Figuratively speaking, memory is a muscle in the head that can and should be trained at any age. The more we use our brain, the better we can process and remember information.
How to make your brain develop
Learn new things
It is important to remember that only new knowledge that is not yet known to the brain can develop neural connections. The more fresh information we learn, the more new ways of thinking we create. This helps not only to improve memory, but also develops the ability to find unusual approaches to solving problems and make the best choice in any situation.
Doing something difficult
Activities that require mental effort and close attention tone brain activity. The more often we challenge ourselves and step out of our comfort zone while solving complex problems, the more new neural connections will form in our heads.
Develop new skills
Mastering new skills is the best way to develop the brain. Doing something from scratch, gradually increasing your level, is a great idea for stimulating brain activity.
Get rewards
Rewards are an important part of learning that is closely linked to motivation. A reward is a powerful incentive to continue. The more you get involved in the activity, the more you benefit.
Thus, for better brain development, activities should be chosen that, although challenging, are still fun and satisfying.
How to remember better: practical tips
We connect all the senses
Use as many senses as you can. Try to associate information with colors, textures, smells, and tastes. Pass material through different channels of perception: watch videos, read aloud, draw diagrams, etc.
We are looking for connections
Relate information to what you already know, whether it's new material based on previous knowledge or something new that can be linked to data you already know.
We share with others
Share what you've learned with others, and if you can't, imagine being listened to. Saying material out loud is a great way to remember and memorize it.
We use mnemonics
Use mnemonic techniques to make it easier to remember. Mnemonics are all sorts of clues that help us remember something.
Examples of mnemonic techniques for memorizing
Visual image
Connect the information you need to remember with the vivid image that pops into your head when you need to remember it.
Acrostic (or sentence)
Come up with a sentence or short poem whose first letters correspond to what you need to remember. Well-known examples: TOevery time OOHhunter WELLeats Znate Gde WITHis walking Fazan (to remember the colors of the rainbow), ANDwang Rodil DEuchonka, INyelel Tascheake PElena (for memorizing cases in Russian).
Locus method
This mnemonic method was described in ancient Roman treatises on rhetoric. This technique is often referred to as a “mental” or “mental” walk. What is the method? We are creating in our imagination the so-called “Palace of Remembrance”. It can be an imaginary place: a house, a shopping street, a castle; or a real place: your apartment, neighborhood, grandparents' house, etc. Every time you need to remember something, you put this information in one of the places in your “memory palace”. This way, you can take a mental walk at any time and find this information right where you put it.
Separation into parts
This method involves breaking down a large “piece” of information into smaller pieces. For example, remember the phone number 123456789, dividing it into three sets of numbers: 123-456-789.
Rhymes, jokes and alliterations (letter repetition)
A great way to remember something is to rhyme it.
For example, here is the beginning of Elena Vesnova's poem about algorithms:
What are ALGORITHMS?
These are rhythms of direction!
This is a search for solutions
And the ways of their incarnation!
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