How to become a memory champion
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The reading
Are you good at remembering things? Can you remember a long list of English vocabulary quickly and easily? If the answer to these two questions is 'no,' help may be at hand. A new study says pretty much anyone can have an upgraded memory if they train their brain. Scientists say that we can train our brain to be a "memory athlete" just like athletes train to be champions. Neuroscientist Martin Dresler wrote in the journal "Neuron" that just six weeks of brain training can turn people with average memories into people with an incredible ability to remember things. Dr Dresler even suggested people could train their brain to enter the World Memory Championships that are held in March every year.
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Dr Dresler compared MRI scans of the brains of 23 of the world's top 50 memory champions with the brains of "normal" people. He said: "We were interested in what differentiates memory champions from normal people, like you and me." He was surprised to find no differences. This made him believe we can all become memory athletes with the right training. Dresler found that 40 days of daily 30-minute training sessions using a memory technique called mnemonics more than doubled a person's memory capacity. Mnemonics is an ancient memory device that helps people remember things, especially in list form. Who knows? It could help you with those words for your next vocabulary test.
Sources:
- http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/08/518815297/maybe-you-too-could-become-a-super-memorizer
- https://www.sciencenews.org/article/brain-training-turns-recall-rookies-memory-masters
- http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/03/09/anyone-can-become-memory-athlete-study
