Keep your memory sharp. The neuroscientist named the brain exercises he performs daily

January 8, 23:01 Share:

Tips from Conrad will help improve your memory (Photo: monsit / depositphotos)

Neuroscientist at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior ( Netherlands) Boris Conrad, who set several world records, shared techniques for improving memory.

Boris Conrad, a neuroscientist at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior in the Netherlands and a world champion with several Guinness World Records, argues that memory “is a skill, not an innate talent,” and the most important thing for maintaining it is constant testing. For example, memory games.

“ I like to play a quick sports memory game several times a week. To do this, I can memorize 100 numbers in a minute or a deck of playing cards. This is only possible through the use of mnemonic devices such as “ a palace of memory,” Conrad noted in a comment to Newsweek

Memory Palace is a technique popularized by Sherlock that involves visualizing a familiar place.. As you walk through this place in your imagination, you select specific key points to which you attribute certain information.. Then, once you've gone through all the key points to remember, you need to walk through the memory palace, strengthening each of those associations. The more often you repeat the exercise, the stronger these associations will be.

“ The brain, like any other organ in the body, benefits from regular exercise. This doesn't mean you have to memorize a deck of cards every day or become a walking encyclopedia. Just keep your brain working. This could be reading, solving puzzles, learning a new skill, or even something as simple as choosing a route to work that will break up your routine.. Variety and challenge keep the brain flexible, which in turn supports better memory performance,” adds the neuroscientist.

In addition to mnemonics, the expert tries to use short mindfulness exercises every day.

“ They can be as short as stopping for five minutes in a small forest on the way to work and simply carefully observing nature with all your senses.. While reading, I also use the positive effects of retrieval practice. This means that after reading an article or section of a book that I thought was worth remembering, I spend just a minute or two trying to recall what I read without looking at the text.. I do the same after meetings, video calls and phone calls,” says Conrad.

The neuroscientist also gave advice for those who are studying foreign languages and need to remember a lot of new words.

“ We can adapt our environment to our benefit. Consider integrating mnemonics into your environment. For example, if you're learning a new language, you can label household items with their names in the target language,” he says.

Read also: Seven memory problems that you have probably noticed in yourself. Should we panic? Mental garbage. How to learn to forget and unlearn