6 Easy Memory Tricks That Block Embarrassing Brain Blips
It’s frustrating when your memory fails you, especially during daily activities when you need it most, like remembering your grocery list or a new person’s name. The good news? These little blips often aren’t a cause for worry, and they don’t always signal memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease. And research shows that simple memory tricks can help with those lapses. Keep reading to see the easy memory techniques that you can start using today.
6 memory tricks that sharpen your recall fast
Practicing a few of these easy techniques can help make minor memory problems a thing of the past.
Repeat a name four times
Next time you meet someone new, repeat their name four times over the next week and you may remember it forever. The memory trick is a spin on a “spaced learning” method outlined in a University of California review. Researchers explain that vocalizing a person’s name over spaced intervals (such as right after learning it, 15 to 20 minutes later, one day later and a week later) pushes it from your short- to long-term memory banks.
Tip: Create a “names” list in your phone to discreetly jot down new names as you meet people, then use it as a handy review guide.
Smell an orange
Ever notice it’s even harder to find your keys when you’re worried about running late? Stress shuts down your brain’s prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain that helps control your attention, blocking your short-term memory.
The fix: Scratch the skin of an orange and take a deep sniff when you’re feeling flustered by a memory slip. It may sound strange, but doing so switches off 100 stress genes, suggests Japanese research. And disrupting your stress-triggered memory blip may help reboot your brain, putting that lost memory back in easy reach.
