Understanding the Cognitive Load of Reading and How to Retain Information
“Don't just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents.”
Epictetus, The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness
I have a good friend who believes that most non-fiction books are a giant waste of time. He claims that unless you’re reading in a very particular way, you’re probably not going to remember most of what you read and therefore, it doesn’t actually make you more knowledgeable. My friend, a voracious reader, is also a relentless critic of himself, and so he’s worn this belief as a badge of honor, an ascetic’s take on reading for pleasure.
I don’t share his pessimism. I’ve used books as a tool to drastically improve my life and my understanding of the world. But my friend does have a point. When you read a book, you’re not really “learning” anything in the way that most people think you are. Understanding ideas and information comes from experience, from immersion in an environment and from using that information, not from simply being exposed to it. Reading, on its own, is just a first step; the true test of knowledge is if you can recall and use that information in the appropriate context.
I remember being fascinated by this idea in college. My friends and I would read a book, watch a documentary, or have a deep conversation and think we were brilliant for having this newfound knowledge. Then the next time we actually needed that information, we’d forget it. I had an existential crisis about this during my senior year, wondering why I was even in school, why I was doing all of this work if I was just going to forget everything I learned.
Turns out, my existential crisis did have a solution. There are techniques you can use to retain more of what you learn. Some of it has to do with how you read, some with how you recall information, and some has to do with how information is presented to us in the first place.
But first, let’s go through what’s happening in your brain when you read something.
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THE COGNITIVE LOAD OF READING
Your brain is a mysterious, complex machine. And somehow, the information you consume, whether through reading, watching videos, or engaging in a conversation, needs to be stored somewhere in that machine.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work quite like recording information onto a USB drive.
Our working memory is very limited. For example, the average person can only hold about seven (plus or minus two) pieces of information in their mind at any given time. And if you’re not working with that information, you’re likely to forget it.
For example, studies have shown that if you read a sentence, you’ll likely forget it by the time you reach the next sentence. So when you read the third sentence, you’ve already forgotten the first sentence. This is why when you go back and re-read something, it often seems brand new to you.
There are a lot of factors that determine how much of an information load you can handle. But what’s important here is that, when we read, we are constantly bombarded with new information, and our working memory struggles to process it all. If we don’t actively engage with and process that information, it’s likely to be forgotten.
THE EBBINGHAUS FORGETTING CURVE
Hermann Ebbinghaus was a German psychologist who was one of the first to study memory and forgetting. In 1885, he conducted a series of experiments on himself to understand how memory worked. He would memorize a list of nonsense syllables (like “ZOC” or “KEF”) and then test himself on how well he could recall them after certain time intervals.
What he found was that he quickly forgot most of what he learned. In fact, after just 20 minutes, he had forgotten about 40% of the information. And after a day, he had forgotten about 70% of it.
This became known as the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. And it shows just how quickly we forget information if we don’t actively reinforce it.
And this doesn’t just apply to reading, but to any type of information you consume. If you watch a video, have a conversation, or learn something in a classroom, you’re likely to forget a significant amount of it within a short period of time.
ACTIVE RECALL AND SPACED REPETITION
The key to retaining information is actively recalling it and reviewing it over time. In combination, these techniques are known as “spaced repetition.”
Active recall is exactly what it sounds like: you actively try to recall the information that you’ve learned. Instead of just reading the information and hoping that it sticks, you actively try to bring it up in your mind. This could be done by recalling the information from memory or by trying to explain it to someone else.
Spaced repetition is the practice of reviewing and recalling information over time. Instead of cramming all of your studying into one session, you spread it out over several sessions, reviewing and recalling the information at regular intervals. This reinforces the information in your mind and makes it easier to recall in the future.
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Spaced repetition is based on the idea that the more you review something, the longer you will retain it. And the longer you retain it, the fewer times you will have to review it in the future.
For example, if you review something once, you’ll probably forget it in a day. But if you review it again the next day, you’re likely to remember it for a few days. Then if you review it again a few days later, you’re likely to remember it for a week. And so on.
This is why studying for a test the night before is a terrible idea. You won’t remember anything by the time the test rolls around.
On the other hand, if you study a little bit every day leading up to the test, you’re likely to remember a lot more of the information and do better on the test.
In addition to these techniques, there are a few other things you can do to improve your memory retention when reading.
CHUNKING INFORMATION
One of the reasons we forget information is because we’re trying to process too much at once. Our working memory can only handle so much information at a time, so if we’re bombarded with too much information, we’re likely to forget most of it.
One way to combat this is to chunk information together. Chunking is the process of organizing information into meaningful groups or chunks. For example, instead of trying to remember a long string of random numbers, like 1234567890, you can chunk them into meaningful groups, like 123-456-7890.
The same can be done with written information. Instead of trying to remember a long list of facts or ideas, you can group them together in a way that makes sense to you. This can help you better understand and remember the information.
For example, let’s say you’re reading a book about the history of the United States. Instead of trying to remember each event or date on its own, you can group them together by time period or theme. This will help you better understand the overall narrative and remember the key points.
TAKE NOTES WHILE YOU READ
Taking notes while you read can help you better process and remember the information. This is because it forces you to actively engage with the material and think about what you’re reading.
There are many different ways to take notes, so find a method that works for you. Some people prefer to write in the margins of the book, while others like to type notes on a computer or tablet. Some people like to highlight or underline key points, while others like to write out summaries or outlines.
Experiment with different methods and see what works best for you. The important thing is to engage with the material and make it your own.
USE MEMORY TECHNIQUES
There are many different memory techniques that you can use to improve your memory retention. Some of the most popular ones include mnemonic devices, visualization, and mind mapping.
Mnemonic devices are a way of organizing and remembering information by associating it with something else that is easier to remember. For example, you might use a rhyme or a song to remember a list of items or a sequence of events.
Visualization is the process of creating mental images to help you remember information. For example, you might create an image in your mind to represent each key point or idea. This can help you better understand and remember the information.
Mind mapping is a way of organizing and visually representing information. It involves creating a diagram or map with the main idea in the center and branching out to sub-ideas and details. This can help you see the connections between different ideas and remember the information more effectively.
Experiment with different memory techniques and see what works best for you. The important thing is to find a method that helps you better understand and remember the information.
THE PRACTICE OF LIVING WHAT YOU READ
So, my friend was right—reading alone won’t make you smarter or more knowledgeable. But reading done right can have a profound impact on your life. It can give you new ideas and perspectives, help you understand the world better, and inspire you to take action.
The key is to actively engage with and process the information that you read. Take notes, review and recall the information over time, and apply it to your life. This is how you turn reading into a practice of living what you read.
When you read a book, you’re not just reading the words on the page—you’re engaging with the ideas and experiences of the author. You’re taking in their knowledge, and hopefully, integrating it into your own understanding of the world.
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