Quran & the IKEA Effect
Hassan Saeed
Read time: 2 minutes
Have you ever noticed how much more you value something you’ve put effort into?
This psychological principle, known as the IKEA effect, explains why we feel a stronger attachment to things we contributed to building ourselves.
How I used the IKEA effect in my Quran memorization?
When I began memorizing the Quran, my approach was to read and repeat, expecting the verses to stay in my mind. However, I often mixed up similar verses when recalling them from memory.
So, I took a different approach—I started engaging more actively with the Quran.
Whenever I struggled with similar verses, I underlined them on my iPad.
Over time, I noticed a change—I started recalling these verses more effortlessly.
By physically interacting with the text, I was no longer just reading—I was building something. The extra effort made it easier for me to remember.
Not only that, but I was using the same color when underlining similar verses.
The Von Restorff Effect: items that stand out from their surroundings (e.g., through color) are more likely to be remembered.
Here is an example:
Guidelines for Underlining Verses in the Quran:
Underline only when truly necessary—keep the Quran’s appearance respectful and uncluttered.
Only mark verses in your personal copy of the Quran (avoid using mosque copies for example).
Avoid sharing your underlined copy with others to prevent confusion.
If possible, erase the markings once you have perfected memorizing the verses.
One more thing… Want to take the IKEA effect to the next level?
➡️ Understand the meaning of the verses before memorizing them.
Here’s an example of how making sense of what we read makes it much easier to remember:
Memorizing these random letters is difficult:
It becomes easier when we arrange them into words:
It’s very easy when we form a meaningful sentence:
Learn How I Memorized the Quran: