How to Improve your Memory

Female: You want to improve your memory. Here are some tips to make your memory mighty.

Male: If our brains were computers, let us simply add a chip to upgrade our memory. But the human brain is a bit more complex than that. The truth is that you may have a much better memory than you realize. But just need some help harnessing its power. If I told you to memorize this list of ten names in 15 seconds, most people would not be able to do so. These names have no context and without context or structure, both memorizations is challenging.

The human has a much easier time storing and recording memories when they are structured or contextualized. These are the same ten names but now they have context. Remembering these ten names is much simpler now because of how the information is organized. There are number of techniques that you can use to create context for new information, which makes remembering the information much easier. One such technique is known as reduction where desperate information is reduced to a more memorable form like a simple word or phrase. For example, imagine you have a list of errands to complete dry cleaning, milk, eggs, mustard, nails, car wash, a trip to all old navy, reduction can simplify this list. Combining the first letter of each errand spells the word command, which is much easier to remember than the original list.

Another useful memory technique is elaboration. With elaboration, you create a context for what you are trying to learn even though this may increase the amount of information you need to remember. A good example is the 30 days of September 1 for remembering the number of days in each calendar month. The method of loci or method of places is perhaps the oldest pneumonic device first used by the Greeks in 500 B.C. To use this method, think of a familiar place like your home and associate the information you are trying to remember with different parts of the place or the routine. When you need the information, just do a quick mental walkthrough of your house. This technique can also be used buy associating information with elements of a familiar routine.

You have much more memory than you think. Even if you cannot remember something the first time you try keep it. You will remember more with each successive attempt. Trying promotes Hypermnesia or enhanced memory. People used to think that hypnosis help memory but now scientist have realized that you do not need the hypnosis. It is a simple and powerful act of trying again that counts.

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