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Individuals with strong memory skills have a comparative advantage over other professionals, so a lot of people try to improve their “memory capacity”. In theory, a human brain can hold up to 1 quadrillion pieces of information, which means it is virtually limitless. However, improving your memory demands dedication, time, and practice.
The Internet is flooded with various tips and tricks on how to achieve this goal but only a handful of suggestions are based on real scientific facts. In this article, we will show you 7 science-based hacks to improve your memory.
What Is Memory And How To Take It To the Next Level?
Memory is the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc, or of recalling or recognizing previous experiences. A powerful memory is one of the basic preconditions of professional or academic success. More importantly, it’s a skill you can train and grow over time.
Some people are willing to exercise and improve memory. If you feel like being part of this group, check out the 7 science-based methods to give it a boost.
- Keep studying
The first suggestion on our list is also classical and most obvious. Dozens of studies proved that persons who keep reading, studying, and learning throughout their lives don’t lose sharpness and save mental stamina in the long run.
‘Repetitioest mater studiorum’ is an ancient saying which basically means ‘practice makes perfect’. This sentence cannot fade away because it’s just the way people function. For instance, a basketball player who makes 500 shots a day will surely score much better than amateurs who don’t practice at all.
The same goes for memory – you just need to keep reading, studying, andlearning poems, famous speeches, or even random numbers. These are all activities that can keep your mind sharp and more receptive long-term.
- Handwriting
Laptops and mobile devices replaced paper and notebooks almost completely in the last few years. While it does help you to complete professional tasks more efficiently, it doesn’t really increase the capacity of your memory.
On the other side, handwriting stimulates brain functions and makes it more active because you have to think carefully about each word you write down. Unlike typing, handwriting is not an automated activity, which means that you need to stay focused in order to do it correctly. Better memory comes simply as the side effect of concentration.
- Read Aloud
If you want to sharpen your memory, you have to stay mentally engaged. To put it simply, you can’t only read something but you also must think about itsimultaneously. Reading aloud is the perfect activity in that regard because it forces you to think about the text and its true meaning.
Studies at the University of Waterloo have found that people remember most of the content when they read aloud. It beats all other forms – reading quietly, listening to another person reading, or hearing a recorded audio lesson. Therefore, you should read aloud whenever you have the chance because it enables you to focus, engage, and think about the content.
- Drink coffee
Most people know that coffee improves short-term attention and intellectual awareness. It raises cognitive capabilities, increasing the overall cerebral endurance.However, the journal Nature Neuroscience revealed that a dose of caffeine after a learning session may help to boost long-term memory.
After testing 160 participants, scientists learned that those who took a 200mg caffeine pill could remember pictures much better than test subjects who took placebo tablets. This method is very easy to follow, so you might use it on a daily basis. Just be careful not to go too far as it may have a counter-effect on your memory.
- Try to visualize things
Humans are visual beings. Each one of our senses has its advantages but when it comes to sight, nothing can beat its velocity. According to the research, we can process visuals 60 thousand times faster than textual messages.
You should use this feature to learn through images. The best way to do it is to establish a mental correlation between new knowledge and well-known imagery from everyday life. This technique gives incredible results but you have to be patient with it. It’s hard to accept the visualization tactics immediately, so don’t give up after a few failures.
- Exercise
Exercise can do miracles for your body and your mind. You’ve probably heard already that physical activity keeps you strong and ready to work hard day in, day out. But it gives you another benefit – people recover mental strength through exercise, too.
You don’t have to be active every day (although it would be ideal). Jogging or going to the gym 3 times a week will be more than enough in the beginning. If you hate this kind of training, you can attend yoga classes or some other type of exercise. No matter what you choose, rest assured it will make your memory much more powerful.
- Sleep well
We saved the best for last – sleeping is crucial if you want to preserve an entire set of mental skills, including your memory. Although scientists still can’t figure out exactly how it affects the brain, it has been shown that sleep aids storage and retrieval of long-term memories.
A lot of people neglect a good night’s sleep because they have too much work to complete. Of course, we don’t recommend you to sleep 12 hours a day but at least 7 hours is mandatory if you want to improve the memory capacity.
Conclusion
A strong memory can help you to think, study, and work much faster than the average human being. Some people are born with this trait but it is nothing more than the simple skill, which means you can develop it over time if you are willing to exercise. In this article, we showed you 7 science-based hacks to improve your memory. Give them a try and you will realize that your memory is improving very soon!
You’ve read 7 Science-Based Hacks to Improve Your Memory, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
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