How to improve your memory

I was startled when a man pulled a gun on the professor in the middle of my psychology 101 class. My professor, Dr. Lutwick, gave the man his cash, and the stranger fled. In the ensuing uproar, some students yelled while others cried or sat stunned. Then the thief re-entered the room and gave the bills back to the professor. The whole event had been staged for a demonstration of perception and memory!

Dr. Lutwick apologized, then handed out a questionnaire that asked for details of the incident. At our next class, Dr. Lutwick gave us the results. It was amazing. Not only did we all have different memories of when the robbery had taken place, what the man had said, and how much money was exchanged, but two people even changed the man’s race. Dr. Lutwick and the man then re-enacted the robbery. They had practiced extensively, so their presentation was exactly as it had been at the previous class. When we were tested a few weeks later, most of us remembered our high-tension interpretations of the incident and not the calm re-enactment. As Dr. Lutwick pointed out, the more emotion that is tied to an event, the more likely it is to be remembered—whether that memory is accurate or not.

How disciplined is your memory?
It is truly a joy to remember fun and satisfying things. Then again, it’s really awful to be plagued by negative memories. People with undisciplined memories will recall things randomly. They may also have trouble remembering specific things when they want to. People with disciplined memories:
Believe that they will remember (“I never forget a face”);
Believe that the information they remember is useful;
Integrate new information using specific techniques (essentially attaching a “flag” to it) so they can draw it out when they need it;
Review the information regularly;
Congratulate themselves when they get it right (“I knew I’d seen your face somewhere”).

Classic memory methods
“Pegs”  
Design some rhyming pegs to hang facts on. The classic is: one= run, two=shoe, three=tree, four=door and so on. Think of the first thing you want to remember as running toward you, the second is stuck in your shoe, and so forth.

Acronyms
Take the first letter of each thing you want to remember and create a word or phrase that is easy to remember. For example, the colors of the rainbow spell out Roy G. Biv. Try this ASAP.

Telling a story
When you want to remember a spelling or a sequence, use a goofy story. For example, here’s a story for the spelling of “arithmetic”: A real individual thought he might eat turkey in church.

Associations
Steve’s last name is Wallis. To remember his last name, I visualize him scaling a wall. The more outrageous the association, the better you’ll remember it. (Just don’t tell people how you remember their names; it might get weird.)

The memory game
Observe how your memory works as you respond to the following questions. What do you think of first, second and so forth?
Close your eyes and describe where you are as completely as possible.
What did you have for breakfast last Sunday?
What is the nicest thing anyone ever did for you?
What is the song of a robin? A crow? A swallow?

Tell yourself: “I have a great memory, and it’s getting better. I always remember what I want to remember.”

The science of memory
The brain is all about creation, connection and control. Electrical charges flowing from axons to dendrites create chemical packages in nerve cells. These chemical packages are like little buckets of memory juice. Whenever we want, we can dip into these buckets to access our memories. Cells in the brain and the body are constantly creating new packages and recreating old packages.

Scientific studies affirm what seems to be common sense: If you are extremely busy, don’t get enough sleep or are nervous or anxious, your power of memory will fade rapidly. Low self-esteem and poor self-image also inhibit memory. Many drugs can influence the memory process. Drugs like seratonin, adrenaline, dopamine and the endorphin group (created by the body itself) enhance memory. Alcohol, marijuana and nicotine can greatly decrease the ability to remember. Even prescription drugs to reduce blood pressure, eliminate pain or induce sleep interfere with the memory process.

Finally, here are a couple of scientific no-brainers:
1. It is difficult to remember something you have never experienced.
2. It is hard to remember something that has no meaning or significance for you.

Group work fun!
For many of us, remembering in a group is great fun; for others, it is an impediment. You will want to establish for yourself whether working with other people is helpful for you. Here are a few games you can play in a group to make your learning more fun and successful. You might:
Play “Jeopardy” with the facts.
Create tests for each other.
Create a situation wherein you use all the knowledge at once.
Play “pass the ridiculous story,” in which you make the information so weird that it is easy to remember.

Try this exercise
Decide on a body of knowledge you want to remember.
Tell yourself a dozen reasons why you want to remember it well.
Imagine yourself remembering perfectly and using that knowledge.
Design an enjoyable and personal way to absorb information including the best modalities, intelligences and cognitive style to use.
Follow your plan exactly. Remind yourself that you’re having fun.
Celebrate.
Tell someone how well your learning plan is working.
Use what you have learned.

Creativity is about finding new things, meeting new people and putting old information together in new ways. How many different ways do you already know that have helped you (or others) to remember? Make a list. Once you have the list, create new methods of remembering by combining two or more methods. For example, if your list includes making rhymes to help you remember and studying with other people, you can combine the two into “making rhymes with others.” Enjoy trying out your new learning methods!

Chance Massaro and Steve Wallis are authors of Easy Genius: Awakening Your Whole Brain to Build a More Powerful Memory. Visit them at www.easygenius.net.

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