shoe compared to the sofa- so the shoes are massive and resting on a tiny sofa that seems to be about to balk under the immense weight of the shoes.
Let us move to the next item, hose; we now need to link sofa to hose, so picture a hose in the garden that is watering the flowers with sofas instead of water: millions of sofas are being released from the hose and are landing on the flowers, being absorbed and helping them grow. The key here it to picture lots of sofas (or even better, lots of giant sofas) emerging from the hose- try and vividly picture
the exit point of the hose being stretched every time a bunch of giant sofas exist from it- imagine how painful this experience must be for the hose.
At this point the reader may question the sanity of the author; it is important to realise that this approach to memorising may seem absurd to those who have never encountered it before, but with practise this is one of the greatest exercise in imagination one could perform and it provides many mentalists with a pleasurable experience whilst accumulating desired information at the same time.
Readers that have reservations against using this approach due to the ridiculous thoughts it requires, are missing out on an incredible experience to have fun at the same time as learn. Note that all mentalist and participants in memory championships use systems that include some form of the above general approach.
Moving on to the next item, coffee; imagine a hose on his lunch break sipping a Giant Starbucks coffee, try and smell the aroma that this giant cup is diffusing, try and imagine how pleasurable this hot coffee must feel to the hose.
Proceeding with the next item, iPad; imagine yourself having your morning coffee with a stack of giant iPads on a plate, you then take an iPad, fold it in half with your fingers, dip it in the coffee and eat it. Try and imagine the taste it would have, the hard texture and the disgusting taste of metal, hot plastic and toxic chemical mixed with coffee- try and feel the disgust and the emotions this generates.
The next item is orange; imagine you received a present for your birthday, you unwrap it and you find a massive iOrange, you are tapping the front of the orange and the internet comes up, you start surfing whilst playing your favourite songs. Try and include how happy you were to receive this Orange as a present, how cool the touch screen functionality is etc...
The last item is kettle; imagine you are walking in an orange trees plantation and you are feeling hungry, but instead of oranges hanging from the tree there are lots of immense electric kettles. So, you climb on a tree and you pick up lots of kettles and put them in the front of your shirt. Imagine how scared you feel when you are hanging on an orange tree branch with a shirt full of immense kettles.
What comes after shoes?
After this demonstration, when the word shoes is mentioned, you should immediately have the funny picture of the shoes on the sofa appear in your mind. This picture then triggers the next picture of the sofas shooting out of the hose, which then brings the next picture of the hose drinking coffee, which leads to the next picture of the iPad dipped in coffee which then brings the iOrange and that then leads to you picking kettles from an orange tree.
The system is generally accepted as infallible; any such picture that could not be recollected is usually due to one or a combination of the following factors:
a . The pictures were not vivid enough- take your time when building the pictures, see them as clearly as possible.
At the beginning this may take a while but after practise the pictures will be created as quickly as the information is being learnt- almost automatic.
b . The details were not exaggerated enough- make it absurd, the main qualifying criterion is that this is something that you would not see in real life or on your day to day experiences.
c. Your state of mind was not conducive - it is important to relax when learning (hence the first section of this manual focuses on concentration and meditation) - stressful times can release hormones that affect the chemical activity in the brain which can impede any connections made at the time.
Imagination is infinite- The greatest aspect of this method is that the possibilities are truly infinite and are limited only by the current capabilities of your imagination. The reader should not be startled if he is under the belief that he lacks imagination- this is a trait that is available to all, only some have personalities that allow them to portray it more than others. With practise this can be activated and improved. It is important to note that imagination should not be seen competitively- it is a very personal trait which should be shared only as much as you are comfortable and only for the aim of showing others the dimensions to which this trait can be expanded to.
It is sometimes interesting to talk or e-chat with others regarding the links created for a list of similar items to see if there are ideas you can incorporate into your toolbox. This is not necessary since
with practise this skill will become freer and will flow to directions (via connections with other ideas in your mind at the time) you never knew existed.
A simple source of absurd ideas and nonsensical action can be found in cartoons, some prototypical examples are:
a. Animaniacs exposure before that age is suggested to have adverse effects on the child’s development) this is an excellent opportunity for bonding whilst at the same time releasing your mind from the recently learnt limits to which it has become accustomed to.
Objects are best- when converting words into pictures it is best to use objects as these can be visualised quickly and effortlessly (concentration exercises from the previous section help to make this process even more efficient. However, in some cases the words will involve abstract ideas rather than a physical object; in such a case, depending on which is better, one can either (examples provided in the sections below):
a. Convert into a similar sounding word that is itself an object.
b . Convert into an object that the word reminds of, or is
e. Or all of the above at the same time if possible.
2. Colours- make picture colourful.
3. Make the pictures shocking and absurd- it can definitely not be something you would see on a day to day- the brain has to believe this is something incredible that needs to be retained for future reference.
4 . Sounds- incorporate sounds into the image in order to enforce the picture or the action taking place.
5 . Smells- as mentioned before, smells are very powerful memory triggers, incorporate smells in your links where possible.
6. Emotions- incorporate emotions into the picture; they have to match the action or scenario taking place. In general the best are fear, lust and humour.
7. See the images vividly.
Gluing toolbox for linking
1. Substitution- replacing one object with another, for example we replace the orange with the iPad in the example listed above.
2. Large/Small- Making one object larger than it really is- for example the shoes were gigantic in the first picture.
3. Lots/Few- Involving a large number of the relevant object, for example the sofas shooting out of the hose were in their millions. The reader should note that saying millions whilst you create your picture would make you believe that this is how many there are and would immediately register as unusual- there is no need to count or focus too much on whether it looks enough- believing there are millions is sufficient in making the brain register this event as important and unusual.
4 . Action- The actions should be exaggerated and nonsensical- eating the iPad after dipping it into the coffee is the example used for the list above. This should be an action you would not do in real life- something extreme and out of the ordinary.
5 . Emotion- Involving emotion is extremely powerful, for example the fear of falling off the orange tree because you were carrying a shirt full of kettles as presented for the list above.
6. Change proportions- for example the immense coffee that
the simple hose was drinking from was used for the list above, this mismatch in proportion is also a powerful tool to signal the importance of the picture and the need for the brain to register it.
7. Involve yourself in the picture- the example above involved you eating iPads dipped in coffee for breakfast- this image incorporates emotions (disgust) which becomes even more memorable due to the fact that we tend to remember better events that involve or affect us. It is our brain after all and the brain has a selfish survival mechanism- all that affects its existence should be recorded.