随身｜记忆力可以提高吗？

Can we improve our memory?

We've all been there – staring at a pile of books, desperately hoping that what we study will stick in our mind. Many of us have probably asked if there's any way that we can get better at remembering things. So, why don't we look at what memory experts say about this?

Every student who has made flashcards knows that it can be helpful to go back over what they've studied before. According to The Learning Scientists – a group of cognitive scientists – we can learn things better if we wait for some time before trying to study them again. They say that trying to retrieve something from your memory after you have had some time to forget it will make it easier to remember in future.

Similarly, David Robson, writing for BBC Future, highlights studies that show taking some time to just do nothing after studying might mean that you can remember things better afterwards. We don't know exactly why this happens, but it has been suggested that it's to do with the relationship between long-term and short-term memory.

Another study tip from The Learning Scientists is to change between different topics as you study. They say this can help you build links between different ideas. Now, linking ideas and relating them to each other or to images are often suggested as good ways to memorise something.

Former world memory champion Jonathan Hancock highlights how picturing pieces of information in different physical locations or linking them to memorable images makes them easier to remember. Linking new information to things that are easier to remember is a technique that many people use – it could be making letter patterns into words called mnemonics, or by sorting things into categories.

There are also more general things that we can do to improve our memory. Hancock says that being generally organised makes things easier for your brain, while many other experts also recommend avoiding stress, alcohol and smoking, and that we should get a lot of rest and exercise. So, the good news to take from this is that while it may be hard, improving our memory is something we can control.

词汇表
stare at [steə(r)] 凝视，盯着
desperately ['desp(ə)rət(ə)li] 迫切地，拼命地，极度地
stick in sb's mind 铭刻在某人的脑海里，牢记于心
flashcard [ˈflæʃˌkɑː(r)d] （教学用的）抽认卡
go back over 复习，回顾
cognitive [ˈkɒɡnətɪv] 认知的，感知到
retrieve [rɪˈtriːv] 找回，回忆，追忆
long-term and short-term memory 长期记忆和短期记忆
relate [rɪ'leɪt] 把…联系起来；理解
picture 想象，设想
physical location 物理位置，实际位置
memorable ['mem(ə)rəb(ə)l] 难忘的，值得纪念的
mnemonic [nɪˈmɒnɪk] 记忆术，助记符，助记口诀
organised ['ɔ:gənaɪzd] 有组织的，有条理的

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