The Method of Loci: How Can It Improve Your Memory?

Many people have probably heard of the method of loci, but have no idea what it is. Let me paint you a picture: it is sometime in the fifth century, BC. Simonides, a Greek poet, had just finished reciting one of his poems at a banquet when he was called outside by another guest. While he was outside, the building that the banquet was being held in suddenly collapsed, leaving all of the guests gruesomely crushed underneath. In order to properly bury the guests, their names were needed, but it was next to impossible to identify the mangled corpses. Enter: Simonides. By picturing the banquet hall in his mind, Simonides remembered where everyone was seated, picturing the exact locations of each seat around the table. By looking at where the bodies were found, he could name each one to complete a proper burial. This was the supposed origin of the method of loci.  The method of loci is a mnemonic technique that requires you to picture a specific geographical location (a house or your university campus, for example) and place the particular items you need to remember throughout the location at different spots. When it is time to remember, you picture yourself walking through the house or campus, and coming across the different items you “placed.” If you wanted to remember a grocery list, you could place a cow in the living room to remember the item milk.  If one wants to put this technique to good use, it is essential to remember two things: meaning, and order. For thi...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Memory and Perception Cognition Cognitive Psychology method of loci Mnemonic device recall Source Type: blogs