How Outsourcing Your Thinking Is Weakening Your Memory with Nelson Dellis

People stopped exercising their memory long before AI arrived.  Technology simply made the decline easier to ignore. Aaron Hale sits down with 6-time USA Memory Champion Nelson Dellis to examine what happens when convenience replaces cognitive effort and people stop relying on their own minds. Nelson explains how watching his grandmother decline from Alzheimer's pushed him into memory training, why memory champions are trained rather than born, and how techniques like memory palaces and spaced repetition change the way information is retained. The conversation moves from AI dependence and long term memory to mental math, card counting, and practical ways to strengthen cognitive performance in everyday life.  By the end, Nelson makes a compelling case that memory is far more trainable than most people realize. 0:00 Intro 4:31 Fighting Alzheimer's Through Memory 9:30 Intelligence vs. Genius 13:24 The Memory Palace 19:22 Why Cramming Fails 20:54 The Leitner Box Method 27:38 Mental Math Shortcuts 31:55 Building Number Sense 41:40 Monopoly and Card Counting  Resources Mentioned: 🌐 Connect with Nelson Dellis https://www.nelsondellis.com/  🌐 Nelson Dellis YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NelsonDellis 📚 Everyday Genius by Nelson Dellis https://www.amazon.com/dp/1419784811 Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).