I just saw an article written on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Digital Entrepreneurs. It made me wonder, “why 7”? I’ve seen so many popular books written on 7 Habits, 7 Clues, 7 Ways, etc. So I looked it up and here’s what I found out.
Aside from the Top Ten Lists, lists of 7 items have its origins in nature, and things to do with the spiritual and our superstitions. Remember the 7 Deadly Sins, the 7 Wonders of the World, 7 Seasons, 7 days of the week, and Lucky “7” in gambling or the lottery?
But the real reason has to do with our brains. “7 is the size of a memory chunk. The psychologist George Miller observed many years ago that our short-term memory remembers in units of 7 plus or minus 2. You can remember an infinite list of words, tasks, or facts if you organize it into 5 to 9 (but ideally 7) chunks. Likewise, 7 is a neuron’s favorite number. A 2008 study on neurons in the memory input unit of the brain, the hippocampus, showed that they produced the best information when their dendrites (the branches that receive stimulation) numbered 7. So perhaps we remember best in 7’s because that’s what our brains are best able to store.”
“When we can remember more information, we also learn better. According to the theory of “cognitive load,” learners need to minimize the amount of information they have to keep in consciousness (“working memory”) until they gain familiarity and expertise. The principles of cognitive load theory apply to all sorts of instructional and marketing materials, from PowerPoint presentations at sales meetings to schematic diagrams and to the way you talk to your friends and family. You need to present your information in as easily chunkable a form as possible or the learner’s resources will be depleted.” In simpler terms, you’ll lose their attention and overwhelm them!
Just something to consider as you lay by the pool, enjoy an outdoor picnic or spend time with friends and family on this Memorial Day. Hope it’s a good one!
[Excerpts from 7 Reasons We Like 7.)
