Want to improve your memory?

Make a fist. Take a whiff of rosemary. Chew some gum.

                                                    

Have a glass of wine, tie electrodes to your scalp, repeat a person’s name.

Researchers maintain that each of these six techniques will enhance your memory, and, in a moment, we’ll take a look at each.  But first, this interesting fact, as reported in discovery.com: it takes roughly eight seconds “to effectively transfer [information] from short- to long-term memory.” This probably explains why, when I try to “lock in a person’s name,” or email address, I can never remember it. I’m only spending 2-3 seconds to remember it. Not eight. 

Now to our six techniques.

1.       Making a fist

In this unique study, researchers found that clenching your fist can activate your brain to enhance both memory formation and memory recall.  To help form memories, right-handed participants first clenched their right fist for 90 seconds; to help remember information, study participants clenched their left fist for 90 seconds. Said lead researcher Ruth Propper, of Montclair State University: “The findings suggest that some simple body movements — by temporarily changing the way the brain functions — can improve memory.” A Time Magazine article, authored by Maia Szalavitz noted that “earlier studies found that hand clenching has emotional effects as well. Clenching the right hand was linked to increased anger and happiness, which are both typically processed on the left side of the brain, while clenching the left hand tends to increase sadness or anxiety, since the right side of the brain tends to process these emotions.”

2.       A Whiff of Rosemary

After reading this research, I plan to keep the scent of rosemary around our house. Here’s why: research has linked the compounds in rosemary aroma to improved long-term memory and mental arithmetic.  And new research now claims a boost in “prospective memory” as well – that is, the ability to remember events that will occur in the future (e.g., meetings, social engagements, doctor visits and taking medication). Participants who were exposed to the rosemary aroma scored higher on a series of memory tasks, and a blood analysis showed that those exposed to rosemary had “significantly greater amounts of 1.8-cineole” in their plasma. The study was co-authored by Jemma McCready and Dr. Mark Moss, both from the University of Northumbria.

Chewing Gum

Back to back studies a decade ago drew a link between the act of chewing gum and memory.  Apparently, chewing gum triggers brain activity in the hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with memory.  And in a study led by Andrew Scholey of the University of Northumbria (Newcastle, UK), people who chewed gum performed significantly better in tests of short-term and long-term memory. Scholey shared two potential theories on the link between gum-chewing and memory: 1. Chewing causes the release of insulin, so researchers speculate that insulin receptors in the hippocampus may be involved in memory;  and 2. Chewing gum increases our heart rate, thereby increasing oxygen to the brain.

4.       Electrical stimulation

Do you have trouble remembering names?  Apparently, one 15-minute session of tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) might do the trick. In an initial study using tDCS, researchers attached electrodes to a teenager’s ATLs (anterior temporal lobes, which are said to play a critical role in name retrieval). The findings were striking in that participants exhibited far greater recall after one 15-minute session. So researchers decided to extend the concept to older adults, to see if the process would work equally well – it did!   The implications are obvious: tDCS could be used as a tool for rehabilitation of age-related loss of name recall.

5.       A drink or two

A lengthy report on memory, from www.discovery.com, said “there's evidence that light to moderate alcohol consumption can improve memory and cognition. Though more research needs to be done, some studies have found that moderate drinkers do better on certain tests of memory and cognition than nondrinkers and heavy drinkers [sources: Victoroff, Minerd]. There may be some long-term effects as well. A French study that followed almost 4,000 people over the age of 65 found that light drinkers, who consumed up to two glasses of wine a day, were 45 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than nondrinkers [source: Victoroff].”

6.       Repeat a person’s name

As one of the 10 tips for improving memory, discovery.com shared the following: “This memory tip builds upon many of the tips we've learned so far. When you meet a new person, it's important to pay attention to the name and the face. As soon as you learn the name, repeat it back to the person by saying, ‘Nice to meet you, so-and-so.’ It's not a cheap trick; researchers have found that people have a 30 percent better chance of remembering a name when they repeat it as soon as they learn it [source: Herold].