Visualizations can help you remember things more easily, as our brains are designed for remembering visual impressions. The more extreme and absurd a visualization is, the better it’ll stick around. If you’d have to remember that some character is a firefighter, you could only make a mental “is firefighter” note and leave it at that. You could also imagine them being fully geared up, running out of a burning gas station, rescuing half a dozen puppies with the gas station blowing up just seconds after they got themselves and the puppies to safety. This mental image/scene will likely stick around better than the simple “is firefighter” note. When using violent, extreme, sexual, or otherwise shocking mental images, you’ll get the best chances of remembering, because you’re combining a feeling with an image, creating a well-rounded experience.¹
Use-Cases
Remembering Names
If you’re like me, you’ve been in a situation where someone introduced themselves to you, and you forgot their name within the first 5 seconds of conversation. Fortunately, names aren’t nearly as often used in real conversation as they are in TV shows, so you’ll usually be fine. But it’s still awkward nonetheless. To remember names better, work with an extreme, obscene visualization that involves that person’s name. If someone introduces themselves to you as Tony, imagine them as Tony Stark, flying in an Iron Man suit, but crashing into a building and violently breaking into pieces. Make this as vivid as possible, with limbs and blood flying and splashing around. This will probably be an image you’ll find hard to forget, which is why it’s so perfect. If you already know another Tony, you might imagine them fighting each other to death, throwing punches, bloody noses, pure rage. When you see Tony 2 again, you’ll remember the picture of them fighting Tony 1. You can look for less violent but still clear mental images as well, such as picturing some Michael as some incredibly powerful archangel (and then perhaps fighting other non-archangel Michaels), or some Paris bungee jumping from the top of the Eiffel Tower.¹
If someone introduces themselves with a name you’ve never heard or have no connection to, it can become tricky. My personal approach has been a combination of spaced repetition and trying to use their name in conversation at least once. Spaced repetition in this case means that I’ll try to recall their name several times mid-conversation, the following day, a few days after that, and 2 weeks later. If I notice I forgot their name during the conversation, which will still happen on occasion, I’ll just ask. Yes, it’s a bit uncomfortable, but far from unusual. And the little embarrassment helps add some experience to this information, making it more memorable.