simple ways to improve your memory

Struggling to recall things isn’t just frustrating – it can be frightening, too. But if your memory is letting you down, there are simple ways to improve it, says Anne Montague

Almost everything we do is affected by memory. And there is far more to it than just recalling bits of information – it’s what makes you who you are. ‘Memory is about important aspects of yourself and the way you relate to the world,’ says Martin Conway, professor of cognitive psychology at Leeds University’s Memory Group.

That’s why the so-called ‘senior moments’ that affect up to two-thirds of people over the age of 50 can be worrying. But, reassuringly, it’s normal for your memory to change as you get older. Understanding why this happens – and which bits of your brain you can improve – can help dispel any fears that these moments of confusion may be something serious.
How do you remember?
Why do some things stick in our memory more than others? ‘The key is how well the experience engages us, so focus, motivation and attention are vital,’ says Professor Conway. That’s probably why some people can spout football scores, name the 1986 Wimbledon finalists or quote poetry they learned 30 years ago. If you’re not interested in football, tennis or poetry, you might struggle to remember, however hard you try, because the information isn’t important to you.
Emotions play a part, too. We may have more vivid memories around moving or shocking events. You can probably remember where you were when you heard about Princess Diana’s death, for instance, or the attack on the World Trade Center, whereas you might struggle to recall what you were doing two weeks before or after those events.
Does memory decline with age?
Although some aspects of memory worsen as we get older, others can actually improve. ‘Although your “fluid” intelligence – the ability to think on your feet, learn new things quickly and do abstract things – declines with age, your “crystalline” intelligence, which allows you to use what you’ve already learned and evaluate new information more effectively, can improve,’ explains Dr Chris Moulin of the Leeds Memory Group. ‘As you age, you also make better sense of the memories you have, and interpret the negative events you remember more positively. That’s good news, because we remember negative memories much better than positive ones.’
Why do we forget things?
Sometimes forgetting is necessary to stop irrelevant information from interfering with what we need to know now. ‘You need to remember where you’ve parked your car today, not last month, so our memories work to keep the things we need and that are relevant available to us,’ says Professor Conway.
But what about the things we do forget? Do they vanish for ever or is it just harder to retrieve them? ‘It’s probably both – we forget some, but we remember more than we realise,’ says Professor Conway. ‘Give people the right cues and they’ll recall things they didn’t even know they remembered.’

This is illustrated by research using the Microsoft SenseCam, which takes thousands of images of a user’s daily life. ‘When we’ve used it with amnesiacs and older people, it’s had a powerful effect on their memories – probably because it’s stimulating networks in the brain that weren’t stimulated before,’ says Professor Conway. In one trial, an amnesiac was given the camera to record events and then asked to play back the images – the patient amazed experts by recalling almost every detail, even months later.