Memory Training - Are Your Personal Tech Toys Working Against Your Memory Training Program?

Let me ask you a question, can you give me your five closest friends phone numbers off the top your head? If I give you an ISBN of a book, can you recite and give me that number back tomorrow if you don't write it down? Can you tell me the exact recipe of your five favorite dishes without looking? The answer is probably no, but that seems rather ridiculous, because the human brain is very good at memorizing stuff.

In fact, most of the kids previously learned everything by rote memorization. Today it seems rather hostile to make kids memorize things, because there's really no need to; they can always look it up online, the information is always there.

Now then, the reason I bring up this subject is recently our online think tank was talking about the fact that if you don't use your brain you will lose its ability. Whereas, if you don't use your brain for memorization, perhaps, you will use it for other things such as multitasking - nevertheless, your brain could do both very well, you don't have to choose.

Still, if you never use your ability to memorize things, pretty soon you won't be able to memorize anything. Sometimes it's important to memorize things, like grocery store lists, and things like that. So here's the question if you consider signing up for memory training, because you can't remember things like you used to, it's probably not because you have onset Alzheimer's, but rather because of your personal tech toys. They're working against your memory training programs.

So, you can read all the books, listen to all the tapes, and go to all the seminars you want on how to memorize things better, but if you don't practice it, and you don't force yourself to memorize stuff, then eventually you won't be able to remember much of anything, even the important things. Please consider all this.

Improving Memory While Speed Reading

Do you remember your first kiss? Do you remember graduation day? Do you remember a day you were really scared? What do all of these memories have in common? All of these memories are linked to strong emotions. Improving memory while speed reading can be accomplished by linking emotion to the information you need to remember. First, let's see what role emotion plays in memory.

Strong emotions impact your midbrain. In your midbrain is a structure called the hippocampus. This tiny structure registers the emotional impact of an experience. Experiences that have strong emotions linked to them are permanently etched into your memory. Even experiences that occur only a single time can be easily recalled if the emotions linked to that experience are powerful.

Strong emotions are usually associated with experiences that impact your life in a very significant manner. Your brain is designed to help you survive. Remembering events that produce power emotions is one of the best ways that it learns. Now you are ready to put this mechanism to work while speed reading.

When most people read they simply hear words being pronounced at the back of their brain. You need to experience what you read as if it were actually happening. Feel the experience, live the experience, take in all the emotion of the experience. Your intense emotional experiences will stimulate your hippocampus locking the information into your permanent memory. Let me give you a good example of how to accomplish this.

Suppose you are reading a book about malaria. You might memorize three symptoms as high fever, nausea, and delirium. How long do you think you would remember these symptoms if you were also learning hundreds of other diseases and their symptoms? Instead of remembering these three words you are going to experience the symptoms. Imagine lying in a bed drenched in sweat from your high fever. You are covered in vomit, and can barely focus. Now if someone asked you to remember the symptoms of malaria you would have these experience to recall instead of trying to remember three words. You would be putting the power of emotion to work to lock facts into your memory. Try it. You are really going to love it.

We Are All Going to Need Memory Training Now!

Not long ago, I was talking to an individual who did programs to help people with their memory. They taught various seminars, and they had written a few books. I was intrigued, because I like to think I have an excellent memory, and judging by the other people I meet, I noted my memory is quite a bit better actually, still as most I'd like it to be even better.

We got to talking about how his business was doing, and he told me he was doing excellent, and I had to ask why. He told me that he thinks it's because of the Internet, and people don't have to remember things anymore, so they don't. After all, you don't have to remember the names and dates of anyone important in history, because you can look it up anytime you want on Wikipedia or Google.

Likewise he said you don't have to memorize phone numbers anymore, because they are all pretty programmed into your cell phone.

In an article titled "The Shadows" by futurist Patrick Tucker published in the July-August Futurist Magazine it discusses the challenges with reliance on the Internet and human ability to think, reason, and memorize important facts. He makes some good points about how we use search engines, and how heavy online use destroys (albeit slowly) our abilities to take the information and relate it to problem solving, or entice us to remember key data points.

Why? Because it's always there, no need to memorize it. And that gets me to my next point; in that your brain is a device which works best when it is used, and if you don't use it. Well you are going to eventually lose it, it operates in that respect just like a muscle in your body, say neuroscientists.

Therefore, I have concluded that we are all going to need memory training now, specifically for the reason my acquaintance had mentioned - all the personal tech devices we have today. I hope you'll please consider this.