The User Manual For Your Brain

The human brain is an engine of power. It sets us apart from other animals by granting us the ability to learn, problem-solve, and create. That’s true power, given to each and every one of us for free from day 1. But most people never read the user manual, as if expecting to figure out the complexity of the brain by chance.

The brain learns and stores information in a particular way. Even a simple understanding of its neuroscience is enough to make a difference. It’s time we stop fighting our brains and start working in harmony.

To start, let’s look at the knowledge center of our engine: memory. There are three types:

During a typical study session at the library, your brain constantly takes in new information: the glare of the overhead lights, the sound of doors opening and closing as other students enter, and the titles of books on the bookshelf.

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All this information that your brain senses is briefly stored in your sensory memory. Most of this memory will be lost in a few seconds if you give them no attention.

Your attention is likely on the notes and laptop in front of you as you study for Friday’s exam. As you think critically about how to solve that practice problem, the relevant equations and key terms fill your working memory. Your goal is to store all this knowledge in your long-term memory because you won’t be allowed to bring your notes with you to the exam.

Learning happens when we successfully store knowledge in our long-term memory (aka encoding) in a way that we can later call upon to solve problems (aka retrieval). Unfortunately, the knowledge that is stored in our long-term memory can also fade away if left unused. The reason we study is to reinforce that information to remain in our long-term memory (aka consolidation).

Encoding is like hanging an object onto a sticky spider web.

The brain is essentially a network of billions of neurons, all with multiple connections to each other. A web of knowledge.

Let’s say you’re studying chemistry. When you try to encode a chemical equation into long-term memory, that equation is connected to all the prior knowledge you have about chemistry: atoms, electrons, acid-base reactions, and so on. The more connections, the stronger that information will stick. Therefore, encoding is all about making connections and realizing how different ideas relate to each other.

Think of retrieval as the act of practicing with your knowledge.

A golfer doesn’t improve by simply collecting more golf clubs and allowing them to collect dust in the closet. What’s required is taking those clubs out of storage and practicing with them. Collecting more clubs is easy, which is why it feels productive. But don’t confuse this with putting in the real work. The key to better retrieval is to challenge yourself under realistic conditions. Watching a golfer play is not the same as going through the motions yourself. Practice is when you’ll learn the differences between how one golf club swings compared to another.

Learning works in a similar way. Collecting chemistry notes and chemistry textbooks on your bookshelf is not helpful unless you put the knowledge to practice. You might have hundreds of equations stored in your long-term memory, but how would you know which ones to use and under which circumstances? Retrieval allows us to practice our knowledge, giving us confidence that we’ll use it correctly.

Without review, your knowledge slowly fades away.

This is what it means to “forget” something. Forgetting is a natural part of a memory’s lifespan, but we can combat it by repeatedly exercising that memory.

In addition, it has been shown that quality sleep (particularly REM sleep) allows our brain to consolidate what we’ve learned into long-term memory. Sleep works synergistically with repetition to reinforce our memories. So when we pull an all-nighter and cram for an exam, we give our brains only one chance to consolidate knowledge. This study method neglects both sleep and repetition. But when we space out our reviews over multiple days, we give our brains the chance to consolidate across multiple sleep cycles.

That’s the basic science of how our brains learn information. If you want to dive deeper, check out How the Brain Learns (and don’t forget to share this with your friends!)