The Science of Memorization: How Your Brain Learns Complex Patterns

The brain is a truly fascinating organ, and although it is the control center that has helped humanity invent remarkable things such as intercontinental air travel, space exploration, and the internet, that doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing when we need to remember key facts and information.  

Comparing any two brains or learning styles as the same would be disingenuous and not reflective of the neurotypical and neurodivergent diversity that gives everyone their own unique personalities and perspective on life.  

However, when it comes to learning and creating the framework to grasp complex patterns, there are proven strategies and techniques that help us remember ideas that may seem alien when we first encounter them. 

Pen & Paper – The Tried & Trusted Method  

Learning something from scratch becomes more of a challenge the older you get; take it from me, I’m someone who used to be great with names. If somebody told me their name, they didn’t need to mention it again, and I could bump into them six months down the line and still remember it.  

That’s not quite the case today; someone would have to tell me their name half a dozen times before I get it right, and I’ve got close friends who have fiancées that I can’t remember. Some memory, hey? Well, all hope is not lost.  

For those who don’t use social media and must rely on their brains to do all the legwork when it comes to things like remembering names and birthdays, there’s a simple solution: write them down. It is one of the most effective ways to remember people’s names, although it is not the only trick that people use.  

Yes, it might sound basic and a bit of a throwback, but it helps you revisit them without having to ask the same question repeatedly. However, this strategy is more of a problem if you forget your neighbor’s name. Once that ship has sailed, and you speak to them every week, you can’t go back and ask them again, despite speaking to them every week.  

Crunching The Numbers 

Sometimes, it’s about building on the foundations of previous knowledge. You don’t need to start from scratch; in fact, the most effective forms of learning really start from this. It is about commitment and consistency and creating a system that works and helps you grasp the basics of whatever it is you’re trying to lodge in your brain.  

For some, it’s about knowing the values before using it as a springboard before you memorize more in-depth elements of the topic or game, such as blackjack, which is a good example of crunching the numbers without getting too bogged down in specifics to begin with.  

Knowing how to memorize blackjack basic strategy is simply numerical. Yes, there are nuances to this, and to truly understand the game you need to have a solid understanding of things like blackjack insurance, knowing when to split, and knowing when to double down. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say.  

Starting with the basics gives you the basis to expand your knowledge. For instance, the aim of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible; anything above 17 is a strong hand that you stick, and 11 is usually the best hand to double down on, as it gives you the best possible chance of landing a high-scoring hand.  

Remember the strength of the numbers, and you can go from there. As you can see in the link below, there’s still debate about whether blackjack is a game of luck or skill, but as long as you can memorize the basics, this gives you the license to dive further into building your knowledge.  

The Power Of Mnemonics 

Those who have tried to learn another language will be able to attest to this. I’ve been learning Japanese for a while now, and while it is an extremely difficult language to grasp, there are pathways and techniques you can use to memorize the numbers and letters.  

In Japanese, the number two is pronounced “ni” – so I remember it as having two knees. You’re not learning an entirely new thing; you’re just compounding it onto pre-existing knowledge.  

There are some exemptions here, of course; polyglots have a natural affinity and skill at picking up languages, as that is the part of their brain that is the sharpest, but if you are a bit slower than a polyglot and you want to take small steps in learning a language, then mnemonics is one of the best ways to do it. 

Summary 

Learning complex patterns is not a walk in the park; it takes a considerable amount of effort, and although you can use some of the techniques we have talked about today, there are no shortcuts to learning complex ideas and patterns.  

Invest time, be consistent, and use the learning techniques and strategies that are better suited to your learning style. Once you have all of this under your belt, you will see the results. I never thought I’d be able to learn Japanese when I first looked at hiragana and katakana charts, and now I can – because I used the strategies that worked and consistently kept up my study.