Episode
How to Improve Memory & Delay Alzheimer's with Nelson Dellis
- Podcast
- The James Altucher Show
- Published
- Mar 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4318
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Summary
A Note from James: I talked to Nelson Dellis, who’s a six-time USA Memory Champion and has broken multiple Guinness World Records. His book, Everyday Genius , makes a pretty bold claim—that with some practice and the right techniques, you can dramatically improve how your brain works. We didn’t just talk about memory. We got into everything: mental math, focus, cold reading, even some techniques that feel almost like magic. And I’ve done a lot of episodes on memory over the years—but Nelson showed me things I hadn’t seen before. What stood out to me is this idea that “genius” isn’t some fixed trait. It’s a collection of skills you can build. Some of them are surprisingly simple once you understand how your brain actually works. I’m definitely going to spend more time practicing some of these techniques. There’s a lot here that’s immediately useful—and a lot that could take years to master. Episode Description: James sits down with world memory champion Nelson Dellis to break down what memory really is—and how far it can be pushed. Nelson explains how his grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s led him into the world of memory training, eventually becoming one of the best in the world. From memorizing thousands of digits to competing in global competitions, he shows that memory is not a fixed trait—it’s a skill. The conversation goes beyond memory into focus, reading, learning, and even social intelligence. Nelson shares practical techniques for improving recall, reading faster without losing comprehension, and using visualization to retain more information. They also explore the edge cases—cold reading, intuition, and even experiments with “remote viewing”—where perception and cognition blur into something that feels almost supernatural. At its core, this episode is abou…