4 Ways to Improve Your Memory

Try some of these neuroscientist-approved ways to improve your memory.

The Center for Teaching & Learning at UC Berkeley explains that the brain processes information in three steps: encoding (learning new information), storage (keeping information), and retrieval (remembering information you’ve already stored).

To encode new information and retrieve it more easily:

• Talk with your hands. A study published in Frontiers of Psychology found that retelling stories or facts with gestures may help you remember them more easily. Your brain makes a connection between the movement and the words you speak, helping you retrieve the information.
• Color your world. The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences published a study that discovered memories were easier to recall when colors were included. You can try writing lists and notes on bright paper or making objects you’re likely to forget a vivid color.
• Create a story. The brain makes connections between information, so use that to your advantage. Connect new information, like a person’s name, to something familiar. For example, if a person’s name is Taylor, imagine that person working as a tailor.
• Say it again. Repeating information aloud gives your brain more opportunities to make the same connection, according to Harvard Health. The more often you make those connections, the easier the information becomes to retrieve from memory.

Have concerns about your memory function? Specialists at Carson Tahoe Behavioral Health Services can help.