We discuss ways to strengthen your memory - everything from remembering names to learning more effectively.

Show Notes

• 0:59— Ian starts off with a stat from a survey about which types of people have memory challenges and we learn that it is a challenge for people of all ages.
• 2:48— March tests Ian and Darren’s memory with a series of words to remember.
• 4:53— March talks a bit about why memory is important and what are the different ways you use memory in your daily life — thinking, social interaction, mental exercise.
• 7:27— Ian shares a trick that Bill Clinton used during law school to remember people’s names and personal stories.
• 12:45— Ian wonders whether muscle memory is a thing, and if so, where is muscle memory rooted in the brain.
• 13:33— We learn about the difference between implicit and explicit memory.
• 18:32— Darren notes how it challenging it is to try to not read words on signs.
• 21:04— Ian describes how, for him, the smell of plastic or styrofoam has a strong correlation with the Super Nintendo product from when he was a kid.
• 21:40— March explains the structural, anatomical reason for why the sense of smell is our strongest, most memorable sense.
• 24:09— Darren shares a counter intuitive fact about how our ability to forget things actually helps us remember the most important things.
• 27:12— Ian describes the difference between the way kids learn in school today versus how lessons were taught 30 years ago.
• 28:44— We learn that Plato was fearful of writing eroding humans’ capacity to think and so he memorized all his lessons and stories to avoid having to write.
• 32:50— Ian is curious whether the brain uses the same areas for memory as it does for creativity. He is hopeful that our reduced
• 36:11— Darren shares that he is terrible at remembering names but is incredibly good at recalling song lyrics and movie dialog.
• 37:55— Darren recalls a phone number from a Sports Illustrated television commercial he saw when he was a kid.
• 38:17— Darren makes a phone call to a phone number he remembers from a television commercial 35 years ago.
• 41:58— We learn about March’s personal experience with memory and how he is challenged with remembering biographical information but that he excels at understanding “tree of knowledge” type of information.
• 46:57— Ian asks Darren and March if they recall where they were when the learned about the attacks on 9/11.
• 48:23— Darren recommends the Lumosity app as a fun way to exercise different functions of your brain.
• 48:40— Ian shares news on the first FDA-approved video game aimed at improving memory.
• 53:42— We learn about another classic movie that Ian hasn’t seen yet.
• 55:26— March shares a tip about the positive affects of exercise on memory and we give a shout out to dodge ball as a great game for school children.
• 58:01— March reveals a clever tactic he uses that instead of a “1 on 1” meeting, he has a “run on 1” meeting once per week.
• 1:00:26— Ian is curious about whether Ginko Biloba is an effective supplement for memory improvement and we do some impromptu research to find out
• 1:05:06— Ian reveals his mental trick for remembering people’s names and faces. To Ian, March is a banana and Darren is a chocolate chip cookie.
• 1:09:53— March shares an ancient trick called the “memory palace” for remembering complex ideas or stories.
• 1:19:55— March shares that research has found that caffeine helps trigger the memory consolidation process actually helping memory recall.
• 1:20:48— We get the payoff on March’s memory test when Ian and Darren attempt to repeat back the sequence of words March listed at the beginning of the show.

Mentions

• What does it take to be a Grand Master of Memory?
• Black Mirror Season 1 Episode 3 --- The Entire History of You
• March's pro tip 😉 for memory: Eclipse Winterfrost gum (and 10 jumping jacks)
• Tim Ferris blog w/ techniques for improving memory
• 📖 Book: Moonwalking with Einstein
• 📖 Book: Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
• 📱 App: Lumosity app
• --- insights from Dr. Michael Merzenich, PhD (co-creator of the cochlear implant)
• --- insights from Dr. Adam Gazzaley & Dr. Larry Rosen

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