ImprovingWorkingMemory.com

You walk into the grocery store and grab a cart. You knew when you left the house that you needed to purchase milk, eggs, and…and…what was the other thing? Memory is something that seems so easy for some to master, yet others spend their entire lives trying to remember one thing or another, without ever being able to figure out why they forget things that others seem to remember so easily. But what, exactly, is memory? Are there ways to improve memory?

Memory

Memory is your brain’s ability to recall and retrieve information. There are two different types of memory: long term and short term. Short term memory allows your brain to recall things that are inputted into your brain for a few seconds or minutes. Long term memory allows you to remember things for a much longer period, and some things that you remember will stay with you for the rest of your life.
There are three different stages that the brain goes through when it comes to memory.
Acquisition - this is when new information goes into the brain either through smell, sound, touch, taste, or sight. The more you focus on something, the more likely you will be to remember it.

Consolidation - this step is where the information is encoded into your brain. The more you’ve concentrated, the more likely your brain will be to encode it properly and deeply. The hippocampus, a structure that is deep in the brain, sends the signal out to the rest of the brain that the information you are taking in should be stored as long term memory.

Retrieval - this step occurs only when you need to recall the information that you have stored. Information that you use more frequently is much easier to recall.

Long Term and Short Term Problems

Some people find that they can recall things from their childhood very easily and yet cannot remember their grocery list. Others, however, can remember their grocery list but have no idea what happened when they were eight. The reason for this is because your memory is like a muscle. The more you use it, the easier it is to remember things, and as with other muscles, some people have an easier time building them than others.

Ways to Improve Memory

If you have a bad memory, don’t despair - there are some ways that you can improve it. To begin with, ignore the companies that claim that you can improve your memory simply by taking some sort of a vitamin or mineral. While it can help you build your memory muscle, you still need to work it in order to truly improve it.

Next, pay heed to what your teacher always told you and pay attention! The closer you pay attention to something, the easier it is to remember. Studies have shown that it takes roughly eight seconds of strong focus in order to process information enough to allow it to be remembered. This means that you should avoid multitasking when you truly need to remember something. Also, make sure you know what method works the best to help you remember things. If you remember vocal cues better than written ones, make sure you read your grocery list out loud after you’ve written it down. Finally, include as many of your senses as you can when you’re trying to remember something. If you want to remember to pick up chocolate syrup at the store, think of the taste of it on your tongue and envision using it.

While these seem like simple tricks to help you to remember your grocery list or other short term needs, they’re also great ways to work your memory so that it can get stronger. The more you exercise it, the stronger it will become.

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