Here are some fascinating, lesser-known ways the brain works and how we can work with (rather than against) its natural tendencies:
The Memory Palace Method’s Scientific Basis
Most people know about memory palaces but not why they work so well: your hippocampus, which processes both spatial memory and factual memory, treats spatial and factual information as equally important. When you link facts to spaces, you essentially trick your brain into treating random information as critical spatial data it needs to remember.
The 20-Second Rule for Habit Formation
While many know about building habits, few realize that making a desired behaviour 20 seconds easier to start (or an undesired behaviour 20 seconds harder) dramatically increases success. This works because the brain’s basal ganglia, which controls habits, strongly prefers the path of least resistance.
The “Doorway Reset” Phenomenon
When you walk through a doorway, your brain automatically clears its working memory to prepare for a new context. This explains why you often forget why you entered a room. To hack this, mentally rehearse your goal while walking through doorways.
The “Tetris Effect” for Learning
Playing Tetris for just 10-15 minutes before learning a new physical skill can enhance motor learning. The game activates the brain’s procedural memory systems, essentially “warming up” the parts of your brain responsible for learning sequences and patterns.
Temperature-Memory Connection
Your brain recalls information better when your body temperature matches what it was when you learned the information. This is why studying in the same environment where you’ll take a test can help – your brain includes environmental data in its memory encoding.
The “Production Effect”
Reading important information aloud improves retention by up to 50% compared to reading silently. The brain processes the information through multiple channels (visual, auditory, and motor), creating stronger neural connections.
The “Coffee Nap” Technique
Drinking coffee immediately before a 20-minute nap is more effective than either coffee or napping alone. The caffeine kicks in just as the adenosine (sleep pressure) clears from your brain’s receptors, creating a powerful alertness boost.
The “Spacing Illusion” in Learning
While cramming feels more effective, spacing out learning into shorter sessions actually works better because the brain strengthens neural pathways during rest periods between sessions. This process, called memory consolidation, happens primarily when you’re not actively studying.
The “Motion Facilitates Emotion” Principle
Moving your body can directly influence your emotional state because your brain’s emotional centres are closely tied to motor centres. Simply adopting an upright posture can increase testosterone and decrease cortisol levels, improving confidence and reducing stress.
The “Directional Processing” Hack
Your brain processes information from left to right (in Western cultures). Placing important items on the left side of your visual field can make them more noticeable and memorable because they get processed first in your visual sequence.
Curated list by Technonic (Human) / Claude 3.5 Sonnet (AI)