7 Simple Ways to Improve Your Memory

Without Any Training

Boost your memory easily by writing about your problems, looking at a

natural scene, predicting your performance and more
Youll have heard about the usual methods for improving memory, like using imagery,
chunking and building associations with other memories. If not Google it and youll find
millions of websites with the same information.
The problem with most of these methods is they involve a fair amount of mental effort.
So here are seven easy ways to boost your memory that are backed up by psychological
research. None require you to train hard, spend any money or take illegal drugs. All free, all
pretty easy, all natural!

1. Write about your problems

To do complex tasks we rely on our working memory. This is our ability to shuttle
information in and out of consciousness and manipulate it. A more efficient working memory
contributes to better learning, planning, reasoning and more.
One way to increase working memory capacity indirectly is through expressive writing. You
sit down for 20 minutes a few times a month and write about something traumatic that has
happened to you. Yogo and Fujihara (2008) found that it improved working memory after 5
weeks.
Psychologists arent exactly sure why this works, but it does have a measurable effect.

2. Look at a natural scene

Nature has a magical effect on us. Its something weve always known, but psychologists are
only just getting around to measuring it.
One of natures beneficial effects is improving memory. In one study people who walked
around an arboretum did 20% better on a memory test than those who went for a walk around
busy streets.
In fact you dont even need to leave the house. Although the effects arent as powerful, you
can just look at pictures of nature and that also has a beneficial effect

3. Say words aloud

This is surely the easiest of all methods for improving memory: if you want to remember
something in particular from a load of other things, just say it out loud. A study found
memory improvements of 10% for words said out loud, or even just mouthed: a relatively
small gain, but at a tiny cost.

4. Meditate (a bit)
Meditation has been consistently found to improve cognitive functioning, including memory.
But meditation takes time doesnt it? Long, hard hours of practice? Well, maybe not.
In one recent study, participants who meditated for 4 sessions of only 20 minutes, once a day,
saw boosts to their working memory and other cognitive functions

5. Predict your performance

Simply asking ourselves whether or not well remember something has a beneficial effect on
memory. This works for both recalling things that have happened in the past and trying to
remember to do things in the future.
When Meier et al. (2011) tested peoples prospective memory (remembering to do something
in the future), they found that trying to predict performance was beneficial. On some tasks
peoples performance increased by almost 50%.

6. Use your body to encode memories

We dont just think with our minds, we also use our bodies. For example, research has shown
that we understand language better if its accompanied by gestures.
We can also use gestures to encode memories. Researchers trying to teach Japanese verbs to
English speakers found that gesturing while learning helped encode the memory (Kelly et al.,
2009). Participants who used hand gestures which suggested the word were able to recall
almost twice as many Japanese words a week later.

7. Use your body to remember

Since our bodies are important in encoding a memory, they can also help in retrieving it.
Psychologists have found that we recall past episodes better when we are in the same mood
or our body is in the same position (Dijkstra et al., 2007).
This works to a remarkably abstract degree. In one study by Cassasanto and Dijkstra (2010),
participants were better able to retrieve positive memories when they moved marbles
upwards and negative memories when they moved marbles downwards. This seems to be
because we associate up with happy and down with sad.

More effort?
If all these methods seem a bit lazy, then you can always put in a bit more effort.
Probably the best way of improving your overall cognitive health is *xercise. Studies
regularly find that increasing aerobic fitness is particularly good for executive function and
working memory (check out this previous article on which cognitive enhancers work).
Conversely, stay in bed all the time and your working memory gets worse (Lipnicki et al.,
2009).
Take your memory training to the limit and an incredible study by Ericsson et al. (1980)
shows what can be achieved. Our typical short-term memory span is about 7 things. In other
words we can hold around seven things in mind at the same time. These researchers, though,
increased one persons memory span to 79 digits after 230 hours of practice, mostly using
mnemonic systems.
Shows what you can do if you put in the hours. That said, Ill be sticking to a nice walk
around the park.

Source :
Dean, Dr Jeremy. 2011. http://www.spring.org.uk/2011/05/7-simple-ways-to-improve-yourmemory-without-any-training.php accessed on Sunday, February 23rd 2014