sum of our memories. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile it may initially come across as a self-help book, Moonwalking with Einstein is anything but. This science book lays out the facts on how to improve your memory, not implore you to do so. But, if you suddenly feel the urge to try to remember everything, there’s nothing wrong with that either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
StoryShot #1: Memory Takes Training<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One of the biggest claims in this book is that anyone can improve their memory. All it takes is a bit of training. Good memory is not a talent that one inherently has. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first trick discussed in Moonwalking with Einstein is the phonological loop method. The idea is to simply repeat the things you want to remember back to yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s it. And while this may come across as self-explanatory or rather as something one does naturally, there is a science to back up this trick. It wouldn’t be a science book without it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The phonological loop method was demonstrated in a very classic and simple experiment. Psychologist K.A. Ericsson, along with his colleague Bill Chase, presented an undergraduate student, S.F., with a list of digits. His task was to remember them and repeat them back to the lecturers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the first stages of the experiment, S.F. could only remember about seven digits – an average result. But, after several hundred hours of repeating and practicing the test, they were able to improve their result by a factor of 10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Repeating the things you want to remember for hundreds of hours isn’t the only way to train your brain. You can improve your memory in a specific field by becoming an expert in that field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While this may seem daunting, it’s not. In the book, Foer uses a discovery by a Dutch psychologist in the 1940s as a prime example. This psychologist found that expert chess players, while not showcasing particularly good results in general tests, had what they call chess memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This chess memory allowed them to see the chessboard better, and in other ways, than less experienced players. Though their general memory hadn’t improved, by becoming more skilled at chess, their memory of the game improved dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
StoryShot #2: You Can Trick Your Brain to Store More Memories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Repeating things in a constant cycle using the phonological loop method can help, but it can become monotonous. However, if you change how your brain stores information, remembering it is much easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Moonwalking with Einstein, one method is called chunking. This simply means to group things into chunks or bigger pieces, so they’re easier to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the key factors of chunking is language. In the book, Foer describes the task of remembering the 22 letters in HEADSHOULDERSKNEESTOES. If you break up these letters, you’ll see they from the words heads, shoulders, knees, toes. By grouping them together, each letter in each word becomes much easier to memorize. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elaborative encoding is another way to “trick” your brain to remember things better. This method encourages people to make the information as vivid as possible. The main idea is to turn the information, which is usually boring, into something fun, vibrant, and a thing you couldn’t possibly forget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can do this with everyday life and in simple ways. Our brains are encoded to remember what our senses tell us, like the way certain things smell. We can easily implement this with everyday tasks – like shopping lists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s say we need to buy some cottage cheese, salmon, and a jar of pickles. We can trick our brains to remember these things by implanting a vivid image in our minds. Imagine the jar of pickles on your bedside table, and next to it, a plate of very smelly cottage cheese. And next to that, sits a bathtub with a gorgeous person bathing with a salmon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This image is entirely outlandish and vivid enough that you’ll remember all three items when you go shopping next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
StoryShot #3: We Remember Things Unconsciously<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One of the key takeaways from this book is that our brains remember things unconsciously. Moonwalking with Einstein details a special amnesia case of a patient known as E.P. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
E.P. became an amnesiac after the medial temporal lobes of their brain (which are vital for memory) were damaged by a virus. But, despite E.P. not being able to recall any newly learned information, their brain does so unconsciously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an exercise, E.P., along with several other patients, was given a list of words to memorize. However, unlike S.F, E.P. forgot the words, and the exercise entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were then placed in front of a monitor, where 48 words were flashed for 25 milliseconds each. While seemingly fast, the idea was so that the eye could catch some, but not all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of the 48 words flashed in front of E.P, half were new, and the other half were on the previous list. After the flashing sequence, E.P. read the words out loud. Interestingly enough, they could recall the words they’d seen before far better. Without E.P. knowing, the words left an impression on their brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone is able to remember things consciously and unconsciously. A key example of this is muscle memory – like knowing how to swim and ride a bike. Memories like these are known as nondeclarative memories. These are memories that exist within our brains, but can’t be recalled at will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opposite of these memories is declarative memories. We have to actively think of them to recall them. Things like the color of our cars or remembering what happened the previous day are declarative memories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We need to be able to utilize both declarative and nondeclarative memories to have a true working memory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
StoryShot #4: The Ancient World Believed Good Memory Was an Important Skill<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In a world where information is always at our fingertips, it’s no wonder people’s memories are deteriorating. But in the good ol’ days, before modern technology and the advent of the internet, having a good memory was extremely vital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ancient world relied on people with a good memory to carry on with oral tradition and rely on people’s history and culture. Key examples of these are minstrels and bards in ancient Greece, who told stories of Greek mythology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A good memory was also vital for survival. For example, people needed to remember safe routes home or which plants were edible or poisonous. They used techniques that we recognize today, such as elaborative encoding to actively remember all the important information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
StoryShot #5: The Printing Press Made Good Memory Less Important<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The main question then is, what changed? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, the reason why modern society has such poor memories is linked to books. You read that right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before books came scriptures. In the ancient world, scriptures were seen as sorts of “key cards,” They were filled with information that readers were expected to know. They weren’t easy to read and often times the format was impossible to understand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The “key card” format of scriptures was encouraged because reading was discouraged. Famous philosophers, like Socrates, often refused to even learn how to write as they believed it would foster forgetfulness. They believed that a decline in intellect and morals would then occur as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, everything changed with the advent of the Gutenberg press in 1440. As a result, reading became popular across the classes, but the art of memory began to decline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
People were no longer expected to recall things from memory. Instead, they could pull the information they needed from the pages of a book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the modern day, we store or pull all necessary information in smartphones and the internet, as well as books. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
StoryShot #6: The Current Education System Doesn\u2019t Teach Good Memory Techniques<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As great as it is to have information at our fingertips at all times, it’s extremely detrimental to our ability to memorize things. And despite this being a well-regarded fact, the current education system isn’t doing anything to fix the issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our kids are taught to rote learn things when it comes to learning things for school. This technique doesn’t improve memory, instead, it makes storing facts much harder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foer describes a few examples of why rote memorization doesn’t work. But the bottom line is that this technique weakens people’s ability to memorize things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moonwalking with Einstein highlights the need for schools to teach better and more effective ways to memorize facts. Not only will this facilitate better memory, but help kids achieve better in school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
StoryShot #7: Use Imagery to Remember\u00a0People’s Names<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Remembering people’s names is something the majority of us struggle with. Luckily, the book gives us a trick on how to better remember someone’s name without much fuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trick uses the baker\/Baker paradox, which shows us that our brains remember things when they’re in context. The baker\/Baker paradox came about when two people were given the same picture of a man. One was told the man worked as a baker, while the other was told his surname was Baker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After some time, the research showed that the first person could easily recall the man’s occupation. The second person, on the other hand, couldn’t remember the man’s surname. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When something is given to us in context, a lot of associations are triggered in our brains. In the case of the baker – we probably think of the smell of freshly baked bread or the look of a large white baker’s hat. Again, we’re using our senses to store the information in our brains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the next time you need to meet someone new, make associations with their name and something vivid and memorable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
StoryShot #8: Create Rooms in Your Brain to Remember Facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Transforming abstract ideas into memorable forms is one of the key focuses of this book. While this in itself can better your memory, being able to store it effectively is also very important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where memory places, as Foer describes it, come in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Memory places or the method of loci is a method that was predominantly used by Roman scholars. The method assigns every image you create a specific spot along a well-known route within your mind. Our brains are very good at remembering places and locations, so this method is highly effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key to the method of loci is to mentally place an image of the thing you want to remember along a familiar route or in a familiar room. For example, picture the thing you need to remember and mentally place it along your route home, or on the dresser in your room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use this technique with things like shopping lists. Mentally place the items on the list on your kitchen counter. When it comes to recalling these items from memory, it’s much easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As long as you know the route or place well, the method will work wonderfully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Key Message of Moonwalking with Einstein<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The ability to memorize things has declined as the world has evolved. We no longer prize the ability to recite stories and texts from memory. Instead, we rely on books and technology to store all our vital information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, having a good memory is still important. It not only helps kids achieve better in school, but it also aids in our everyday lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the techniques described in Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking with Einstien, you can learn simple and easy techniques to better your memory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How would you rate Moonwalking with Einstein based on this summary?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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