There are certain books that have contributed so significantly to my life that I consider them "revolutionary" (at least to me). This is one of those books. If you're a lover of learning or personal growth I just can't imagine not devouring the goldmine of information in this book. Of course, opinions vary, as some reviews of this book indicate. Some say its "too technical" with "unpractical filler" while some others say that its "not overly informative." To each their own I suppose but I'm going to tell you why I think this book is one of the best ever written on the subject and why mnemonics are incredibly powerful tools for assimilating, retaining, and recalling knowledge in any subject area...
Although virtually everybody has used some type of mnemonics in rudimentary form since kindergarten you'd think more people would stop and ask themselves why they're so prevalent in our early years, and also why we don't use them more, and why we stopped (mostly) as we grew older. To cut to the chase, here's the bottom line in a nutshell: Mnemonics can dramatically increase the ease, speed, and amount of knowledge you're able to acquire and retain. In short, you'll get more faster and retain more longer, and far easier too. In other words, with practice your ability to learn nearly anything will exponentially improve.
So what exactly are mnemonics? I'll quote: "The word 'mnemonic'...is derived from Mnemosyne, the name of the ancient Greek goddess of memory...Mnemonics refers in general to methods for improving memory; a mnemonic technique is any technique that aids the memory."
Although its very important to note that mnemonics aren't some magical wand or sideshow trickery, rather, they are applied psychology. "Mnemonic systems do not replace the basic principles of learning but use them. They are merely specialized elaborations of normal memory activities...they are based on well established principles of learning." Memory is not a thing; it's a process. No matter how it is done, remembering is work, and memory aids are not necessarily supposed to make it easy, just more effective. Learning to use mnemonics is a skill that requires practice just like acquiring any other skill." So if you're not willing extend the effort to actually become proficient mnemonics you'll be wasting your time for the most part.
As a personal example, from the moment I first read this book I was fascinated but skeptical. Yeah sure ok so I could remember my grocery lists a lot easier but I wanted some real proof, so after considering some memory "goals" I settled on one that I considered a pretty impressive memory feat (at least for those of us not aspiring to win a memory sport competition): to memorize the entire periodic table of elements. And not just the elements, but also all the information associated with them in the table such as period/group, atomic wt, atomic number, symbol, electron configuration, state (solid, liquid, gas, unknown), reactivity characteristics (alkali metals, halogens, etc.). I chose the periodic table because it contains a lot of fairly abstract information that most of us happily dismiss after we're forced to endure referring to it in high school or college. Mind you, I hadn't taken a chemistry course since college (about fifteen years prior to my reading the book) and am not a professional chemist. To my own amazement I was able to do it, and to this day I can still recall 95% of it. It may take me 5-10 seconds to answer a given question but I can still do it. As a "B" chemistry student twenty years ago as well as a non-chemist, I feel this stands as a pretty convincing testament to mnemonic techniques. Granted, I understand that memorizing the periodic table of elements may not be your cup of tea (and frankly, I chose it precisely because it was dense and so far outside my day-to-day needs) but I did it only to prove to myself this stuff actually works, and I've since applied these techniques every single day in virtually all manner of things that are very much within my day-to-day needs, to great effect. As Higbee says, "...whether or not people want to do such feats, the important point is that they can do them; and that means they can also do other things with their memories that they DO want to do..."
But beyond anecdotes, a lot of evidence for the effectiveness of mnemonics exists. I think this may be what some reviews have missed about why Higbee goes into such background detail on why mnemonics work and what evidence supports it. I'll spare you all the blow by blow of that evidence and refer you to the book, but the point is yes there are evidence-based reasons how and why mnemonics work, as well as evidence proving they do indeed work. Some of us really need/appreciate the logic underpinning the techniques as well as the proof that we're not wasting our time. Higbee very clearly and methodically builds that case before jumping into the "doing" of the techniques themselves.
Briefly, mnemonics work so well because they leverage the inherent ways our brains actually function to our advantage. They're like aikido for the brain. They associate something to be learned with something already known. The reason(s) mnemonics work involve the hard wiring of how our minds work, but for a quick analogy, say you have a flat tire on a car. Would you rather try to lift a car with your back, or use a hydraulic jack instead? Or, would you rather hammer a nail with your shoe or a hammer? Well, mnemonics are the jack and hammer. Is it "cheating" to use the jack? Is it circus-style trickery to use the hammer? Nope...it's simply using a tool to more effectively perform a given task.
Mnemonics aren't some "trick"; they are simply methods, or tools, for acquiring/remembering information that would prove either inefficient or impossible otherwise. They do this by first acting as a "conceptual glue" that holds disparate pieces of information (especially new information) together. They function on this level as a means of corralling the information and holding it in queue. Secondly, they help simplify the information, thereby off-loading the mental burden which then frees the mind up to focus on connecting those pieces of information together to actually understand and apply them. Finally, mnemonics then provide structure and organization to the information (especially on material that is otherwise not very meaningful or organized), and because higher order tasks such as problem solving, analysis, and critical thinking depend on the cohesiveness and order of the underlying knowledge base, mnemonics increase the effectiveness of those tasks. So, both in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, mnemonics improve learning and our ability to manipulate and apply knowledge.
The primary criticism of mnemonics by some in academia goes something like this: "'Mere memorization' is a low-level mental skill (as opposed to higher order skills such as critical thinking, reasoning, analysis, etc.); therefore, methods of improving acquisition and recall of information (i.e. memory, memorization, or mnemonics) are low-level mental skills with a low level of importance." Not only is this attitude usually presented with a sort of arrogant and condescending demeanor, it flies in the face of history, experience, and evidence. "Critics rarely make it explicit that the alternatives to mnemonics are either dumb blind repetition or simply outright failure, and no one seems to want to champion these alternatives." Further, and most disturbingly, this flippant dismissal of mnemonic techniques by some belies a fundamental misunderstanding of how human beings learn. Learning occurs in steps or stages...in other words, it's a process...with acquisition necessarily coming first, then things like problem solving and reasoning later. An analogy between mnemonics and Maslow's hierarchy of needs serves as a good illustration. Without food, water, and sex (sex, as in, for the perpetuation of genes to successive generations) none of the other emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual needs can be met. In other words, survival first, then we worry about self-actualization. After all, its hard to strive for your fulfillment as a self-actualized individual if you never existed (or didn't survive) in the first place, right? Similarly, of course high order reasoning and analysis are our goals, but "more sophisticated mental operations...are impossible without rapid and accurate recall of bodies of specific information." In other words, acquisition and retention of knowledge not only facilitate higher order mental operations, they are prerequisite. Thus, loftier goals are in addition to, not instead or, the acquisition/recall.
By the way, for those interested, the book has a fantastic reference section so I'll refer you there mostly, but I would like to give honorable mention to The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play, also a great book on the subject. Although I personally prefer Higbee as it's much more complete (at least in terms of a reference, background, etc.) Lorayne's book has all the practical nuts and bolts of the techniques written in a more simple conversational style. Plus, there are a few techniques that appear in one that doesn't appear in the other, for example, Lorayne's "memory grid" which I've found really helpful and have used quite a bit.
Okay, so that was a little long-winded but the book deserves all the praise I can give it. If I'm honest I would actually give the book 4.5 stars, only because if you're REALLY wanting to take mnemonics to absurd levels and/or compete in memory sports, some of the most advanced techniques such as the PAO system aren't covered. Still, it's a great place to start. After reading this book you will have a strong understanding of how and why of mnemonics work, as well as the tools necessary to apply them to a wide variety of contexts. These techniques have added a great deal of value to my everyday life. I can't really provide a higher compliment than that.
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2013
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- sameerReviewed in India on July 21, 2021
Well researched book on psychology and techniques of memory
