Yahoo Lifestyle Clever memory tricks
By: Caitlin Chang
You’re walking up the street thinking about the day ahead when suddenly it hits you –
did you lock the door? You head home only to find that, yes, the door’s locked, but now you’ve missed the bus. Everyday absentmindedness can be tedious, and WH stress less expert, clinical psychologist Dr Suzy Green, says there are a number of reasons behind it: stress, multi-tasking, simply being “off with the fairies” and in serious cases, depression. And while there’s no real scientific explanation for day-to-day forgetfulness, it can be a symptom of cognitive overload. Dr Siew Yeen Chai, a researcher in memory disorders at Melbourne’s Monash University, says there’s only so much your brain can process at one time, so when you have a lot on your mind, “it becomes bombarded… and that’s when you have difficulty retrieving information.” Good, your marbles are still intact.
ITEM | WHY YOU LOSE IT | FIND IT NOW |
|---|---|---|
Your keys and phone | Misplacing items comes down to your level of mindfulness – the process of focusing on the present and being aware of your immediate surroundings. “Some people are simply more mindless than others,” says Dr Green. “The good news is, you can learn to be more mindful.” | With keys, pick a spot in your handbag and, at home, leave them in the same place. Psychologist Mary Sanna says: “Assigning importance to your phone makes it more difficult to forget. Be conscious of ending conversations and where you put your phone afterwards.” |
Names | You have two types of memory systems: procedural memory (habits you learn from a young age) and declarative memory (details of events). Within your declarative memory lie semantic and episodic memories. “Semantic memory is the conscious recollection of factual information [like words and names] while episodic memory is the contextual knowledge [like emotions] of events,” says Dr Green. | It’s possible to train your episodic memory to curb those tip-of-the-tongue moments. “The brain has the fantastic ability to link separate pieces of information, integrate them and enable us to store and retrieve the information in context,” says Dr Chai. So put the name in a context that’s meaningful to you. Sanna says: “Pairing it with another scenario that applies to the person,” (like ‘Clare the close talker’). Easy. |
Dates and numbers | “Dates and numbers are more difficult to forget because they are indoctrinated from such a young age,” says Sanna. But a study published in the journal Cognition and Emotion found that when you’re in a good mood – and have more cognitive distraction – you have difficulty remembering digits. | Diet and exercise will improve your skills of recollection. “Physical and mental exercises keep your mind active by maintaining the flow of blood and nutrients to the brain, and stimulating the growth of new brain cells. And a healthy diet is also important for brain function,” says Dr Chai. You bet. |
READ MORE: Expert advice from Dr Suzy Green
