Memory Palace Technique | Trick to Improve your Memory
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Ashish explores the ancient memory palace technique, also known as the loc method, which has been used since the Roman and Greek empires. He explains how this method can enhance memory for daily tasks like remembering names, speeches, and shopping lists. Ashish shares his personal experiences using the technique for academic success and creating YouTube content. He also provides a detailed example of how to use the method by memorizing a list of 12 unrelated words through a vivid, bizarre story, emphasizing its effectiveness for long-term retention.
Takeaways
- đ° The Memory Palace Technique, also known as the loc method, is an ancient method dating back to the Roman and Greek empires and is still highly effective today.
- đ This technique is particularly useful for individuals with poor memory who wish to develop a flawless memory, as it allows information to be mentally 'written down' and recalled without physical paper.
- đ The method involves creating a mental journey or story to link unrelated items or concepts, which aids in remembering them in sequence.
- đŁïž Ashish has used this technique to excel in exams, remember content for YouTube videos, and prepare speeches for seminars.
- đ The technique is applicable for memorizing various types of information, from speeches and paragraphs to names and grocery lists.
- đ§ It works by connecting new information (surface memory) with familiar, unforgettable memories (core memory), such as childhood experiences or well-known paths.
- đ€ïž Core memory can be further divided into 'path' and 'story' memories, with paths being routes we've physically navigated and stories being narratives that resonate deeply.
- đ To apply the Memory Palace Technique effectively, create vivid, bizarre, and memorable scenarios that link the new information to your core memories.
- â±ïž The technique is not suitable for understanding or learning concepts, as conceptual knowledge is naturally retained in core memory through comprehension.
- đ« A limitation of the Memory Palace Technique is that it cannot replace the understanding of complex ideas or the learning process; it is best for memorization of discrete pieces of information.
Q & A
What is the memory palace technique?
-The memory palace technique, also known as the loc method, is an ancient memorization strategy dating back to the Roman and Greek empires. It involves associating new information with familiar mental images and places in one's memory to enhance recall.
How has Ashish used the memory palace technique?
-Ashish has used the memory palace technique to achieve good scores in his semester examinations, remember content for his YouTube videos, and recall points for speeches he has given in seminars.
What are the two types of memory mentioned in the script?
-The two types of memory mentioned are core memory and surface memory. Core memory consists of things that are hard to forget, like the alphabet or driving skills, while surface memory consists of things that are easily forgotten and not deeply ingrained in one's mind.
How does the memory palace technique help with remembering paragraphs?
-The technique helps with remembering paragraphs by breaking them down into bullet points, each represented by a word. When you are reminded of that word, it triggers the memory of the point, allowing you to assemble the points in sequence.
What is the role of bizarre or unusual elements in the memory palace technique?
-Bizarre or unusual elements make the mental images more memorable because they are more difficult to forget. The more vivid and unusual the scenario, the stronger the memory trace.
Can the memory palace technique be used to remember names?
-Yes, the memory palace technique can be used to remember names by creating associations between the new name and something unforgettable or deeply ingrained in your memory.
What is the limitation of the memory palace technique as discussed in the script?
-The limitation of the memory palace technique is that it cannot be used to understand or learn concepts. It is most effective for remembering specific pieces of information that do not make much sense or are difficult to remember.
How does Ashish describe the process of creating a memory palace?
-Ashish describes creating a memory palace by creating a vivid and bizarre story that includes a familiar path and unusual elements to help remember a sequence of 12 random words.
What is the significance of the number 12 in the script?
-The number 12 is significant because Ashish challenges viewers to remember a list of 12 unrelated words in sequence using the memory palace technique.
How does the memory palace technique help with public speaking?
-The memory palace technique helps with public speaking by allowing the speaker to remember the structure and key points of their speech, making it easier to deliver without forgetting important parts.
What is the importance of visualization in the memory palace technique?
-Visualization is crucial in the memory palace technique because it involves creating mental images and associating them with familiar places or paths. The stronger the visualization, the easier it is to recall the associated information.
Outlines
đ° Introduction to the Memory Palace Technique
Ashish introduces the Memory Palace Technique, also known as the loc method, which dates back to ancient Rome and Greece. Despite its age, the technique remains effective for improving memory in daily life. Ashish shares his personal experiences using the method to achieve good scores in exams and to remember content for his YouTube videos and speeches. The technique is suitable for anyone wishing to enhance their memory. It involves mentally noting down information without the need for physical paper, by creating a mental structure where information can be stored and retrieved. Ashish challenges viewers to remember a list of unrelated words in sequence, emphasizing the difficulty of remembering nonsensical information and the utility of the Memory Palace Technique in such scenarios.
đ§ Understanding Core and Surface Memory
Ashish explains the concept of core and surface memory. Core memory consists of things that are hard to forget, such as the alphabet, driving skills, or the layout of familiar places. Surface memory, on the other hand, is more transient and includes information that hasn't been deeply ingrained, like the paragraph on steering mechanisms one might need to remember for an exam. The Memory Palace Technique is particularly useful for transferring information from surface to core memory, making it unforgettable. Ashish discusses the importance of connecting new, fleeting information with old, unforgettable memories to create lasting memories. He provides examples of how he used the technique to remember various things, including a complicated table in health physics and a symbol in mechanical engineering.
đ Practical Application of Memory Palace Technique
Ashish demonstrates the Memory Palace Technique by creating a vivid story that incorporates the 12 random words from the introduction. He uses a combination of a familiar path and an engaging story to create a memorable scenario. The story involves Ashish receiving a headache, looking up an app for relief, being called to give a speech, going to a grocery store, and encountering various bizarre events along the way. Each event is associated with one of the words, helping to cement them in memory. Ashish emphasizes the importance of making the story as bizarre as possible to make it unforgettable. He also shares how he used the technique in a seminar, creating a vivid and strange narrative that helped him remember the content of his speech.
đ Recap and Importance in Exams
Ashish concludes by recapping the key points of the Memory Palace Technique and its importance, especially for remembering information for exams. He reiterates the technique's effectiveness for transforming surface memory into core memory through the creation of memorable stories and paths. Ashish also reminds viewers of the technique's limitations, noting that it is not suitable for understanding or learning concepts, as concepts naturally become part of core memory. He encourages viewers to practice the technique with the 12 words provided earlier in the video, showcasing its versatility and potential for long-term memory retention.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄMemory Palace Technique
đĄCore Memory
đĄSurface Memory
đĄMnemonic Device
đĄPath
đĄStory
đĄBizarre
đĄPublic Speaking
đĄSemester Examination
đĄGrocery List
Highlights
Introduction to the memory palace technique, also known as the loc method.
The memory palace technique dates back to ancient Roman and Greek empires.
The technique is still applicable in daily life and can improve memory scores.
Ashish uses the technique for remembering content for YouTube videos and speeches.
The method is suitable for anyone with poor memory who wants to develop a flawless memory.
The technique allows you to 'write' and 'read' information in your head without physical paper.
Ashish challenges viewers to remember a list of 12 unrelated words in sequence.
The technique is especially useful for remembering paragraphs and bullet points.
The method helps connect new information with things that are unforgettable in your mind.
It can be used to remember names to avoid awkward social situations.
The memory palace technique is not just for remembering lists; it aids in memorizing complex information.
There are two types of core memory: path and story, which the technique leverages.
Path memory involves remembering routes or physical spaces.
Story memory is about recalling narratives or events.
The technique involves connecting surface memory (easily forgotten details) with core memory.
Ashish shares a personal example of memorizing a complex table using the technique.
The memory palace technique is not for understanding concepts but for retaining specific information.
Ashish demonstrates how he memorized the 12 words using a bizarre and vivid story.
The story includes a path and bizarre elements to make the memory stronger.
The technique is particularly useful for public speaking and remembering speeches.
Ashish emphasizes the importance of making the story as vivid and bizarre as possible for better retention.
The video concludes with a reminder of the practical applications of the memory palace technique.
Transcripts
hello everyone this is ashish welcome
back to talk 4712 and today we are
having an extremely interesting topic of
discussion we are going to talk about
the memory palace technique or the
original name of it would be the loc
method now this method is old and when i
say old it is back in the bc days old it
is back in the ancient roman empire the
greek empire but surprisingly even after
2000 years this method is having firm
application on our day-to-day life and
i've used it extensively to get very
good scores and semester examination i
still use it on a daily basis to
remember what i'm going to talk about in
my youtube videos i've also used it a
lot to remember my speeches of what i'm
going to talk about in the seminars that
i've given but you can choose to use it
however you want to use it this method
is basically for everyone who is having
a poor memory but wants to develop a
flawless memory yes this method actually
gives you a perfect memory it is almost
like you have written things down on a
piece of paper and you're reading things
out of it but the only thing is that
there is not going to be any paper any
physical paper you are going to be
writing things down in your head and you
are going to be reading straight out of
your mind i'm going to be talking about
everything the technicality the working
principle i'm going to be also
explaining it using an example by the
end of this video but before that just
let me just give you a few words and you
do your best to remember these words and
also do your best to remember these
words in the sequence that i am giving
you in
so the words are
12
terrible
application
paragraph
name
speech
grocery
work
limitations
rough or roughness
cesium and semester examinations now
these words are not connected at all but
still this method is going to help you
to remember all of them
in a proper sequence now this is going
to be the most difficult thing things
that does not really make sense to you
remembering those would be most
difficult and it would be easier in
every other application where you want
to memorize things now you might be
asking ashish why would i want to
remember a bunch of words so here's the
thing in paragraphs remembering
paragraphs whether whether it is you
giving a speech or you giving a semester
examination it is going to be helpful
for you to remember paragraphs now how
will words help you to remember
paragraphs the paragraphs can be broken
down into bullet points these points
each can be represented by a word when
you are reminded of that word you are
reminded of that particular point you
assemble those points in a proper
sequence because this method is also
going to help you to remember things in
sequence and you got a paragraph which
you can use anywhere you want to use i
can use a paragraph to give this video
talk i can use a paragraph to give a
speech in front of thousands of people i
can use this paragraph to just memorize
things to write it down in my semester
examination so there are infinite number
of application
of doing that you can just use this
method of very small at a very small
scale this method can be useful for you
to remember names for example we have
all been in a situation where we just
met a person i introduced myself to that
person that person introduced himself or
herself to me and then after two minutes
i forgot that person's name now it is
going to be super awkward for me to go
and ask that person's name again but
this method is going to help you
basically how it works is that there are
things in your head that you cannot
forget but there are things that are
coming inside your head all the time
that you're forgetting all the time so
this method actually helps you connect
the new things that are entering with
the old things so if you want to
remember you just have to make a
connection and it starts making sense to
you we do forget things that do not make
sense to us it's as simple as that or
you can just use it to remember your
grocery list or let us say you are on a
phone call and the person on the other
side is giving you four five things that
you should remember you're not having a
piece of paper to note it down this
method is kind of like noting things
down so how it actually works is that it
is going to connect things that you
cannot forget with things that are just
coming to you right now and if you may
just make that proper click connection
then you are never going to forget it as
long as you don't want to forget it so
let us first talk about the working
principle how it actually works so this
is how it works or this is how i
understood that it works there are two
different kind of memories there's the
core memory and the surface memory core
memory is the kind of memory that you
can't really forget for example the
alphabets or
the driving skills that you are having
or let us say the place where you grew
up or the path from your place to the
washroom
or your favorite restaurant you can't
really forget about the pathways and
these things or you can't really forget
about your favorite movie the story of
that movie you can't really forget about
the lyrics of your favorite song but you
can forget about a paragraph on steering
mechanism that you have to go and
execute on the day of the examination
you can't forget a lot of things for
example you might have most likely
forgotten about the 12 words that you
that i gave you in the beginning of this
video so
those things that you can forget are
called the surface memory those are not
very much settled in your head and
whatever is in the surface are easier to
evaporate but what is in the core will
stay over there so our job over here is
to connect the core memory with the
surface memory once you do that you
won't forget the things that you have
just received that can go from any place
from the names that you just received to
the paragraphs that you want to remember
that you want to talk about in your next
speech all right let us talk about the
core memory in a little bit more detail
manner so there are two different kinds
of code memory number one is the path
one and the second one is the story one
let us get to the path first so have you
ever been in a situation where you have
traveled from one place to another using
a particular path and you have done it
only two to three times and then two to
three years later you again come back to
that place and you can almost remember
everything that you can remember when is
the next left and what is when i'm going
to see this particular statue and how
the houses are going to look and there's
a super mall over there you can almost
remember everything how do you think
you're able to do that even if you have
just traveled through that path only two
to three times it's because human brain
really remembers very well the path
through which they have physically
navigated like you have physically
navigated through that space it is going
to be extremely difficult for you to
forget that same goes with stories for
example
there is a particular movie that you
watched full and you watched it only
once you invested only three hours to
watch it but still you can remember
almost everything in the proper sequence
as well you can remember the important
parts of the movie you can explain that
full story to your friend also
how can you do it just by watching it
only once because stories are extremely
important for humans they'd really dig
deep and get engraved in our memory very
well so stories are another good way or
another good example of core memory now
our job over here is to connect the
surface memory for example whatever
information is coming to us that does
not make a lot of sense to us or we have
not done sufficient repetition of that
memory how to remember that so what we
are going to do is we are going to
connect that surface memory to the core
memory so that we don't really forget
about it i'll give you a few examples
for example back in 2017 i was in barc
training school and there was one
subject it was called
health physics now if this health
physics there was one table that i had
to remember and in that table basically
there were different radiations
and what you have to do to as a
contraceptive action if you got that
radiation so we had to remember this 10
to 20 things that were in that table and
i memorized that using the memory palace
technique and i still cannot forget a
lot of things for example cesium was
connected to masala and i still remember
that you know why because i connected in
this way cesim reminds me of caesar
caesar reminds me of rome rome reminds
me of greek and
ancient greek there were a lot of greek
gods and if you look at any of those
those are very muscular so
cesium is connected to muscles and i
still cannot forget about that so i
still remember that
the semester examination happened and
then after two three months later in the
next semester the viva of that same
subject happened and i was still able to
retain that after three months also so
it is not a route process that you are
going to mug it up you're going to just
puke it out on the day of the
examination and you're going to forget
about it it is actually helpful for you
to remember things for a long duration
of time another example is that there
was a symbol of surface roughness in our
mechanical engineering and we had to
remember different parts of that symbol
because the symbol was very complicated
so this symbol used to give a lot of
different data it was basically used in
engineering drawing and all and it is it
used to give five to six different data
so i used a memory balance kind of it
like there was a symbol that looked like
this i'm going to show the picture over
here and i replaced it using a truck and
then different parts of the track i
assigned to the different things that
were there in that symbol and helped me
remember that for a long time for like
two to three years of me giving
competitive examination i was able to
remember that so if you
convert these memories that you are
having tough time remembering to
something which is physical and you can
allocate it to different places in that
box that you've created kind of like a
palace then it is going to be easier for
you to remember it for a long duration
now here's the limitation of the memory
palace technique you cannot use it to
understand or learn or remember or
retain concepts so here's the thing you
don't really need any other technique to
remember or retain concepts why because
concepts itself goes directly to the
core memory for example i learned how
the liquid engines work during my time
in indian space research organization
but i don't think that i will ever need
any memory palace technique to remember
that matter of fact it will be difficult
for me to get that knowledge out of my
head because i understood it properly so
the concept gets directly into your head
and you won't require any memory palace
technique to retain that so whatever is
not making much sense to you the
technique is for that now
let us come back to those 12 words that
i gave in the beginning of the video and
i'll tell you the whole story of how i
remembered those words using the memory
palace technique so i'll create a
scenario which i created in my head now
this is going to be a collaboration of
path and story because i think that is
the best way to use memory palace
technique include both include a path
because it is difficult to forget path
but also attach a story to that then it
becomes almost next to impossible to
forget about that so here's the story
that i created i'm sitting in an
auditorium in vssc and the time is
during my isro induction training
program it was two months training and i
used to do this every day so it is very
well deep engraved in my head so i'm
sitting somewhere in the last bench in
an auditorium that i know very well
because i've sat there every day for 30
days more than 30 days 60 days close to
that
right so i know everything about this so
it is very well visualized in my head
now here's how the story proceeds i look
at my list watch it is 12 o'clock
and then i think that i'm getting some
terrible headache so what i do the next
thing i do is take out my cell phone and
start to google how to get rid of a
terrible headache and all of a sudden i
got a suggestion that this is an app
that helps you to get rid of headache
app reminds me of application
next i
open that app and that app basically
opens a paragraph of text given over
there start reading that text and that
text actually tells me that i have to
prepare tea with ginger and it's going
to help me with headaches so i decided
okay i'm going to do that but right then
when i was reading more about it i heard
someone calling my name ashish sanjin
get on the stage and start talking about
how to improve your public speaking and
this is extremely bizarre this does not
really happen when someone is teaching
over there about rocket science and
someone calls you to go on stage but the
better the more bizarre you can make
better off you are because it is much
more difficult to forget bizarre things
so i went on the stage gave a little bit
of speech and right after that i decided
to go to the grocery store why because i
need to get my tea i need to get my
ginger i went to the counter the
shopkeeper starts talking to me because
i know that person by the way i also
know the shop so i can properly
visualize where i'm sitting right now or
standing right now or interacting
in my head the shopkeeper asked me how's
work going on and i said work is fine
i'm enjoying it and bye-bye this is the
money i'm working out i worked out i
know the path very well i can right now
also visualize it very well and over
there i saw a big poster of my one of my
favorite movies limitless the limitless
reminds me of the word limitation now
this does not really happen you're not
going to see a gigantic poster but in my
head it is big so that i cannot really
forget about that i walked a little bit
further in the path that i am very well
aware of and i stumbled because of some
rough patch of road and then i looked
down and i saw a few bottles filled with
cesium now cesium if you do not know i'm
going to put a picture over there so it
is very well or easily visualized if you
know what cesium is and then that cesium
remind me of the basi training days when
i use the memory palace technique to
clear a lot of my semester examination
so you get the point
this is how i remembered all the
different 12 words that i told you guys
in the beginning of the video using a
story i created a bizarre story and i
also added a path to it so that i can
not forget about it in any near future
so make it as complicated as or as
bizarre as possible or you can use weird
things over there because it is much
more difficult to forget weird things
but also add a part to it a part that
you can't really forget i've been over
there for 60 days so obviously i
remember that part i remember that
auditorium i remember that shop and does
it was easier for me use that there was
one time i was taking a seminar
it is called art of speaking and at that
particular session i was talking about
public speaking so this memory palace
technique is very very important when it
comes to public speaking because you
need to remember the whole speech so one
of my student already knew about me
talking about memory palace technique
because i've talked about it about one
to two years ago so he saw that video
and i told him to explain that because i
wanted to see his way of speaking he
started to explain and he gave me
somewhere around 10 words because he
also started explaining the memory
palace technique like this only so as he
was saying those 10 random words i
started to create the memory palace on
that spot itself and it was even more
bizarre that i am sitting over there i
go out there i will see something very
big statue of a particular thing that
will remind me of a particular word and
then i go out to the balcony and jump
off the balcony and then i start flying
and the roads are filled with blood then
i take the right turn so as bizarre as
you can make so that it is very vivid
and you can actually remember the full
thing the full story or the full
creator or imagination of your head that
will help you remember things for a
longer period of time so with this
example i think it must be very clear
how we connect the surface memory with
the core memory those 12 random words
try to create any story you want those
12 words you know
i used it to just remember the whole
structure of the stock that i'm giving
you only you don't believe it okay here
we go semester examination so this
semester examination i had to talk at
the end as well in much more detail but
what happened is that the video became
too long so i decided it is not that
much necessary to talk again but yes
this word reminded me that i have to put
emphasis how much memory palace can
become important for your semester exams
few words few words meaning 12 words it
reminds me in my head who are memory
poor memory means terrible memory so
terrible words reminds me of that every
other application where you want to
reminds me of talking about applications
as well thanks in fact reminds me of how
you can remember paragraphs using this
technique speech in front of thousands
reminds me to talk about how it will be
helping you to give speeches for you to
remember names for example also i should
remember that i should talk about how
you can use it to remember names as well
just use it to remember your grocery
reminds me to be casual and how it can
be useful for your day-to-day basis as
well but how it actually works for
example i'll talk about the working
principle that's when i started to talk
about the core memory and surface memory
example cesium was reminds me of talking
about the cesium example of surface
reminds me of talking about about the
surface roughness one now here's the
limitation reminds me to talk about the
limitation and that's it so
all those 12 words were used in this
very video you can use it too and i hope
you learned a lot from this video i'll
see all of you in the next one till then
bye
[Music]
you
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