Known since Antiquity, the memory palace fires the imagination in films and TV series. Yet this memorisation technique is simple to put into practice: you store what you want to remember in a place you know by heart. Here is how it works, why it works and how to apply it to your lessons.
What is a memory palace?
The memory palace (also called the “mind palace” or the “method of loci”) consists in picturing a familiar place, then mentally placing the information you want to remember in it, each item in a specific spot. To recall it, you simply walk the same route again in your mind.
The idea is old. Cicero tells the story of the Greek poet Simonides of Ceos, who is said to have identified the guests at a banquet after the hall collapsed, by remembering where each of them sat at the table. Roman orators then used this method to remember their long speeches.
If you have seen the series Sherlock, you already have a picture of it: the detective stores his memories in a “mind palace”. Reality is more modest, but the tool remains very effective for certain kinds of content.
Why we forget what we have studied
Many students say it: “I studied, I knew it, and then in the test, nothing.” This is a long known phenomenon. In 1885, the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus showed that forgetting is very fast in the hours and days after learning, then slows down. This is the famous “forgetting curve”.
His experiments used meaningless syllables: we forget meaningful material more slowly. But the general lesson still holds, and a 2015 study replicated his results: without review, a good part of what we have just learned fades quickly.
The brain mainly keeps what made an impression on it and what it uses often. That is why studying the night before works for the next day’s test, but much less for the end of year exam.
What makes memorisation work
Memory psychology has identified several levers that students can really act on:
- Attention: it is hard to remember something you did not really pay attention to.
- Repetition: while learning, but above all spaced out over time, to slow down forgetting.
- Depth of processing: the better you understand and explore a concept, the better you remember it.
- Self reference: information linked to your own life or interests sticks more easily.
- Grouping: making connections, linking ideas together.
- Mental imagery: picturing information clearly as an image.
The memory palace acts mainly on encoding, the moment when information is stored. It combines several of these levers at once: a familiar place (self reference), clear images (mental imagery) and striking scenes (depth of processing).
A proven technique
Memory champions, who can memorise the order of several decks of cards, almost all use the method of loci. And this ability can be trained.
A study published in 2017 in the journal Neuron (Dresler and colleagues) had adults with no particular talent train in this method for 40 days, 30 minutes a day. On average, they went from 26 to 62 words remembered out of a list of 72, and their results were still high four months later.
A word of caution: the method helps you remember lists, steps and items that must come in a precise order. It does not replace understanding a proof or a line of reasoning.
How to build your memory palace, step by step
1. Choose a place you know by heart
Your home, your bedroom, the way to school or your grandparents’ house. The more familiar the place, the less effort it takes to walk through it in your mind.
2. Set a route and fixed spots
Define a route that is always the same (from the front door to the kitchen, then the living room…) and pick precise spots: the doormat, the coat rack, the table, the lamp. Each spot will hold one piece of information.
3. Turn each piece of information into a striking image
A dull image is forgotten. An exaggerated, absurd or funny image sticks. To remember a shopping list (milk, corn, chicken, ham), picture for example milk overflowing from the doormat, corn cobs hanging from the coat rack, a chicken sitting at the table and a ham resting on the lampshade.
4. Walk through your palace to recite
To recall the information, walk the route again in your mind and “look” at each spot. The order of the route gives the order of the items, which is very useful for a timeline or the steps of a method.
5. Review at spaced intervals
The palace does not replace reviewing. Go back to it the next day, then a few days later, then the following week. This spaced repetition turns a fragile memory into lasting knowledge.
Examples for your lessons
The method suits many subjects, as long as the content can be broken down into items:
- History: seat the countries of the First World War around the family table, like a dinner that goes wrong. Austria-Hungary learns of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the quarrel breaks out, and the alliances form before your eyes.
- Languages: link a vocabulary word in Dutch or English to an object in your bedroom, with an image that recalls the word’s meaning.
- Science: place the steps of a process (photosynthesis, mitosis) in the successive rooms of the house.
- Presentations and oral exams: like the Roman orators, put each part of your presentation in a different room.
The memory palace is not a miracle solution. Some students take to it straight away, others prefer flashcards or mind maps. The best approach is to try it on one chapter and keep what works for you.
One tool among others in a good study method
Memorising is only part of studying. You also need to understand, plan your revision and practise with exercises. Our 5 tips to study and pass your exams complement this technique well.
If you struggle to remember your lessons, or want to help your child find their own way of learning, a coach can help. Our private lessons in study skills are for secondary school pupils as well as higher educationstudents, at home anywhere in Belgium or online.
This article takes up and updates the one written by Mad Barbez, a My Sherpa coach, based on the general psychology course at UCLouvain and her experience with her students.
