The self-referent effect is an important one for making memories. Whether it draws your attention or helps you encode a memory, the more you can tie something you want to remember to yourself, the better you will remember it. You might call this the “looking after number one principle” or the “numero uno effect.” We call it the “all about me principle”—and it really works.
The all about me principle is the principle used in any selling—show the customer the benefit so he or she will buy, because people want to know, “What’s in it for me?” Well, that’s how it works with your memory, too. If something seems important to you personally, you will be more likely to remember it—and you’ll remember it more vividly and in greater detail.
According to the self-referent effect, “You will remember more information if you try to relate that information to yourself.”[1] A reason for this is that the connection to yourself means whatever you are doing or trying to remember is more meaningful for you. As a result, when you encode the experience or item into memory, you are doing more of what psychologists call “deep processing,” where you think about other associations, images, and past experiences related to the stimulus, which all contribute to making this experience or item meaningful. For example, psychologists repeatedly have found that people are more likely to recall something that applies to themselves than something that doesn’t.[2]
This me-me-me effect is so powerful for a number of reasons. You find what you want to remember is more meaningful to you if it’s about you. You are answering the question: “Why the heck should I be interested in this?” You are also more likely to think about it—or “rehearse” it, as the psychologists call this process. Moreover, psychologists have found that when you engage in deep processing, you activate certain regions of the brain, most notably the left and right prefrontal cortex, associated with recall.[3]
You have probably experienced this phenomenon repeatedly in your own life. For example:
You remember to pick up tickets for a concert you really want to go to—and you remember the names of the main performers.
You remember the name and location of a store that has a new, hip product you really want to buy.
You remember the prices of items you are really interested in buying, so if the clerk makes a mistake, you point this out.
You remember to call someone for a reference for that really important job you are interviewing for.
Take a few minutes to think about all the things you have remembered recently because they were important to you. In many cases, you may not have realized you paid extra attention or absorbed this information while you went about the day on automatic. But when you needed the information, you just called it up, and it was there.
You can write down these important things you have remembered on the chart below. As you write them down, think about how much easier it was to remember them than something else that wasn’t important to you. Then, just for comparison, write down some things you didn’t remember that weren’t particularly important to you. (Since you don’t remember, just write down the category of what you tried to think of that you couldn’t remember—such as “name of a book,” “title of film,” or “political figure in the news.”)
REMEMBERING WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO ME | |
|---|---|
What I Have Remembered Recently That’s Important to Me | What I Have Forgotten Recently That’s Not Important to Me |
After you write down items on your list, compare them. Notice the difference in the way your memory came to your aid when something was very important to you, but often slipped away when you weren’t particularly interested—even when you were exposed to that experience or idea and others around you were talking about it.
So to remember more, be self-centered! Think about how whatever you are trying to learn or remember relates to you. When you do, not only will you be more likely to remember, but you may gain additional benefits for yourself, such as finding ways in which something or someone can be a valuable asset to you, increase your profits, expand your network, and so on.
Following are some ways to put the all about me principle into practice in different situations. As you do, consider how you might combine this approach with other techniques you use to remember, such as using image associations, chunking large amounts of information together into smaller groups, and rehearsing through repetition.
You have met someone at an event. Think about how that person could help you—or how you might help that person, which in turn could help you later with more referrals and business. You might also think about any associations you have with that contact, such as belonging to the same club, knowing someone in common, dressing in a similar way, traveling to the same place, liking the same vacation spot, working for the same company or in the same industry, and so on. Whatever you do to help you bond with that person and assess how you might do business or network together in the future will build additional memory traces that will help you recall who that person is later.
You have learned some information in a course. Think about how whatever you are learning might apply in your own life. For instance, if you learn about economic trends, imagine how those will affect your own buying power as a consumer. If you learn about people living in another society with different customs and beliefs, think about what customs and beliefs you share in common or how any differences might be helpful to you. If you learn about the features of a new tech product, consider how you would use that product yourself and how that might affect your life.
You have heard someone introduce some new programs for your company at a meeting. Think about how those programs might affect you and your department in the company.
So now, take it away, and come up with some other ways in which you might apply these types of information and experiences to yourself. To further remember these applications, don’t just think them. Write them down.
OTHER WAYS I CAN APPLY THE ALL ABOUT ME PRINCIPLE | |
|---|---|
Type of Situation | How I Can Apply It to Me |
Then, with this awareness of the different circumstances in which you might apply the all about me principle, apply it in your everyday life. Afterwards, reflect on the experience and notice how it has been working for you. How has the technique increased your memory for the situations where you have applied it? And what other gains have you experienced, such as improved relationships, increased business, and greater productivity? You might include your observations in your memory journal.