In 2005, science journalist Joshua Foer, believing he had an average brain, covered the USA National Memory Championship—a competition designed to push the limits of human memory. His life changed when a former champion offered to train him to become a mental athlete over the course of a year.
Foer learned both ancient and modern techniques to enhance memory:
Memory Palaces: An ancient method where pieces of information are associated with specific locations in the mind, making them unforgettable.
Mnemonic Techniques: Cutting-edge methods that allowed him to memorize hundreds of playing cards in a precise order.
By 2006, after hours of dedicated training in his parents' basement, Foer returned to the championship, not as a journalist, but as a competitor. He surprised the field, giving former champions a run for their money and ultimately winning the final round.
Nurture Over Nature
Foer's rapid success raises a crucial question: does this mean anyone can become a mental athlete? The answer lies in the impact of nurture over nature when it comes to intellectual outcomes.
Differences in achievement were once wrongly attributed to inherent gifting, such as the idea that richer children did better in school because they were simply more naturally gifted. However, we now understand that factors like opportunity and environment create significant attainment gaps. For instance, children who lack access to extracurricular activities during long school holidays often fall behind their peers. Furthermore, advances in nutrition and access to technology have caused average IQ scores across the globe to rise by about 30 points in the 20th century—factors that have nothing to do with genetics.
Joshua Foer's journey is a perfect illustration of the power of nurture. His success was the result of a combination of factors:
Expert Training: Access to a coach who taught him specialized techniques.
Novelty of Techniques: His opponents had not yet fully discovered or adopted the cutting-edge methods he was taught.
Dedicated Environment: A quiet place to study and practice, like his parents' basement.
Though he became a memory champion, Foer still occasionally forgets where he put his car keys, proving that even the most highly trained minds are still subject to human error. Ultimately, Foer's story demonstrates that when it comes to maximizing cognitive potential, opportunity, technique, and dedicated practice have the greater impact.
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