Learning New Things To Improve Memory
Today, more than ever before, our society is obsessed with the idea of memory. We seem to be striving for an idealized past where you committed the multiplication table to memory with just a few words and phrases. But the truth is your brain has changed since then.
We now live in an age that's obsessed with technology, busy schedules, and multitasking. Our brains have adapted accordingly and can retain significantly more information- but as we all know, this does not always equate to improved cognition or better quality learning experiences.
There's a physical and a mental component to memory. A memory is made up of two things:
1. The physical act of storing the information in your brain (consolidating the information into your long term memory)
2. Your ability to access that information when you need it (recalling the information from your long term memory)
The problem is that many people believe that they can improve their memories by practicing very specific techniques like reciting memorized phrases, etc. The truth is that this kind of practice can help you to consolidate the information in your brain for easier retrieval later, but more importantly, it does nothing for you in terms of accessing the information when you need it . This is where the mental component of memory comes in.
The Mental Component of Memory
Your ability to access information is dependent on your ability to recall it. If you can't recall it, then you'll never be able to use it effectively. If a person asks you for the main idea of an article or what a certain actor looks like, you need to be able to access that information quickly and efficiently. This is how we improve our memories: by improving our recall mechanism.
The brain is a complex organism and scientists are still trying to decode its secrets but there have been some interesting studies that have revealed some surprising effects on memory in recent years.
In one study conducted by the University of London, a group of students were given a list of words to remember. Some were told to focus on their breathing while they memorized the words. Others were told to stare at a piece of paper.
The results showed that the group that was told to focus on their breathing was able to recall significantly more words than the other group with much greater accuracy .
In another experiment conducted by researchers at the University of California at Irvine, a pair of groups looked at pictures and tried to remember them. One group was instructed to stay still and not move around while looking at the picture, whereas the other groups were allowed any movement needed in order to see clearly .
The results showed that the participants who remained still were able to accurately recall the pictures, whereas the other groups continued to falter in their ability to remember even after looking at things for several seconds!
These are just two of many experiments that have shown how we can change our brains in a very positive way. How? By letting your brain do what it has evolved to do- adapt.
Changing Your Brain: How Adapting Your Memory Improves Recall
Your brain is always trying to figure out how you think. Remember that saying "everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth?" Well, your brain is constantly determining what kind of punches you're going to throw and making adjustments accordingly.
Your brain is constantly making adjustments based on your habits and behaviors. If you do certain things, the brain can make a mental note of those behaviors and will adapt accordingly. When it comes to memory, the good news is that your brain is always trying to improve itself to serve you better.
This means that over time, your brain will develop a stronger ability to retain information. When you need it later on, your brain will be able to access this information in an efficient manner because it's already adapted to that specific situation.
Let's look at a practical example: let's say that you have a class in which you have to memorize 100 random digits (such as 910-999- X ). You'll probably be able to memorize a few, but it won't be enough in order to learn that specific course material.
However, if you're able to keep practicing and making small changes to your routine every few days, then eventually your brain will adapt. When you take the class again, you won't need just a few random digits in order to remember the information because your brain has already made adaptations for that specific situation and will most likely be able to recall it perfectly.
How Does This Work?
Your brain constantly generates new connections throughout the day. These are called synapses, and they are responsible for information storage.
Think of it this way: the synapses between your neurons are like a connection between two pieces of information. These connections are constantly being made and disrupted as you think and interact with various activities. The more connections you have, the greater capacity you have for memory retention.
When it comes to your brain's ability to retain information, this has a lot to do with how many "synaptic connections" you have between neurons. Studies show that the more synaptic connections there are, the better your brain is at storing new information .
The more "synaptic connections" you make in between neurons, the easier it will be for your brain to retain new information -no matter how large or small that new piece of information may be.
So what does this have to do with memory retention?
Well, the more connections you have between your neurons, the better off you'll be in terms of your memory. In other words, YOU CAN THINK YOURSELF SMARTER THAN YOU ACTUALLY ARE.
The Restless Mind: How Your Brain Works - Explained By an MIT professor
"Science is about finding patterns." ― Steven Johnson, How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made The Modern World
Just as there is a physiological side to our brains (the brain itself), there is also a psychological side to our brains (our minds). Think of it as two sides to a coin.
This chapter is all about psychology and the way we function in everyday life. Psychology deals with the way our minds work and our thought processes, as well as how these interact with other people and even ourselves. Psychology is an interesting field to study because of its multi-disciplinary nature- it deals with so many different aspects of life, including things like memory, emotion, behavior, and perception.
Much of what this chapter discusses will have to do with enhancing your memory. If you have a weak memory that's causing you problems in your daily functioning, then there are ways in which you can improve this problem so that it has less of an impact on your day-to-day lifestyle.
The chapter talks a lot about things like the difference between short-term and long-term memory, as well as how to train your brain and improve your memory on a daily basis.
Another interesting thing to note is that the chapter takes great lengths to explain that our minds are naturally weak when it comes to remembering certain things. The fact of the matter is that our minds are typically weak in terms of memorizing and retaining new information, especially if we haven't spent much time training them through regular practice and education.
This means that you can take small steps towards improving your memory (through training) even if you don't have a good foundation at first.
Conclusion
This guide was written to help you improve your memory in a natural, easy manner. The key is to work on your mind on a daily basis and make use of the scientific principles discussed in this guide. This way, you'll develop stronger mental abilities that will ultimately lead to better memory retention.
Your Memory: A Guide will be updated regularly to ensure that our readers receive an accurate and up-to-date insight into improving their memory.
The first step to building an amazing memory is understanding how your brain works and what steps you can take today, right now, which will have an impact on your ability to remember new things tomorrow.