Mastering Memory with Von Restorff Effect, Pinker's Rationality, Online Focus and More...
#12: Zhong Hong's Weekly Newsletter - 15 October 2023
Hey friends,
Here is the weekly dose of the newsletter, a list of what I’m pondering, reading, and exploring. Feel free to forward this along to friends or share it.
📄 Article I am reading…
I am reading Use the ‘Von Restorff Effect’ When Studying Difficult Concepts. So what is ‘Von Restorff Effect’? It is known as the isolation effect, which is a psychological phenomenon in which people are more likely to remember an item that stands out from the rest of a group. This can be due to the item being different in terms of its color, size, shape, or other characteristics.
So, this is how I would learn something using the 'Von Restorff Effect' 🧐:
When I read something that is complex and familiar to me, I will mark or underline it in the book 📚✍️. Then, I will jot down one complex idea or concept on an index card on Notion 🗂️.
From there, I will write down the explanation for that idea or concept using my own words 📝. This can solidify my understanding 🧠💪.
📚 Book I am reading…
I am reading Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters by Steven Pinker. 📚
Steven Pinker is an experimental psychologist who conducts research in visual cognition, psycholinguistics, and social relations. 👨🔬 He grew up in Montreal 🇨🇦 and earned his BA from McGill 🎓 and his PhD from Harvard 🎓.
Currently Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard 🏫, and he has also taught at Stanford and MIT. 📖 He has won numerous prizes for his research 🏆, his teaching 🏅, and his books 📖, including The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate, The Better Angels of Our Nature, The Sense of Style, and Enlightenment Now. 📈🌟
🔊 Video I am watching…
Here are my takeaways from this video:
👀 In a nutshell, the speaker is all about dealing with the overwhelm brought on by our online addictions and social media cravings. Their advice is refreshingly simple: tone down the sources of overstimulation and bring in some top-notch alternatives. 🚀 By doing this, you're taking back the reins on your focus and productivity.
🚭 Think about it like quitting smoking or kicking those sugary snacks to the curb. No need for fancy tricks, just acknowledge the issue and decide not to get sucked into it. 🙅♂️
🌟 To make things even better, why not immerse yourself in activities and content that light up your brain in a good way? For me, I will hit the gym or dive into some quality reads. 📚 The more you feed your brain the good stuff, the less tempting those quick, dopamine-triggering online distractions become.
💡 It all boils down to being mindful about how you handle the digital world. 📱 Get to know your brain's cravings and steer them toward the stuff that helps you reach your big, long-term goals. This way, you'll shake off the overstimulation loop and be back in control of your life and your productivity. 🌟🚀💪
🎧 Podcast I am listening to…
📚 If you're eager to improve your online writing skills, this video is a treasure trove of insights! David Parrell, the host, shared some valuable takeaways that resonated with me:
📝 Short attention spans aren’t the problem people think they are. Some of the most popular online essays are longer than 5,000 words. There are other data points too. Rogan has the world’s biggest podcast. Popular standup specials on Netflix are sometimes 90 minutes long. The problem is that your content isn’t good enough.
🖋️ Most people suck at writing because they’re scared. “Will people like my article?” they say. That's loser talk. The only way to get past this is to toughen up. Come at your keyboard with boldness. Pounce on it. Timidity is the enemy! 💪
🌐 When you start writing and don't have an audience, go to where your readers are and do the work of telling them about you. Look for Internet subcommunities where you can reach your readers. Find the people who want what you have, but just don’t know about you yet. 🌍
🧠 It doesn’t matter if you’re easy to read, if you’re also easy to forget. Aim to get stuck in your readers’ minds like a catchy song. Be easy to read, but hard to forget. 🎶
📚 Just like you should look at what big companies did before they got big, you should look at the habits of successful people before they got big. A 13-year-old basketball player should look at what Lebron James was doing at 13, not what he’s doing today. There’s more alpha in the “early career” part of all outlier success stories. 🌟
📌 Quote I am pondering…
“Self-promotion is not an act of shame. It’s an act of love - for others who want what you created.” - Ozan Varol
And, as always, please give me feedback. You can give me feedback by leaving a comment below or sending an email to me. Which point above is your favourite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know, I’d be happy to receive from you all!
Also, if you're interested in reading my older newsletters, you can find them here😃
Wish you have a superb week ahead.
Much love to you and yours,
Zhong Hong