I was in a local store the other day and ran into a
friend I hadn't seen in around a year or so. I knew that she recognized me, because she gave me a big hug and referenced our last meet up at the library. I immediately said, I'm not sure if you remember my name. It's Maria. She replied, "I'm so glad you reminded me; I'm Linda." And then we continued our conversation.
This made my brain zone in on the topic of memory, as well as techniques we can all use to enhance our memory recall to better remember names, dates, information, trivia, where a store is located, etc.
1. Visualize and Link: Create vivid mental images to associate with the information you want to remember. For example, if you need to recall a grocery list with milk, eggs, and bread, visualize a carton of milk floating in the air, eggs cracking themselves into a bowl, and slices of bread popping out of the toaster. The more bizarre
the mental images are, the better.
2. Body Movement: Connect body movements with information to engage muscle memory. When studying, assign specific movements to different concepts. For instance, when learning historical dates, touch your nose for the 17th century, pat your head
for the 18th century, and clap your hands for the 19th century. During recall, mimic the movements to trigger memory retrieval.
3. Rhyme and Rhythm: Turn information into catchy rhymes or rhythms. Create short rhymes that encapsulate the details you want to remember. For example,
to remember the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), you could use a rhyme like...
"Roy G. Biv, a rainbow scheme,
Red, orange,
yellow, green,
Blue and indigo, so it seems,
Violet hues, like in my dreams."
4. Mind Palace Technique: Imagine a familiar
place (like your home) and mentally associate each piece of information with a specific location within that place. As you mentally walk through the space, your house for instance, recall the information linked to each location.
Milk: Imagine pouring a gallon of milk on the front porch of your house, creating a white river flowing down the steps.
Eggs: Picture a basket of eggs cracking and splattering in the living room, with eggshells scattered
across the carpet.
Bread: Visualize a loaf of bread growing out of the kitchen sink, as if it's magically sprouting from the faucet.
Apples: Envision a giant apple tree growing in the backyard, with juicy red apples hanging from its branches.
Yogurt: Imagine opening the refrigerator door in the kitchen and finding shelves filled
with colorful yogurt cups, stacked to the top.
5. Acrostics: Form a memorable phrase using the first letter of each item you want to remember. For example, to remember the order of operations in math (parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction), create
the sentence "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally."
6. Sensory Associations: Engage multiple senses by connecting information to different sensory experiences. Associate smells, tastes, sounds, or textures with specific facts. For instance, if you're learning about famous artists, associate
Van Gogh with the smell of sunflowers or Picasso with the sound of a guitar.
7. Spaced Repetition: Break up your study or learning sessions into spaced intervals over time. Review the material at specific intervals, gradually increasing the time between each review. This technique
helps reinforce memory by leveraging the psychological spacing effect.
8. Name Recall: Let's get back to remembering names. When someone is telling you his or her name for
the first time, try to be mindful of what that person is saying. Repeat and confirm that person's name. "It's nice to meet you Elle." Create a mental picture in your mind, like your new friend Elle's face pictured on the cover of Elle Magazine.
Of course, our minds can only hold and release so much information at any given time. So, when you can't remember someone's name, just ask! Say, "Your name is on the tip of my tongue, but apparently I'm having a brain-lapse. Would you remind me?"
Of course, these days, we really don't have to remember much. Writing down (or typing into our phone) things like tasks, groceries, items to bring to work, what to pack in our gym bag, errands we have to run, etc. frees up our minds. The paper (or phone) will remember for us.
Obviously, I'm a big believer of recording information with pen/paper or digitally.
Still, the less we're forced to remember, the weaker and weaker our memory recall will become...and that's not good for our mental well-being. So, work your mind a bit every day to keep your memory recall as sharp as possible.
