The Loci Method Is A Fantastic Mnemonic Technique

The Loci method is a very old mnemonic technique that can train our brain in the art of storing memories. It is based on getting the brain to relate to general data to specific places, physical routes or specific paths where we place the input to be able to remember them later.

At first glance, this strategy may seem a bit basic. However, sometimes the simplest things are the most effective. In some cases, they even provide benefits to the plasticity of the brain. Recently, Radboud University’s medical center in the Netherlands showed through electromagnetic tests that a mnemonic strategy based on the Loci method actually worked.

Boris Nikolai Konrad was an example they studied. This young neuroscientist, who is the world champion in memory, has used the Loci method all his life. He currently works at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich, and he usually delivers conferences to show how entering the world of mental and memory strategies, such as that offered by the loci method, can change our brains.

The loci method is simple, efficient and, most importantly, makes us more able to remember certain data. In addition, it makes the brain more resistant.

The loci method and spatial memory

As mentioned above, the loci method is a very old technique. The development of this strategy is attributed to the lyrical poet Simonides of Keos, who used almost exclusively a mnemonic technique that was later used to create books such as Ad Herennium and De Oratore by Cicero.

It is said that Simonides of Keos had been invited to deliver a poetic recitation in Thessaly. At one point during the event, he was summoned by a servant who gave him a private message. The poet came out to the audience to read the note when there was suddenly a violent rumble. The palace he was in collapsed.

There were several victims and it was a major disaster. The severe injuries made it impossible to recognize the victims, but Simonides of Keos contacted the doctors to ask them not to move their bodies yet. The poet could identify each of them by remembering where they sat while reciting.

The effective strategy was later called the “loci method”, given that loci means “place” in Latin.

The art of finding memories in specific rooms

Many of us have practiced this technique for many years without knowing the great potential it has. When we make a shopping list, for example, a great way to remember everything we need is to take a mental tour of the store, shelf by shelf, shelf by shelf.

In the same way, students can remember certain data during a test by developing the place they were while studying that information.

These examples encourage us to discover the useful resources this technique has to offer. It is more useful to link one information to another than to learn it by forcing our brain to do so. We should remember that we are emotional creatures, and our brains like to make analogies to create meaningful memories.

In fact, spatial memory activates the hippocampus, a fascinating structure associated with the creation and retrieval of a memory. At the same time, it connects our emotional universes.

Do not hesitate to create your own memory palace where you can store information so that you can retrieve each item later.

How can I use the loci method in my daily life?

The greatest characters in the literature always use the loci method. They do not call it by its original name. They stick to using this mnemonic technique in the most effective way. For example, Sherlock Holmes and Hannibal Lecter use it a lot.

Can we use the loci method among the humblings of our own responsibility? The obvious answer is yes. These are the steps to connect our spatial memory to our working memory or long-term memory:

Procedure for applying the Loci method

• Choose your mental palace. It must be a familiar scenario: your house, a friend’s house, your local library, a street in the city you live in or a park.
• Plan your itinerary (or route). For example, I leave my room, walk through the hallway, look out the window, go to the toilet, then I go to the living room and see the sofa, the table, the shelves… Visualize every little detail in your mind.

• Now, connect an item to keep in mind to each of these details. It does not matter if it is stupid or absurd. In fact, the more absurd, the better you remember it. For example, if you study law, you can relate each law to specific objects.
• Once you have connected data to objects, details or corners, go through the route again several times until everything feels familiar and all the information is in the assigned place.

The loci method does not require much effort, only visualization, will, imagination, and the ability to establish connections. With this exercise, our brain will perform amazing neural processes to develop our memory and build pathways filled with information. It will make it all flow quickly and efficiently.