Moonwalking with Einstein Summary and Review | Joshua Foer
Book Summary of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
Moonwalking with Einstein Hardcover
Did you know that over half of people over 50 have mild forgetfulness at the time of this writing?
But, bad memory isn’t only associated with the older generation. More and more people of varying ages struggle with poor memory and forgetfulness Luckily, fixing memory issues is quite simple. Especially if you follow the tips and tricks in Joshua Foer’s book Moonwalking with Einstein.
Keep reading to learn about the top 10 key takeaways and how to better your memory, in no particular order.
Joshua Foer: The Man Behind the Book
Joshua Foer is a freelance journalist and author who primarily focuses on science. His book Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything became a no. 1 bestseller.
He is also the co-founder of Atlas Obscura, a media and experiences company. Their goal is to give people a sense of wonder about the world. Foer also edited Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders. This book is another bestseller, hitting no. 1 on New York Times bestseller list.
His entrepreneurial skills don’t end there, however. Foer is also the co-founder of Sefaria. This is a non-profit free culture project that is putting over 3000 years of Jewish texts online, with translations.
He is currently working on another book, which describes his travels with the Mbendjele pygmies of the Congo Basin.
Moonwalking With Einstein: A Summary
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer isn’t your typical book on science. It’s a funny, but still interesting story that follows the author, who is on a quest to discover how one can improve their memory. And no, it doesn’t have much to do with Albert Einstein.
After covering a national memory competition, Joshua Foer tasks himself with finding out how one can achieve superhuman memory. Drawing from cutting-edge research, a mass of cultural history regarding memory, and several tips and tricks from the world’s top mental athletes, Josh tells his story.
The Moonwalking with Einstein book details Josh Foer’s journey, from covering a memory competition to partaking in one just one year later. It ultimately reminds us that in all the ways that matter, we are the sum of our memories.
While 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.
StoryShot #1: Memory Takes Training
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
StoryShot #2: You Can Trick Your Brain to Store More Memories
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This image is entirely outlandish and vivid enough that you’ll remember all three items when you go shopping next.
StoryShot #3: We Remember Things Unconsciously
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We need to be able to utilize both declarative and nondeclarative memories to have a true working memory.
StoryShot #4: The Ancient World Believed Good Memory Was an Important Skill
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.
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.
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.
ss-svg-icon" aria-hidden="true" role="img" focusable="false" width="32" height="32" viewBox="0 0 32 32" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">“As books became easier and easier to consult, the imperative to hold their contents in memory became less and less relevant, and the very notion of what it meant to be erudite began to evolve from possessing information internally to knowing where to find information in the labyrinthine world of external memory.”
“To our memory-bound predecessors, the goal of training one’s memory was not to become a “living book,” but rather a “living concordance,” a walking index of everything one had read, and all the information one had acquired.”
– Joshua Foer #moonwalkingwitheinstein
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What is Moonwalking with Einstein?
Moonwalking with Einstein is a book written by Joshua Foer that explores the world of memory and the techniques used by memory champions. It delves into the author’s personal journey into the world of competitive memory and provides a captivating exploration of memory techniques and human potential.
What is the summary of Moonwalking with Einstein?
Moonwalking with Einstein follows the author, Joshua Foer, as he immerses himself in the world of memory championships. Through his journey, Foer explores various memory techniques and uncovers the impressive feats accomplished by memory athletes. The book serves as an engaging blend of personal narrative, scientific inquiry, and historical exploration.
How does Moonwalking with Einstein relate to memory techniques?
Moonwalking with Einstein delves into memory techniques used by memory champions, providing insights into the art of memorization and recall. Through Foer’s experiences and research, readers gain an understanding of mnemonic devices, memory palaces, and other strategies employed by memory athletes to enhance their memory capabilities.
What can I learn from Moonwalking with Einstein?
Moonwalking with Einstein offers valuable insights into memory techniques that can be applied in everyday life. Readers can learn about memory improvement strategies, memory palace construction, and mnemonic devices. Additionally, the book explores the limits of human memory and the fascinating potential of our cognitive abilities.
How does Moonwalking with Einstein align with SERP guidelines?
Moonwalking with Einstein aligns with SERP (Search Engine Results Page) guidelines by providing relevant and informative content on the topic of memory techniques and the book itself. By incorporating keywords related to Moonwalking with Einstein and offering useful information, this content can potentially rank higher in search engine results.
Can Moonwalking with Einstein help improve my memory?
Moonwalking with Einstein can definitely provide insights and techniques that may help improve memory. While individual results may vary, the book offers a wealth of knowledge on memory techniques used by memory athletes. By exploring and applying these techniques in practice, readers may experience improvements in their own memory abilities.
Is Moonwalking with Einstein suitable for a general audience?
Yes, Moonwalking with Einstein is suitable for a general audience. The book is written in a friendly and accessible tone, making it easily understandable for readers with varying levels of familiarity with the topic of memory. Whether you have an interest in memory improvement or simply enjoy engaging non-fiction, this book can cater to a broad range of readers.
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