How to Improve Your Memory

Posted on 27. May, 2007 by George in Improve Your Memory

Have you ever been in the middle of a thought and could not remember what you were thinking of? Perhaps you were about to take an exam and forgot all of the information that you thought you knew.

Maybe you were talking to someone and forgot entirely what his name was. If any of these situations sound familiar to you, read on to discover some relatively simple ways to jog your memory and keep everything in perspective.

Many scientists suggest that taking ginkgo biloba will improve your memory by releasing nootropic or “smart cell” properties into your system. If using memory supplements for the rest of your life does not sound appealing to you, perhaps something more hands-on might be more useful.

According to cognitive psychologists, learning and memorization is more meaningful when it is connected to your prior knowledge of something. When the information is presented in a manner in which it can move from your short – term memory to your long – term memory, where it remains so that you can use the information in the future.

One such method of committing material to your long – term memory is through repetition, verbal or written, of new information. This process will pull new information from your short-term memory, where it is temporarily stored to make room for new information, to your long-term memory so that you can remember and use it in the future.

Motivation plays a big role in this aspect of improvement of recognition. As with all aspects of life, if you do not desire to learn the information and commit it to memory, it will move no further than your short-term memory, as your brain will interpret this disposition as meaning that the information in question is not necessary for long-term storage.

Consequently, the use of interactive resources, such as flash cards (which aid in the repetitive process), and learning or memory manipulative make remembering information more interesting and personalized, thus drawing the new material to your long-term memory to be stored permanently.

The key in this particular aspect of memory improvement is that the new information be connected in some way to your prior knowledge of a related concept. Without this knowledge, the new information will make much less sense to you and you will be significantly less likely to remember it in the future.

For example, when learning a foreign language, it is important to connect the new concepts to ones that have previously been learned – that is, concepts that can be recollected and reused – or to concepts familiar to the learner, such as similarities between his native language and that of the target language.

Interestingly, scientists have determined that your memory can actually be improved and memory-loss diseases such as Alzheimer’s be prevented through learning of a foreign language.

The brain is a muscle, and, like the rest of the muscles in your body, must frequently be exercised or it will atrophy. If you follow these suggestions, you will be able to remember almost anything in no time!