How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

The Celebrity Method

Techniques > Memory methods > The Celebrity Method

Usage | Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Usage

Use this method to remember things when you are fascinated by celebrities or when you find it easier to bring them to mind.

Description

Make a list of celebrities who you can easily bring to mind. This can include current movie stars, rock stars, politicians or whoever gets you excited. It can also include historical figures, fantasy characters and cartoons. Just use who works for you.

When you want to remember something, bring the celebrity into the picture, with them involved in whatever you want to recall later. Build a sense of excitement

Celebrities can also be use to remember numbers. For example you could have a list as follows:

0 = Zero Mostel
1 = John Wayne
2 = Donald Duck
3 = Diter Von Teese
etc.

Then when you want to remember a number, make up a story that involves the celebrities doing thing in sequence. Other memory methods can also be used, bringing in celebrities where you want to make something more memorable.

Example

I want to remember to buy a cake in town. I create an image of Brad Pitt standing outside the cake shop, waiting for me. I can't wait to meet him! The excitement keeps my attention for long enough to ensure I get to the cake shop.

I meet a person called John. I imagine him wearing John Wayne's cowboy hat, with Wayne himself pleading for the hat back.

Discussion

Celebrities often invoke emotions, including negative ones, which is why you tend to remember them (even when you do not want to). Emotions are generally positively correlated with memories -- you remember emotional memories better than those where you were emotionally flat.

You can extend this method, for example using different types of celebrities for remembering different types of things. For example you could use football stars for remembering numbers, movie stars for remembering names, and so on.