5 Essential Memory Tips

As a memory scientist, I often get asked, “How can I improve my memory?” The exciting news is that there is a growing body of scientific evidence to show us how to do that. Here are 5 tips, based on the five senses.

1. Sound: Read aloud.
A fun way to get information into your long-term memory is to read aloud. This trick uses two pathways – speaking and listening — and has the most benefit in strengthening your memory. Researchers found that there is a particular advantage in hearing your own voice, compared to someone else reading aloud for you. They suggest that this advantage refers to a self-referential component, which enhances memory.

2. Sight: Try puzzles.
Jigsaw puzzles are for everyone. They are a great way to boost your visual memory and develop your ability to see patterns. Researchers found improvements to visual memory after 30 days of puzzle making foe less than 1 hour a day, using puzzles of anywhere from 200 to 1500 pieces. They found that jigsaw puzzling recruits multiple visuospatial cognitive abilities, which also serves as a predictive mechanism for cognitive aging and decline.

3. Taste: Eat your eggs.
Eating 3 eggs per week can improve your memory scores. You should also be less likely to show brain changes associated with dementia. Researchers who made these findings after work with a dementia-free cohort of over 1000 participants (age range 36–83) say that eggs contain choline, which is the precursor to the memory neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

4. Touch: 20 minutes of drawing time.
Drawing on a blank sheet of paper with a set of coloring pencils can improve your working memory by almost 20%. Research from my lab with both older adults and veterans with PTSD found that drawing requires working memory to plan and execute the picture you want create. The lack of structure in drawing requires additional cognitive resources to plan one's art and take steps to accomplish what you want to achieve creatively within a given time limit.

5. Smell: A bit of Vapor Rub.
Odor cues are often more effective than visual cues when it comes to remembering autobiographical memories. Just 1 teaspoon of Vapor Rub can be an effective trigger of nostalgia if you are struggling to remember something from your childhood. Why does this work? Researchers say that odors are especially powerful in eliciting a rich store of memories. It is important to note that this study is referring to retrieving existing memories from childhood, rather than helping to create new memories.