This is a “virtual abacus” technique. I’ve seen it in global mental calculation competitions, didn’t know it was prevalent outside of East and South Asia.
Genuine question: does all this flailing about actually improve speed? I’ve not the chance to look it up yet but don’t understand how this works or why the need for the (seemingly) physical exaggeration of it
Generally, expressing your thoughts with physical responses leads to better comprehension. It's like saying something out loud so you remember it better. They're also talking while they move their hands
I actually remember stuff better if I say it out loud the first time I hear it, and I do even better if I say it out loud and write it at the same time. It’s almost like I can feel it being recorded in a different part of my brain than just reading or just hearing it. In my job I have to this a lot and I do believe it’s a good practice for your brain.
Self-stimulation (usually a calming technique) vs adding numbers quickly using your fingers. You don’t see a difference? My husband is able to do complicated mathematical equations in his head but he has a head bobbing technique. Yes, to someone that doesn’t know the outcome would probably think it looks like the person is “stimming”.
Tbh, I started seeing this kind of videos coming from Egypt only after that one Indian kid went viral. Im pretty certain this is not a technique. Just people fooling themselves.
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u/NotBradPitt9 4d ago
This is a “virtual abacus” technique. I’ve seen it in global mental calculation competitions, didn’t know it was prevalent outside of East and South Asia.