Psychology

How to Memorize Faster: 7 things you need to know.

Introduction

With our losing memory with each passing day, one question that arises in our minds is how to memorize faster? At some point in life, we have always looked back in nostalgia with an unbridled longing to go back. Be it school days, college days, first date, the day you became a mom or the day you achieved your biggest dream.

We always want to cherish these small moments in life and keep these memories close to our hearts. Memories needn’t always bring you joy. Some memories make your heart heavy, while some make your heart smile. Despite the feeling it takes you through, memories are valuable gems that make our life colourful with a tinge of vivid emotions. 

Here are some tips to answer how to memorize faster-

1. Our memories and the brain

The protein, Neuronal calcium sensor -1 is responsible for the formation and retention of memories in our brain. But all memories are not stored in a specific part of the brain. Different memories are stacked across different parts of the brain. In scientific terms, explicit memories are stored in the hippocampus, amygdala, and neocortex, while implicit memories are stored in the cerebellum, otherwise known as the little brain. Any memory, despite its kind, takes three basic steps to get processed. They are encoding, storage and recall.  

As life gets busier, it is expected to encounter forgetfulness from time to time. Emphasising the aforesaid fact, boosting brain health plays a crucial role in improving one’s memory. Looking forward to enhancing your memory power? Read ahead to catch up with the best ways to memorise things. 

2. Visualization

As mentioned earlier, the first stage in memory processing is encoding. Studies show that we remember things for a longer period when we associate them with semantic encoding. Let’s look into what semantic encoding is. It is a type of encoding where we draw a connection between a particular sound, smell, or vision and the associated phrase, word, picture, place, or event. For instance, when we read the word grass, we tend to connect the colour green and grass, for grass is green in colour.

The first thing that answers how to memorize faster is visually seeing a particular thing. Bringing into mind the vision of what we read or learn can help us memorise it easily. This is why schools and colleges encourage the practice of incorporating smart classes in their curriculum. A picture speaks louder than words. Digital display boards help the teachers to show practical solutions and is an added benefit for the children. They understand the concept better and improve their concentration. Thereby, they can achieve academic excellence.  

3. Sleep tight

8 hours of sleep every day is important for our brain. Tired of hearing this statement again and again? Well, that’s because we are not well aware of the reason why it’s important. Our brain is responsible for coordinating all functions in our body. Our brain also requires rest from time to time to perform daily activities. 

How to Memorize Faster: 7 things you need to know.

Apart from satisfying the physical tiredness, sleep also serves other functions, from boosting brain health to remembering the experiences we had during the day. Yes, you heard it right. There is a small part in the brain named the hippocampus. It is a region that’s hugely responsible for storing memories. The nerve cells in the hippocampus replay the events and occurrences that the person came across during the day. Another thing that helps in answering how to memorize faster is good sleep. Ever wondered why it recreates these moments? This is to enhance the connection between the neurons and to strengthen the memories. Hence good sleep ensures a good memory.  

4. Exercise daily

Many of us still think that exercise is something we do to keep us physically fit and stronger. But exercise has multiple advantages. One among them is boosting our memory power. Oxygen is an important factor that ensures the proper functioning of our brain. This is why the reach of oxygen-rich blood to our nerve cells is important. 

Engaging in physical activities, namely aerobic exercise improves the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain and thereby improves our memory. Studies show that exercise can increase the amount of the protein, cathepsin B, released in the brain. This, in turn, fosters neuron growth and establishes new connections with the hippocampus that results in improving an individual’s memorising power. So, next time if someone asks you how to memorize faster, ask them to exercise regularly.

5. Share what you learned

The best way to learn something is by teaching it to someone else. When a person makes an effort to share the information they learned, they go through the piece of information repeatedly to avoid any sort of mistakes in case, organise the content in chronological order, and recall the information when said aloud. This method is considered best when it comes to how to memorize faster. In a manner, this method of learning improves their understanding of the subject matter as they invest more time going through the topics and this enhances their memory as it keeps replaying in their brain each time they share it with someone. 

6. Chunking information

Chunking is a technique that people commonly use without even realising. You would get surprised to know that you were using this technique while saying your phone number aloud. For instance, consider your mobile number as 8281666222. Rather than saying the whole thing in one breath, you would prefer to group the data into different units by recognizing a pattern. Taking the aforementioned example, by implementing the chunking technique, it becomes easier for a person to memorise it as 8281 666 222. This doesn’t apply to numbers alone.

How to Memorize Faster: 7 things you need to know.

 

Even while studying for exams or while preparing a speech for the welcome ceremony of an event, make use of this technique to group data in an orderly manner to memorise it well.  This technique will surely help you to answer how to memorize faster and remember a lot of important information.

7. Mnemonics

Mnemonic is a technique used to remember a lot of information or certain facts that are hard to memorise otherwise. Some mnemonic tools include the usage of acronyms, rhymes, songs, etc. These devices are used especially when certain data are to be learned by heart in chronological order. For example, memorising the phrase, “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles “is easier when compared to remembering the exact order of planets like Mercury, Venus, Earth, etc. 

Here in this example, the first letter of each word stands for the first letter of the planets in their correct order. In a way, it becomes easier for a person to recall this information much faster than expected. Use this to memorize your periodic table and thank us later.

 

How to Memorize Faster: 7 things you need to know.

Conclusion- 

When we feel emotionally down, we hold on to the good memories of the past. But some memories keep disappearing with time. To think about the happy times and to hold on to life during hard times, it’s important to be able to remember the happy past. This is why memories are important. As we age, our brain cells shrink with time, eventually leading to memory loss. But a good lifestyle with an input of good sleep, daily exercise, and intake of nutritious food can help our brain memorise things for a longer period. Get started right away, for it’s better late than never.   

Next time if someone asks how to memorize faster, send them this blog!

Check out other blog- 10 tips to inculcate Active Listener Skills.

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