Have you ever struggled to solve a problem for a long time, but then—out of nowhere—an obvious solution came to mind? Or have you ever had a conversation with someone and responded with “That reminds me of…”?
If you answered yes to either of those questions, you possess what’s called passive knowledge.
What is Passive Knowledge?
Passive knowledge is a term that refers to information that you can only recall when you’re reminded of a similar or related topic.
It’s not something you can think of at any given moment; It’s a fact that presents itself when the right stimuli are present.
For example, you might be speaking to a friend about cosmology when you’re suddenly reminded of a passage from a Stephen Hawking book you read years ago. Or perhaps you’re writing a school essay on immigration and you remember an insightful conversation you had with a classmate who immigrated to the country.
Both of these examples show passive knowledge at work. And as you’ll see in this article, it’s a pretty powerful tool to have.
Passive Knowledge Resides in the Subconscious Mind
What makes passive knowledge interesting is that it can only be brought to mind under the right circumstances:
- You must be actively engaged in the activity and pay attention.
- The activity must trigger an old memory that is related to the topic at hand.
When these two functions are true, you can access the passive knowledge stored in your subconscious mind—the part of your mind that stores old memories, facts, skills, and beliefs.
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, one of the most beloved and bestselling inspirational guides of all time, shows how changing your thought patterns can produce dramatic improvements in your life. Using practical, easy-to-understand techniques and real-world case studies, Dr. Joseph Murphy reveals the vast influences of the subconscious mind on all aspects of existence-money, relationships, jobs, happiness-and how you can apply and direct its power to achieve your goals and dreams.
When there’s no active participation, you won’t be able to process the information being presented to you. And when the topic doesn’t relate to something you’ve previously stored, you won’t be able to tap into the knowledge that’s stored in your subconscious.
Why does this matter? And what are the benefits of possessing passive knowledge, anyway?
What are the Benefits of Possessing Passive Knowledge?
Passive knowledge is useful when you’re learning something new. This could be anything involving a learning process, such as a problem you’re solving, a book you’re reading, or a presentation you’re listening to.
When you bring to memory an old idea or concept, you can apply it to the situation at hand to understand it better.
Passive knowledge allows you to make sense of information quicker because you can relate it to something that you already understand.
If you’re learning how to make Tiramisu and your mother taught you how to make dessert when you were in your 20s, you might be able to rely upon that memory to help you make a better Tiramisu.
Similarly, if you want to write a fiction book and you took a course on writing in university, it’s possible that you’ll be able to use that knowledge to write a better book.
Passive knowledge is a powerful tool because it makes you a faster learner and better problem-solver. So, how can you improve your passive knowledge? The answer is quite simple.
How Can You Improve Subconscious Information Recall?
When it comes to boosting your subconscious information recall, you need to think in terms of numbers.
The more data you’re able to store in your subconscious mind, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to connect the dots between old information and new information. Put simply: The more you learn, the better become at learning.
This means that you want to read books, take an online course, and attend more presentations. You want to expose yourself to new material if you want to expand your knowledge base.
A great place to start is with these articles: