HOW TO HAVE A 21st CENTURY SUPER POWER ?

Doesn’t having a splendid memory feel like a superpower of the modern day life ? Almost every examination you appear for requires you to memorize details, your relationships thrive with people when you remember details about them and your day to day life is better when you remember important tasks. But what makes a great memory such a struggle for most of us? According to a research, the human attention span has reduced from 15 seconds in the year 2000 to 8.25 seconds in 2015 and constantly dropping since. While this is bad news, it’s not an unresolvable problem. Here are few things you can do to earn your MEMORY CAPE

Repetition: Can you brush your teeth with your eyes closed? How about with one leg balancing in the air? There are certain tasks that come voluntarily to us because of repetition. Repetition using as many senses as possible, helps to remember better.

Teach someone else: Not sure if you will remember a concept tomorrow ? Grab anyone you can teach the concept to, it’s likely to stick with you better. Ask your fellow students if they’d like help in understanding a concept and teach it to them. It’s a win win ! The rule is, if you cannot explain it to a six year old, you don’t know it well enough.

Grab a pillow: What if I told you sleeping can fetch you better grades? Nooo, I’m not day dreaming ! Not getting enough sleep can lower your learning abilities by as much as 40%. While, sleep deprivation is a serious threat to your memory, over sleeping causes you to feel groggy. Make sure you get your 7-9 hours of sleep. An afternoon nap of 25-30 minutes can be vital in energy and learning regulation.

Use a memory palace: “As exceptional as we are at remembering visual imagery, we’re terrible at remembering other kinds of information like lists of words or numbers. The point of memory techniques is to do what the synesthete did instinctually: to take the kinds of memories our brains aren’t good at holding on to and transform them into kinds of memories our brains are built for” states the number one book on memory, Moonwalking with Einstein. The basic concept is taking a place which is familiar to you and visualizing the things you want to remember in different parts of that memory palace.

Cook up a funny story : Research as shown that the human brain remembers 2 things particularly well: jokes and sex or jokes about sex. Cook up a funny story around the things you want to remember, however bizarre they are and chances are your recollection will be better.

Use chunking: Ever wondered why your credit cards have a gap between every four numbers? Turns out breaking down long pieces of information into small ones, ensures storage in long term memory. Next time when you want to remember a phone number or credit card number, use this method and thank me later!

Eat brain rich foods: Blueberries, walnuts, cod liver oil, eggs and broccoli are money for your brain. Memory athletes all around the world swear by these to keep their brains alert and efficient.

Exercise: Turns out, a good physique isn’t the only benefit of breaking a sweat. Exercising (especially early in the morning) can be beneficial to WAKE your brain up. Not only that, it also reduces cortisol (stress hormone) levels significantly, helping to elevate your memory function. Physical exercise also requires hand-eye co-ordination which challenges your brain muscle to help it grow.

Conclusion:

They say that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but when it comes to the brain, scientists have discovered that this old saying simply isn’t true. The human brain has an astonishing ability to adapt and change—even into old age. This ability is known as neuroplasticity. With the right stimulation, your brain can form new neural pathways, alter existing connections, and adapt and react in ever-changing ways.