How to improve memory

Question

Could someone please help me on how to improve my memory  ?I find great difficulty in remembering vocabulary, names and things like that... Do you have any suggestions?

Woodward · Accepted Answer

Research on the brain's amazing capacity to record information for a lifetime, has suggested that memory is just a collection of isolated bits.
Short-term memory can hold about seven bits of information before either losing it forvever or transferring it to long-term memory for permanent storage. Research also says that if you attend to something for eight seconds, it probably gets stored away as a permenant chunk of the memory. If you study something for more than eight seconds, the brain may store the information in more than one place.
Short-term memory appears to be more auditory than visual, while long-term memory can be both. Even when you read, to hold what you have read in short term memory, you translate it and record it as sounds. Short term memory aslo seems to operate better when something is spoken versus being written.
Emotions also play a part in memory. Materials learned when you are happy is better recalled when you are happy. This happens because memory is closely tied to the limbic system; the brain's seat of emotions.
One technique to help remember things is to 'tag' memories. It is as if your brain is a desk with 100 billion 'drawers' in it. When you put your sweetheart's phone number in one of these 'drawers' you must somehow label it - perhaps by tying an imaginary red scarf to the handle - so that you can find it when you want it. The two basic memory techniques are visualisation and association.
I hope this helps a bit as this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many theories and ideas but the best way of remembering is through association.

Maj · Answer

I love the technique you suggested I'll try to put it into practice by using it with my mobile number very shortly. Another "audio" technique that really works ,when you don't know where you left your mobile, and you are in a hurry, and have no time to waste, is to ring your own mobile. It'll probably be on because you surely forgot to switch it off. Ridiculously, you don't remember your own number so you ask your children to tell you your number. Finally, you hear your mobile ringing you promise you'll learn your mobile number.

Elena · Answer

I read on net a technique to memorise vocabulary with two different ways.

1. Imagine places to put different sort of words. For instance, a public park to words related to things, a theatre to words related to feelings, a mountain range to words related to science.

2. Create a story with the new words you are learning. For instance, if you want to fix in mind 'painstaking', 'frightened' and 'hastily' you can imagine a park where a grandmother is doing a painstaking job on cross-stitch when suddenly she gets frightened by a boy who passes running hastily.

Also I was told to relate the sound of the word you want to fix in mind with something.

All of that is about learning a language but about fixing in mind musical works, I have other ways, I'll tell you next post.

Whl626 · Answer

Try to find linkages between what you want to memorise and other things that are unique to you.

I still remember the phone number a friend of mine giving me 20 years ago. He only gave once. But it seems like being embossed into my brain.

eg. 550761 ( it means ' quickly dial this number, a girl is looking for you '

from Cantonese translation in Hong Kong.

Eva · Answer

Thank you all for your help. I will try what you suggested. However, if there are any more suggestions I would be happy to know.[Y]

Whl626 · Answer

If we can combine our senses with what we want to memorise then the outcome would be maximum and superb.

Visual, audio, and kinestatik ( sorry if i spell wrongly )

By adding color to things, and go along with some sound that you think suit the situation and close your eyes to feel the entire atmosphere you are in. Then it will be the moment that you may never forget. Why a tight couple never forget what the other half said

because all the sweet talks take place at the time when both are emotionally enthralled in the other warm of love

This technique is called ' NLP ' , neuro linguistic programming

that has become the order of the day in today's teaching profession especially in the field of a language.

Eva · Answer

Really nice suggestion but the problem is that I can speak 3 foreign languages ( english, french and a bit of spanish) so when I try to remember a word I get mixed up. This is serious when e.g I am having a lesson, the student asks a word and I can't answer quickly. I have to find a way not to forget vocabulary and I do not know how <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/9.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/9.gif' alt='Emotion: crying'/>

Whl626 · Answer

I myself personally call this ' language interference '

. When you want to remember an English word, you are in the French language or Spanish thinking pattern

. It causes all sorts of unnecessary mix-up

.

How to overcome this, through hard memory by thinking of it day and night is sure a non-starter I believe and it will sure bore you down and make you lose passion on the language. There is a way, try to speak it out loud what you've just come across, speak what a native speaker speak, and try to go along with every nuance in their speech ... be it the accent, and style of stressing on certain words. This enhances your ability to remember single word easily as this is the audio part of the NLP.

Another method is through in-depth discussion, bring it out in EnglishForward, with more participants involved in what you are trying to remember, the time you remember them you can remember your ' word ' better

. An association of word with the participants I would say

Eva · Answer

I will give it a try. In the meantime I will try to avoid embarrassment in the classroom!! (imagine the student asking the teacher and the teacher not being able to recall the word!!

)
Thank you for your precious help. I do appreciate it

Woodward · Answer

Don't worry eva. That happens to me too. Occasionally I forget how to say a word because it might be 'on the tip of my tongue'. When you live in a foreign country and you have less contact with the language you are teaching, this does tend to happen. It's natural. Either that or my memory is getting worse! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/4.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/4.gif' alt='Emotion: stick out tongue'/>

How to improve memory

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions