Summary: Andrew Huberman discusses effective strategies for studying and learning to enhance memory retention. He emphasizes the importance of focus and attention in the learning process, as these factors help solidify knowledge in our brains. Self-testing and reviewing material are also highlighted as key methods to reinforce understanding and achieve mastery.
the best learning practices are not intuitive (View Highlight)
the best way to study and learn is to access components of your memory systems that offset forgetting (View Highlight)
think about studying to offset the natural process of forgetting that everybody experiences when they are exposed to new material of any kind (View Highlight)
neuroplasticity is this incredible feature of your nervous system which of course includes your brain and your spinal cord which is the ability for your nervous system to change in response to experience (View Highlight)
any form of learning involves neuroplasticity neuroplasticity (View Highlight)
neuroplasticity at the level of cells which we call neurons or nerve cells generally involves three different mechanisms (View Highlight)
one is the strengthening of certain connections what we call synaptic connections (View Highlight)
another form of neuroplasticity is the weakening of connections between neurons (View Highlight)
third form of plasticity which is often discussed in the media but is very rare
actually in the nervous system especially the adult nervous system of humans is neurogenesis or the addition of new neurons (View Highlight)
the three ways are the strengthening of neural connection second the weakening of neural
connections and third through neurogenesis the addition of new neurons (View Highlight)
focus goes with alertness you can’t be focused if you’re not alert this is prerequisite so you need to be alert and you need to be focused in order to pay attention to the information that you’re
trying to learn (View Highlight)
your ability to be alert and focused is going to be greater if you slept well the night before (View Highlight)
you’re going to need to get your sleep right in order to be able to study and learn at your absolute best (View Highlight)
people who do a 10-minute meditation per day where they simply sit or lie down close their eyes focus on their breathing their attention invariably drifts they bring their attention back to their breathing people who do that on a regular basis improve their level of focus they improve their memory and recall ability (View Highlight)
the first night effect is the experimentally observed phenomenon whereby information that you learn on a given day is mostly Consolidated during the night sleep that you have on that first night after the learning occurs (View Highlight)
they’re the best students because they study three or four hours per day they don’t study three or four hours per day because they’re the best students (View Highlight)
students who make it a point to learn material in isolation then bring that material to other students in the same course and teach them perform exceedingly well in comparison to the other students (View Highlight)
scheduling time where you know you’re going to need to be focused and attending is perhaps one of the most important things toward being able to focus (View Highlight)
your confidence that you’ve learned the material increases with each subsequent exposure to the material but actually you haven’t learned it at all
compared to the people that are exposed to the material and then take tests on the material often times straining to get the answers right on those tests (View Highlight)
it’s a prerequisite to learning that you need to see the material for the first time you can’t just start testing yourself on material you’ve never been exposed (View Highlight)
the best forms of testing oneself as a tool for learning the best tests are open-ended short answer very minimal prompt tests (View Highlight)
any kind of emotional emphasis on material either in the delivery of that material but certainly in the way that that material is perceived by you like getting really excited about something you want to learn or thinking something’s really awful is likely to be more readily and stably committed to your memory (View Highlight)
the teachers that crack jokes get lower teacher evaluations than those that don’t crack jokes (View Highlight)
interleaving challenging information that’s new to you with little anecdotes little bits of information that perhaps are new to you but don’t require a lot of challenge (View Highlight)
Notes
The Counterintuitive Nature of Effective Learning
The best learning practices are not intuitive. Whatever you believe about how best to learn for you is probably incorrect. Most of what we believe about the best ways to study are absolutely false.
Understanding Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is the incredible feature of your nervous system which allows it to change in response to experience. Any form of learning involves neuroplasticity. At the cellular level, neuroplasticity generally involves three different mechanisms:
Strengthening of certain connections between neurons
Weakening of connections between neurons
Neurogenesis (addition of new neurons) - though this is rare in adult human brains
The Importance of Focus and Alertness
To learn effectively, you need to be alert and focused. This is a prerequisite for learning. The process of being focused and attending cues your nervous system that something is important.
Sleep: The Foundation of Learning
Getting a great night’s sleep is crucial for learning. Your ability to be alert and focused will be greater if you slept well the night before.
Active Engagement in Learning
Don’t be a passive participant in learning. Engage your attention and focus voluntarily. Force yourself to attend and focus on the material you’re trying to learn.
Tools for Improving Focus
Mindfulness Meditation: Doing a brief 5-10 minute mindfulness meditation each day can improve your level of focus, memory, and recall ability.
Focusing Perceptual Exercise: Focus on a visual target, allowing yourself to blink, and make sure your visual and cognitive attention comes back to that visual target over and over again.
The Two-Step Process of Learning
Active engagement (focus and alertness) during exposure to new information
Consolidation during sleep and sleep-like states
Testing as a Learning Tool
One of the most effective ways to study and learn is through testing. Testing is not just a way of evaluating what knowledge you’ve acquired, but also turns out to be the best tool for offsetting forgetting of any kind.
The Power of Self-Testing
Studies have shown that testing yourself on material soon after learning it can significantly improve retention. In fact, testing yourself once on new material can improve retention by about 50% compared to not testing yourself at all.
Best Practices for Self-Testing
Use open-ended, short-answer questions rather than multiple-choice tests.
Test yourself very soon (same day or next day) after being exposed to new material.
Don’t worry about getting answers wrong - recognizing errors in your information retention is another critical way to retain more information.
The Role of Emotion in Learning
Emotionally laden experiences are remembered more durably. This is why stressful or highly positive experiences can lead to “one-trial learning.”
Interleaving Information
Interleaving refers to the practice of mixing in related but not directly relevant information during the learning process.