Once Andi Bell was given ten shuffled packs of playing cards and given 20 minutes to memorize every single card. When he was tested, he correctly remembered the position of all 520 cards in the pack and also the value of every single card.
Andi explained, "When I memorize a deck of cards, I turn each card into a picture and this is the colorful animal or object that I associate with the particular card to memorize it."
He called this method of his "Location Method". In this method he created a bizarre journey with a cost of colorful images and characters. He imagined taking the journey and associated the pictures and images passing by with the cards to memorize them. He said "As a child I had a conventionally good memory. But once you learn a technique like the location technique, it takes everything beyond what you can do naturally."
If analyzed minutely, Andi’s method of location is, in fact, a variation in an ancient method called the "Method of Loci". Method of Loci was first described by Greek Scholar Simonides in 500 BC in which memory power is drastically increased by using a well known location to place things that you wish to remember. This method was initially used by the orators to remember their speech.
To use this technique, you must identify a common path that you can easily remember. This can be the one from your school to home or from your kitchen to your room. The path that you chose needs to be familiar to you. Once you have determined your path, imagine yourself walking along it and identify specific landmarks that you will pass (your door, the bus stop etc.). Then associate each piece of the information that you wish to remember with these landmarks. At the beginning, this might be a bit difficult but trust me, this method is the most ancient and the most efficient method ever devised.
1 comments:
That is some very interesting info on memory. I have heard many variations on the "location" method. Some people say that they imagine walking a familiar route, even through their own home. As they enter each room on their path they mentally place various items along the route. Although it would have to be a big hotel to have 520 rooms!
For us mortals there are now some excellent brain training games that can improve your memory. The best games actually exercise different types of memory like, spatial recall, face-name recall, recalling the location of objects and more. I have started a blog at www.realbraintraining.blogspot.com that details my own progress with brain training.
If you visit my blog now you can get a free trial for the most advanced suite of brain training games available anywhere. If you are interested in improving your memory, or other aspects of your brain such as Attention, Speed, Flexibility and Problem Solving, please take a look and get a free trail to see if brain training is right for you.
TJ.
Post a Comment