How to Remember Anything

Memory is a funny thing. Most people make lists to help them remember things. (Although some people can’t always remember where their lists are!) There are some useless pieces of information that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives though. But when we really need to remember something it’s like our brain is a sieve!

Sometimes in order to remember something you’ve got to get a little weird. Here are some of the more outlandish ways to help you remember something!

Chew gum – it might not be seen as the most polite thing for you to do in an important meeting or while giving a presentation, but chewing gum can help your memory recall. A study conducted at St. Lawrence University found that people who were chewing gum would perform better in tests of recall and memory tasks.

Meditation – I struggled to get into meditation for a while – probably because it’s touted as that catch all remedy for all of life’s problems. But once I began to understand it, I really did  do start to experience all those benefits. Studies at Harvard Medical School found that people who meditate have more control over alpha rhythm, which affects the ability to filter out distractions. When we’re more focussed we tend to be better at remembering things!

Laugh – Have you noticed those ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ signs that seem to have sprung up everywhere? Maybe you even have one in your home. Well, apparently they’re onto something. Researchers at Loma Linda University have been studying the effects of laughter on stress. A quick chuckle helps to lower the levels of cortisol in the brain and can improve recall by up to 43%.

Take a Nap – As we get older,we understand the benefits of a good night’s sleep more. A study at Harvard found that taking a nap after learning something can help the brain to lock in what has been learned. Neuroscientist Susumu Tonegawa explain to Oprah.com “If you then fall asleep, the same cells automatically fire in an identical sequence without being distracted or disrupted by incoming visual stimuli. That solidifies the synapses, which in turn helps to strengthen the information as a memory.”

What are some of your weird tricks to help you remember your to-dos?