Moonwalking with Einstein summary

Are you good at remembering numbers? Could you recite the numbers 1224200001012001 after reading them just once? Probably not. Most of us are only able to remember five to nine pieces of information at a time.

But what if you split these numbers into these dates: 12/24/2000 and 01/01/2001? The information stays the same, but suddenly it’s much easier to remember. This is known as chunking. Chunking means combining information into bigger pieces that are easier to remember.

Have you ever wondered what a life without memories would feel like? Consider the famous case of an amnesiac known as EP, who became an amnesiac after a virus damaged the medial temporal lobes of his brain – a part that is vital for memory.

But even though EP isn’t able to learn new information to recall later, research shows that he can unconsciously. Psychologist Larry Squire showed EP (along with other patients) a list of 24 words to memorize. Within a few minutes, EP could not recall any of the words. In fact, he even forgot the exercise happened at all.

Many of us hated learning facts by rote in school – it all seemed so pointless. This is especially true today, when we can simply look up what we need to know online. In earlier times, however, recalling huge chunks of information was an important skill.

In fact, memorization professionals have existed throughout history as the bearers of the world’s oral tradition. Where written language was limited, their task was to remember in order to pass on knowledge and share cultural heritage.

So why is human memory so poor nowadays? Well, the decline in the importance of memory is actually tied to reading and the book.

Before the modern book there were scriptures. However, these were seen as a reminder of facts the reader already knew. They weren’t so friendly on the eyes, either: before 200 BC, scriptures didn’t even contain any punctuation and words ran together in a stream of capital letters without spaces. If you didn’t already know the content by heart, a format like this would’ve proved near impossible to use.

Why should we learn to improve our memory if we have books and smartphones within reach at all times? Easy: because your memory can actually help you achieve more.

Take history teacher Raemon Matthews’ students. Matthews teaches at a South Bronx high school where the students’ average socioeconomic status is low and the dropout rate is high. Each year, he selects a group of students he calls the “Talented Tenth,” teaches them memory techniques and enters them in the USA Memory Championship.

Imagine being at a cocktail party where you don’t know anyone. Are you already breaking out in a sweat at the thought of trying to learn new names? If this is the case, you might just need to make the abstract names more memorable for your brain.

Why does it work? Let’s look at the baker/Baker paradox to see how our brain favors more impressive facts in memorization.

Have you ever camped out under the stars with a date and all that was missing was some well-recited Shakespeare? Well, even if poetry isn’t your thing, remembering poems or famous speeches can be impressive to a certain kind of romantic.

But how can you memorize such involved text?

Now that you have an idea of how to convert abstract ideas into memorable forms, you need to know how to store them properly and retrieve them at will. This is where your memory palace comes into play.

The memory palace, or the method of loci, as it was called by the Romans, assigns every image a certain place along a well-known route or place that stands out in your mind. Because our brains are particularly adept at remembering locations, this is a very effective technique.

The key message in this book:

The art of memorizing has declined since ancient times, when reciting texts and stories was a respected, vital ability. These days we rely more on books and technology for storing information and an outstanding memory is often associated with savants. However, by using the right techniques and putting in some practice time, anyone can achieve extraordinary memory skills.