Celia, a cognitive scientist known on Instagram as @celiaonpsychology, chose a poem by Robert Frost titled “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” which she had never read before. She aimed to memorize its 40 words in about two minutes. Instead of repeatedly reading the lines, she used a strategy called the Method of Loci. This technique involves associating each word you need to remember with a specific location in a familiar place.
Celia began at her front door and moved through her apartment, creating a visual image for each word in the poem and placing it at a particular spot. For instance, she linked the word “green” to her green sofa in the living room. To remember “hardest,” she imagined a woman with a diamond. The word “hue” was represented by a color gradient, while “hold” was pictured as a mother cradling a baby.
After assigning images to all the words, Celia shut her eyes and retraced her mental path, recalling the poem from her furniture. She successfully remembered 35 out of the 40 words on her first attempt. This method dates back around 2,500 years and has a dark history. It is often attributed to the Greek poet Simonides of Ceos, who survived a disaster at a banquet hall. He was able to identify the victims because he remembered where each person had been seated.
Later, Roman speakers adapted this technique for their speeches. Cicero famously used it to recall long addresses without notes, and the stories of Sherlock Holmes introduced the idea of a “mind palace” to modern readers. Unlike many study tips seen on social media, the Method of Loci is supported by scientific studies. Research involving some of the best memory competitors showed that nine out of ten utilized this technique, activating parts of the brain linked to spatial awareness.
A 2021 review by Twomey and Kroneisen in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology analyzed 13 randomized studies and found a notable impact on memory recall. Another study published in Science Advances that same year revealed that six weeks of training with this method led to more lasting memory compared to traditional working-memory training or no training at all.
Though some viewers commented on Celia’s video that her method seemed more complicated than just reading, it can be particularly effective for longer materials that need to be recalled in sequence. This is why the technique is used in medical training, speech preparation, and competitions like the World Memory Championship. Additionally, it can be reused; once a poem is no longer needed, the same mental spaces can be repurposed for new information.
You can find more psychology content by following Celia on Instagram. What do you think about using memory techniques like this?
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Source: Upworthy, by Adam Albright-Hanna