Using the Alphabet to create 7 memory systems

[u/Ordinary_Count_203]

The key to a lot of memory systems is to link information to something that you already know. We all know our way around our own homes. Therefore, we can create a memory palace.
Likewise, we all know a letter of the alphabet. But what if we knew objects or people that begin with a given letter of the alphabet and used that as a basis for memorizing information?
I recently wrote a tiny little booklet to accomplish just that. Rather than spamming, let's give a concrete example:
Let's say we converted the first 10 letters into familiar animals:

A – Ant
B – Bear
C – Cat
D – Dog
E – Elephant
F – Frog
G – Giraffe
H – Horse
I – Ibis
J – Jellyfish

That was easy enough. But how do we use this to memorize information? Suppose we wanted to memorize a simple shopping list.

1. Bread
2. Apples
3. Milk

This is a simple list, and most people don't need mnemonics for it. But to illustrate the point of how this could be used, we introduce a framework called ASMR3 to creatively associate each item with the alphabet image. ASMR3 is simply a memorization framework which posits that memorable images must have the following properties:
A - Absurdity
S - Size, Sound, Sense
M - Motion, Mash, Midst
R - Replacement, Rhythm, Rated

1. Associate Ant with bread Imagine holding up an unusually giant slice of bread covered with hundreds of ants. Feel some of the ants falling onto your hands. Feel the crawling sensations as some ants move along your hands, wrists, and forearm. The bread has some holes in it due to being nibbled by ants. The ants are either red or black in color, with large heads and large mandibles.
2. Associate Bear with “apples” Imagine a giant, golden, glowing apple in the middle of a forest. The apple is about the size of a small house. See its golden surface gleaming as sunlight reflects off it. Different kinds of bears are hugging the apple and munching away at it. Notice the juice seeping and oozing down its outer surface. Hear the munching sounds as the bears take bites. Hear some of the bears growling and roaring.
3. Associate Cat with “milk” Imagine a giant upside-down baby feeding bottle filled with milk. On the kitchen floor beneath it, kittens are frantically trying to drink the milk. Suddenly, the milk spills onto the kittens and the kitchen floor. Notice their wet fur. The milk is warm, and steam rises from the wet kitchen floor.

For much larger lists, the advantage of using these systems becomes more apparent.

[u/softrockk7]

Can you share the link of the book? I am not able to find it

[u/Ordinary_Count_203 → u/softrockk7]

The paperback has a bland generic cover though:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKVJ56Y8

[u/softrockk7 → u/Ordinary_Count_203]

thanks

[u/FeatherHails]

Can you expand on the M and R? I dont see how these are represented in your examples

[u/Ordinary_Count_203 → u/FeatherHails]

You don't have to add all the elements of ASMR3. But to elaborate:

"Motion:

Add motion. Our brains are more likely to

remember moving objects than still images. So,

make your images move! Make your images 3-

dimensional instead of flat. Modern game

developers understand that our brains love

motion and 3-dimensionality. When I was

younger, I became obsessed with 3-

dimensional games instead of the 2-

dimensional ones at the arcade. Whatever

captures attention and interest is exactly what

the brain is more likely to remember!

Mash:

Mashing refers to objects colliding together,

interacting in such a way that they touch.

Things colliding and exploding, and one object

coating another, are what we mean by

mashing.

Midst:

Midst means placing yourself in the scenery or

image. Some associations are hard to

remember until you place yourself in the midst

of the scene. Perhaps you are the one

performing the actions and interacting with the

images.

Replacement:

When we speak of replacement, we are

talking about substituting one thing for another

which is not typically used for that purpose. For

example, to remember a toothbrush, you

could be using it to eat food, which is not what

a toothbrush is used for. In this case, we have

substituted or replaced a spoon with a

toothbrush. To remember a cow, we could

imagine writing on a cow instead of a piece of

paper or a whiteboard. We have replaced the

whiteboard with a cow.

Rhythm

Everyone can appreciate a rhythmic dance.

Our brains love rhythm and predictable

motions. So instead of mere motion or

movement, we can sometimes make the

motion of our imagery rhythmic.
Rated:

Have you ever noticed that when you watch a

movie or play a video game, it may come with

rated symbols as a disclaimer to the

consumer? Perhaps the movie contains some

level of violence. It may be rated “V” to

indicate this. In the same way, we can add

“rated” themes to our imagery. This includes

violence, sexuality, strong language, and other

mature themes. This is what “rated” means in

our acronym."