Want to remember pi to 67,890 digits? Learn Swahili? Or just ace that mid-term exam? 91av reveals the secrets of the memory masters
IN THE age of Google, with limitless information at our fingertips, it is tempting to think that a good memory is obsolete. Of course anyone studying for exams or learning a new skill, or just trying to remember their myriad passwords, knows otherwise. In truth, many of us aspire to better recall. The trouble is that memory is a bit like a muscle – it can be hard work to keep it in top condition. But the good news is that scientists are now on to the problem. If you want to know how to get the most out of your memory with the least possible effort – and without resorting to dubious memory-boosting drugs – read on.
Read more: The secrets of memory mastery
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Memory sticks: How do the champions do it?
Mnemonics helped one man recite pi to 67,890 places. Another could recite a 50-number list backwards after just 3 minutes’ study, thanks to synaesthesia
Memory sticks: Do mnemonics work?
Memory champions swear by them – now two psychologists have found out if mnemonics are useful in day-to-day life
Memory sticks: How should I bone up for a test?
Come exam time, which method provides the biggest pay-off from hours of hard study?
Memory sticks: Can I learn subliminally?
Learning in your sleep doesn’t work, but passive listening can help things lodge in your memory
Memory sticks: Does it matter when I study?
Helps your brain reinforce its memory traces by pacing your study and matching it to your sleep patterns
Memory sticks: Can I expand my short-term memory?
New techniques have increased memory span by around 15 per cent over a training course of five weeks
Memory sticks: When is it too late to bother?
A septuagenarian who started training his memory at the age of 58 can now recite all 60,000 words of Paradise Lost with amazing accuracy
Memories are made of this
If your brain were a bank, it would have three different vaults:
Sensory memory – contains the fleeting impression of a sight or sound immediately after you experience it
Short-term memory – the temporary store of information from second to second or minute to minute. It is where you hold a telephone number you are just about to dial.
Long-term memory – a more permanent store, hoarding information over hours, days or years. This information can take the form of declarative memories, which include simple facts or specific episodes in your life, or procedural memories to do with skills, such as how to ride a bike.
