Articles onhow to improve human memory, memory training, study skills, memory techniques, enhance learning and concentration

Articles On How To Improve Memory, Concentration, Study Skills, Memory Training And Memory Techniques

Exercise Your Mind
By Martin Mak
URL: www.MightyMemory.com

Summary : You can stave off Alzheimer’s disease and improve your memory with simple mental exercises. Find out how you can stimulate your brain to keep it sharp and improve your mental health, learning ability and remembering your to-do list.

Keyword : improve memory, Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease, memorization techniques,

Latest : Submitted to articledashboard, selfgrowth and articlmark on 12 Jul 2009

The more you work your brain, the more likely you will stave off Alzheimer's disease

Just a modest amount of mental stimulation can go a long way towards warding off Alzheimer's disease. This is the opinion of researchers who created mice genetically modified to get a condition similar to it.

Researchers at the University of California-Irvine studied hundreds of mice altered to make them develop abnormalities known as plaques and tangles in brain tissue that are considered hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in people. Writing on Tuesday in the Journal of Neuroscience, they said periodic learning sessions-swimming in a tub of water until finding a submerged platform to stand on-slowed the development of those two abnormalities in the mice.

"The remarkable thing was that just by learning infrequently, they still had a very dramatic effect on the Alzheimer's disease pathology, " said Kim Green, one of the researchers.

"So it suggests that in humans, if you learn more and more and more, it's going to have a huge, beneficial effect," Green added.

The findings highlight an idea that also has emerged in other research-that exercising one's mind is important to staving off Alzheimer's disease, the degenerative brain malady that is the most common form of dementia among the elderly.

Smart link Green noted that other studies have found that highly educated people are less likely to develop Alzheimer's than people with less education.

There is no known cure for Alzheimer's , which gradually destroys a person's memory and ability t o learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities.

"What we have shown is that by learning by stimulating your mind, you're able to protect against the development of the pathologies associated with the disease," Green said.

"Crossword puzzles reading books, learning a new language-anything you can do to stimulate the brain is going to be beneficial, we think."

The mice were given "a very mild learning experience"-essentially figuring out a maze but in the water-for a week at a time every three months. The sessions were four times daily for a week at two, six, nine, 12, 15 and 18 months of age.

The mice that performed the task experienced slower development of the protein beta amyloid clumping in the brain and forming plaques, gooey build-up that accumulates outside nerve cells, the study found.

These mice also experienced a slower build-up of another protein in the brain. Hyperphosphorylated-tau, that can lead to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles-twisted fibers in brain cells.

Green said the researchers are looking into whether more frequent and intensive learning sessions might provide bigger and longer-lasting benefits.

Alzheimer's disease first affects parts of the brain controlling memory and thinking. As it advances, it kills cells elsewhere in the brain. Eventually, if the patient has no other serious illness, the loss of brain function will prove fatal.

There are other mind tools or learning techniques that can help the brain synergise both halves ie., the left and the right hemispheres. It has long been known in the scientific world that the left hemisphere is responsible for logical functions such as those functions involved in reasoning and mathematics whereas the right hemisphere is responsible for the creative, imaginative and artistic functions of an individual.

Einstein is the most prominent person to have used the left-right synergy technique in formulating his famous equation of light and matter, E=mc2. Using special mind tools or mind training techniques developed in the last century and notably the last 50 years, individuals have been known to have developed phenomenal feats of memory like associating hundreds of names and faces , long arithmetic formulas as well as long strings of numbers all in the matter of minutes or seconds.

Whether memorizing long strings of numbers (more than 10 digits) have any practical applications is open to debate. But it does give the mind the workout it needs to stave off (not cure) Alzheimer's disease. Such techniques are very easy to learn yet once learnt and used often enough, remains with the user all his life and allows the brain to store massive amount of information used in school, work or ordinary everyday life. However, most people go about their everyday lives without knowing such wonderful techniques are available.

Researchers find that probable Alzheimer's patients who speak two languages get dementia four years later than their peers

Speaking two languages delays the onset of memory lapses, neural dysfunction in the brain, in particular demential , a study found.

Researchers in Canada, where the official languages are English and French, examined 132 patients with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease.

It appears that having learnt and speak two languages or more may delay the onset of neural deterioration as compared to those who did not, the researchers wrote in a study published in the February issue of the journal Neuropsychologia.

The patients spoke 25 different languages, including Polish, Yiddish, German, Romanian and Hungarian.

Previous studies have shown that lifestyle factors such as physical activity, social involvement and education may improve overall brain health.

Bilingualism may help the brain build what is called a cognitive reserve, which may provide protection against the onset of dementia, the Canadian researchers said.

"There are no pharmacological interventions that are this dramatic," said Dr Morris Freedman, director of the Memory Clinic at Baycrest Research Centre for Ageing and the Brain in Toronto, in a statement today.

The difference in dementia onset remained even after the researchers factored in the possible influence of culture, immigration, formal education, employment and gender on the results, the study said.

"The data show a huge protective effect," said co-investigator Fergus Craik in the statement. The research so far is consistent with that of other countries where speaking two or more languages in the population shows less people in the population have problems with dementia. Asian countries like Singapore where the Chinese citizens are not only fluent in English and Mandarin, they are also adept at the oher dialects of the Chinese languages (of which there are four main Chinese dialects), in addition to the Malay and Indian languages. Most if not all on this tiny island can speak at least two languages. it is therefore not surprising that such countries have comparatively lower rates of dementia per capita population.

No doubt learning two languages is also consistent with other research findings where learning new mental skills can have a beneficial effect. Mental hobbies like dong crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, or even a game of poker or Mahjong have been shown to reduce dementia in the population. Social work studies have also shown that older citizens who participate actively in the community not only stay young physically, they are more alert and stay sharp mentally. Senior citizens can participate in programs that impart skills to the younger generation. For instance, if you are a good swimmer, have baking or cooking skills, you can participate in your community to teach young adults or young children to swim, bake a cake or cookies or cook a meal. You can also check out the local library if there is a position open for story telling to young kids. If there isn't, why not start a program where you can participate in a story-telling sessions certain days of the week?

The finding, while in line with earlier research on lifestyle and dementia onset, is preliminary and needs to be studied further, he added

The researchers are working on a follow-up study to further examine the protective effects of bilingualism on the brain.

While the research findings are encouraging, many people, especially in the North American continent, Australia and New Zealand do not speak any other languages other than English. This despite recent techniques that have been uncovered that make it easy to learn two or more languages. With the globalisation comes the importance of learning other languages in emerging economies like Chinese and Russian. If you have an Italian or Spanish neighbor, friend or colleague, why not learn a few words or phrases from him or her today and everyday? Apart from forming closer ties and friendships, it will also come in useful if you decide to visit their country of origin one day. Either way, it will be a rewarding experience for everyone.

Learning two languages will no doubt help anyone appreciate the other cultures, besides the medical benefit of staving off dementia and AD.

Have you ever noticed that if you did not have enough sleep or your sleep was disrupted the night before, you will not function at your mental optimum the day after? If you are a student, you feel that you can't pay enough attention in class. If you are a working adult, you tend to make more mistakes than usual. Recently, scientists have evidence that lack of sleep is essential for proper learning, memory as well as for every day mental work.

A lack of sleep appears to disrupt the functioning of the hippocampus, an area of the brain that forms new memories.

The latest of the medical journal Nature Neuroscience reported on Harvard Medical School investigators who recruited 28 volunteers who were either randomly deprived of sleep for two days and a night or who were allowed to sleep normally.

They looked at and tried to remember a large set of pictures while a scanner screened them, mapping their blood flow, and hence cerebral activity.

The subjects were then allowed two full nights of sleep before a second test in which they had to spot the original slides in a batch that included new pictures.

The sleep-deprived group did worse in the first test than those who had slept. But in the second test, those who had been sleep-deprived did much better than those who had earlier slept.

The scanner showed that in the first test, hippocampus activity among the sleep-deprived was far lower.

Previous research had found that sleep after learning is vital for consolidating memory, but hard evidence has, until now, been lacking as to the effects of lack of sleep before a memory is created.

"These results demonstrate that an absence of prior sleep substantially compromises the neural and behavioral capacity for committing new experiences to memory," said the study.

"It therefore appears that sleep before learning is critical in preparing the human brain for next-day memory formation."

In a separate study work on rats, by a team from Princeton University found that a lack of sleep affected the hippocampus. It found that the stress hormone corticosterone caused the effect. The researchers compared animals which were deprived of sleep for 72 hours with others which were not. Those who missed out on rest had higher levels of corticosterone and produced significantly fewer brain cells in a particular region of the hippocampus. When the animal's corticosterone levels were kept at a constant level, the reduction cell proliferation ended. This may explain why people who experience lack of sleep face concerntration problems and other difficulties.

If you're having trouble falling asleep at night, head to the kitchen and reach for some kiwifruit. A study by Taipei Medical University has found that eating two kiwifruits an hour before going to bed can improve your sleep quality by as much as 40 percent.

Professor Jen-Fang Liu of the university's School of Nutrition and Health Science studied the sleep pattern of 29 subjects with diagnosed sleeping difficulties over four weeks. She found that the kiwifruit diet decreased Sleep Onset Latency (SOL) by an average of 38.7 percent. SOL is the time it takes a person to fall asleep after going to bed. The participants also reported waking up less during the night.

And here's a handy tip; If you find it a hassle to peel the kiwifruit, simply cut it in half and scoop the contents out with a spoon.

Other alternatives to a better night's sleep include a cup of chamomile tea to soothe frazzled nerves, a warm glass of milk after a warm bath or just reading a book until you feel you are ready for bed. If you are living with a partner, you can also ask him or her to give you a light massage to ease the day's tensions.

Changing your sleeping schedule, either bringing it forward or backward, dimming the lights or having soft music in the background may also induce sleep.Doing light mental work like a crossword puzzle or jigsaw puzzle may also help.

It pays to get a good night's sleep for optimum learning and other memory work. A good night's rest also mean less mistakes at work. So there you have it, a good night's sleep makes you healthy, wealthy and wise.

The human brain is a surprising organ. It doesn’t matter if you are awake or asleep, dreaming. Learning from past experience or planning for the future, enjoying or suffering, everything happens in our heads first.

But nearly half the population of industrial nations believe that their memories are deteriorating. How do you feel about this issue? Do you still remember what you did last Monday? Do you remember what you ate for lunch last Sunday? Do you remember all the birthdates of everyone in your family?

If you can improve your memory, thinking ability as well as your faculties of perception and your communication skills, how much is that worth to you?

Did you know that your brain consists of about 100 thousand million nerve cells, and that literally hundreds of thousands of electrical impulses are racing back and forth between them every millisecond? More importantly, did you know that there is absolutely no reason why your mental “fitness” should diminish as you grow older, as everyone else assumes? In recent years, the fields of biology, medicine and psychology have produced an outpouring of new research on the brain. Scientists have found a direct correlation between a healthy, fit body and an alert brain. The increased oxygen intake and blood flow has many benefits to the cells in our brain.

In fact studies in Finland shows that adults over the age of 50 who walk an average of 2 miles everyday or at least 10 miles per week perform 50% better in memory tests than those who did not exercise. Brain scans of volunteers show increased blood flow to areas of the brain that directly impacts short term and long term memory. Further tests on cognitive skills of elderly volunteers also show marked improvement. Psychologist also surmised that individuals who exercise also suffer far less from depression and generally have a healthy outlook in the life, besides improved brain function and great memory. They generally smile more and have healthier social habits like starting a conversation with strangers or forming better friendships.. Scientists conclude that sustained and moderate walking is indeed a elixir of life, good for the body and good for the brain.

More surprisingly, the same principle of fitness applies for your brain as for your body; if you don’t use your brain, it’s going to get rusty. So do use it often and challenge it every single day of your life. Your brain and your memory will surely remain in good shape and peak condition if you keep it productive.

Let’s imagine for a moment that you are sitting by a quiet stream in the countryside. You take in the bright sunshine and the fresh air. All of a sudden, right in front of you, a big fish jumps out of the water and splashes down. It swims away furiously as droplets of water run down your face. You hear the wind as it howls through the trees, the rustling leaves, perhaps a gurgling stream as it brushes against the rocks. The wind gently carries the smell of freshly cut grass. As you walk along the bank, you savour the fresh delight of some of the juicy, sweet berries that you have just picked. You taste the tangy juice as it drips down your throat.

Whether we are walking in a quiet country road or in a busy shopping mall, whether it is during the workday or while we are on a holiday, we take it for granted that we know what our surrounding is like. Our senses connect us to the world around us. Our senses help us perceive things that can bring to us a whole range of feelings, from intense happiness to sadness. But sometimes the information from our senses can be misleading, or we are too overloaded to interpret it. However, did you know that only a fraction of the information, or sensory stimuli, received by our sensory organs (eyes, nose, ears, skin, mouth) enters our consciousness? In fact, our brains have several filters that prevent us from being overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of new stimuli. By filtering out new information, we can concentrate our attention on the things that are important and thus keep the world in perspective.

Have you ever had the frustrating experience that your expensive state-of-the-art digital camera will not focus on the person in the tiny screen but on some unimportant object in the background? Fortunately, this cannot happen to us, for our brains are far more intelligent than the microchips and computers that run our camera. The brain automatically separates important things from what is secondary or irrelevant. In effect, our brain knows that you are more interested in taking a photo of your grandmother, uncle, aunt or child standing in front of the tree rather than the tree itself.

Likewise, an “aware” state of mind helps you to focus on what is important and what is “background noise”. For example, how many times have you ignored what a spouse or a family member is saying because you were too focused on something on television. How many times have you walked into a room and not know why you entered the room? Or how many times have you gone to the store and returned home and forgot a grocery item that was running out? Sometimes our filtering mechanism fail us but we can overcome this by practicing “mindful awareness” of what is important. We can train our minds to focus on the task at hand.

Here are some tips to improve your memory and train your brain. So the next time you need to go into a room to get a pen, think of a large spot of ink on your favorite shirt pocket.

The next time someone interrupts you while you are giving a presentation, make a mental picture of where you stopped. If you run out of milk and need to run to the store, imagine a cow with a apron telling you to get the milk, instead of coming home with a pack of frozen pizzas that was discounted. Remember, it’s all about ‘mindfulness’. Try it!

Do you remember as a child lying on your back on a beach or in the field and looking at the different shapes of passing clouds? If you do, you will know how enjoyable it can be to focus completely on one thing. To be receptive, you need to allow all your senses to explore the environment. The more sensory pathways you open up, the more extensive and exact your perception will become. This has been acknowledged by scientists in numerous studies. Students can memorize new material twice as well if it is presented in a visual form – for instance, as a film or video – and not just by merely listening to a lecture. This is because visual cues from the eyes play an important part in the learning process.

The best known method for focusing our thoughts towards what is important and training our perception is Meditation. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years by Buddhist monks for instance for spirituality and to open up the mind to new knowledge. Zen Buddhism is about mastering the art of Meditation to achieve remarkable things in life. Demonstrations have been performed by a skilled archer and meditator with his eyes blindfolded and shooting an arrow so accurately that it will put out a burning candle hundreds of paces away. He performs this feat by accomplishing the highest concentration and entering a state of deepest calm.

In western psychology, the phenomenon of controlled attention is also useful. Anyone who wish to train or improve his or her memory must begin by controlling perception. For instance, if you find that you keep forgetting someone’s name, it’s likely that you are too easily distracted and do not place enough emphasis or importance to the person’s name when you are introduced. A deeper focus on the situation will improve your memory. A quick tip is to look at the person’s face, without staring.

With a quick sweep of your eyes, notice what the person is wearing, the color of his or her eyes, hair, skin. Take an interest in that person, ask about where she was born, what are the person’s hobbies, children, pets etc. Ask the person how her name is spelt. If there is only one way to spell ‘Tom’, the more relevant question is to ask how to spell his last name. Take notice of it and make interesting associations with it and tie it in with what the person is wearing or the person’s physical attributes. Is he or she tall or short, fat or slender? Does he or she have freckles or a tan?

Your creativity is also influenced by how intensely you deal with the job at hand. If you need a new idea urgently – for example, an anniversary gift for a spouse, you perhaps need to let yourself be inspired by the world around you.

We often do not take the time to see what is around us. The flash of inspiration you need will come to mind if you allow your attention to move freely, embracing all possibilities, even the ones you previously disregard. So open up your senses, see to appreciate, smell new scents, listen with intent and start to feel, both physically and emotionally. Start living and be alive and you’ll find your memory, concentration and creativity will start to blossom.

Many people have problems with a lack of concentration. The have trouble focusing on a single job at a time or lose interest quickly. Poor concentration can normally be fixed successfully by such techniques as meditation. Very seldom is it an inherited ailment for which little can be done or if only specialized medical treatment is required.

Most times, it is quite easy to identify and overcome the causes of poor concentration. Often, a person is not at her peak mental performance because of insufficient sleep, or because of hunger or thirst. In such a scenario, concentration is often poor or is easily broken.

Such problems are common for elderly people and they are especially vulnerable. Many older folks live alone, often on a limited income. Due financial constraints, they may be forced to eat a poorly balanced diet, which leads to drastic loss of memory and a state of mental confusion. In general, a change of diet can work miracles for such people, and they regain their mental capacity fairly quickly.

Another problem that affects the young and the old is an insufficient intake of water. Anyone with insufficient intake of water will suffer bad health. The recommended fluid intake is two liters per day, preferably in the form of water.

Concentration for people is also influenced by the temperature of homes and offices. For most people, 21o C is the ideal indoor temperature. Anyone who thinks that they can only be comfortable at 25oC is wrong. This is because mental alertness falls by 20 percent as the temperature goes higher. It must also be said that the workplace must have proper ventilation if your office or work environment is too hot, then the quality of your work will undoubtedly suffer. As a matter of fact, even though your brain takes up three percent of your body weight, it uses approximately 25 percent of the available oxygen. When the room temperature is too high, the level of oxygen goes down, make it harder for the brain to operate at maximum efficiency.

A recent experiment in Norway on memory showed that college test volunteers working on mathematical problems made 5.5 percent more mistakes as temperatures were raised by 1o C. Stress levels also increased at higher temperatures.

If the weather has turn warmer, you may consider wearing lighter clothing to allow body heat to dissipate. Remember to drink more water in warm weather to replace greater body fluid loss. For men, unbuttoning the collar button or loosening the tie will bring measurable improvement in memory, concentration and the ability to cope with work stress.

The physical environment certainly affects our concentration. This in turn will affect how your brain works and your memory. The modern, open-plan office can have it’s fair share of distraction in terms of noise or movement of people to and fro. There are very few offices that are perfect for work. Even the best designed work environment, there are bound to be sources that will immediately distract us and take our attention away from our work. This is often beyond our control. For instance, you can hear some of your colleagues talking in the background. Often even if the tone of the voices are hushed, it is human nature to try to listen in, braking our concentration for the work that we need to do. Even if the language spoken is not something we understand, it is interesting to note that the source of the sound is distracting. Certain music can also easily distract us, by touching our emotional responses and triggering memories and any associations we might have with the music, regardless of whether the memories or associations are pleasurable or painful.

However most people will only find certain sounds annoying and not all sounds are distracting. If you feel a particular sound is hindering your performance at work, you should try to identify the cause of the annoying sound. For example, if a colleague’s music source is distracting you, you can ask that person to turn down the volume. You might consider using earplugs to cut out the noise if it cannot be eliminated. That way, you will have a quiet mind in which to work with and remember things a lot better.

Getting rid of distractions may not always be as simple as buying a pair of earplugs. Have you ever noticed that you feel irritated by the slightest form of annoyance and at other times, you wouldn’t even bat an eyelid, like when a child screams nearby? The physical environment affects your focus, but it is just as important to pay attention to your personal biorhythm. Also known as circadian rhythm, biorhythm simply means the body’s natural cycle of activity and rest. Many people believe that your biorhythm affects physical and mental states, and even behavior. For instance, some people are able to concentrate better in the mornings, some in the evenings. This is why everyone should organize their work and other important tasks according to their individual needs and the times they feel at their best.

If you need to do a lot of mental work like working out the household budget or studying for a tests, you need to know what is a good time to do it. At your peak mental state, you find that you make less mistakes and remember things more. Your memory and concentration are also better. If you feel tired and your brain feels sluggish. Get some rest and some relief like either a hot or cold drink to refresh yourself. You’ll find that you’re more mentally alert and more productive this way.

Red is for love and black signifies mourning. We use colours to express feelings, and most people easily understand their messages. Colours can have both calming and stimulating effects.

There is one aspect of color perception that is difficult to imagine, but it happens and is a fact. Imagine you were standing by the sidewalk, you see a passing fire engine and you experience a specific taste. This happens to only a few people, but can also take the form of perceiving musical tones as colours, or smells as patterns on the skin. Researchers who study perception use the term ‘synaethesia’ for this phenomenon of mingled sensory perceptions.

Why some people perceived the world in such a manner is still a mystery to scientists. Imagine the sensations experienced by a synaethesian when the doorbell rings, you might see a number of triangles all around you. Then a car horns and in front of your eyes some patterns emerge from the top right of your field of vision, only to disappear as sudden as it appeared. As soon as you hear your neighbor’s dog bark, a rainbow appears before your yes. When you eat a toffee, you feel as if you are holding a balloon in your hands.

Maybe this is the way we all perceive the world during the first four months when we were babies. As a baby, you will have a completely different sense of reality than as an adult. A baby interlinks sensory impulses into phenomenal perceptual patterns. Thus when a baby is hungry, it produces a range of feelings like a raging storm. A flood of sensory impressions takes over the child, and parents familiar with this will know they are in for a rough time. It is only when we get older that our senses become separated and we can filter our sensations.

Have you ever seen a blue Ferrari? A green fire truck? Scientists have found out through experiments with children which have shown that red building blocks increase aggression and nervousness. Adults who love red are more ready to take risks and have a greater sense of adventure.

Without being a ‘synathesian’ you can use your mingled senses to improve your memory and enhance your learning? You will find your concentration is better and you are less likely to daydream because you are engaging all the faculties of your mind and senses to learn. It is fun and because you enjoy it, you stay focussed and your learning is accelerated.

Let’s say you are learning a foreign word, for example in Spanish. The word for wine in Spanish is ‘vino’. Imagine yourself taking drink from a bottle of wine straight from the bottle and as you take a mouthful, you hear someone shout “NO!”. The wine has turn bad and taste like vinegar You have “Vin” from vinegar and “No” – Vino. Engage your senses for better memory recall.

The sensation of time and space is influenced by colors. For instance, the color red increases the rate at which the heart beats and, causing time to appear to pass faster. Green, however, creates an atmosphere of emotional balance. The eyes relax and concentration increases. Imagine yourself walking through a forest and try to experience the feeling. Even blue has the ability to fool the senses. In blue light, for example in the moonlight, it is easy to underestimate the weight and dimensions of objects. Blue has a relaxing effect on muscles and the heart beats slower, it feels as if time has suddenly slowed down.

Quoting the Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky (1886-1944) “In the first instance, color influences our souls”. And most people would agree with him. The appreciation of life and beautiful colors are often related. Caught up in the explosion of colors during a sunrise or sunset, immersed in the turquoise waters of the sea or the sparks and flames of an open fire, you immediately feel the sense of happiness and calm.

This knowledge of the therapeutic effects of colors, not surprisingly has many application. “Color therapy” is the term for the technique of using color to soothe or even heal ailments of the body or soul. Used widely for the treatment of very young children, premature babies, for example, often develop severe forms of jaundice, which are treated with blue lamps. In everyday life, you can make use of the effect of color on your psyche in order to enhance your job satisfaction and well-being. People with high blood pressure, for instance, should have less red in their environment. Headaches can be reduced by getting rid of the color yellow. This is one reason why hospitals, for example, don’t use strong colors, neutral pastel tones create a sense of well-being.

In a hospital’s operating theatres, green is common. Even the overalls worn by the doctors and nurses are green. Green has replaced the more clinical white, since it has been found to calm patients more. Green also counteracts headaches, disturbances of vision and loss of concentration among surgeons and their medical assistants – problems that come out in bright white rooms or attire. The color green has also found its way into factories and workshops. Potentially dangerous and machines can be painted dark green to give a calming effect and lowering accident rates. The psychology of colors, its knowledge and application is even being applied to the design and fittings of trains. Restrained shades of blue and green are used to give travelers the feelings that they are being carried safely from one place to another, easing tensions and stress due to long distance travels.

To relieve stress and to give your mind better concentration levels and to improve your memory, you might want to paint or decorate your office or study room in gentle shades of green or blue. For children’s play area however, bright colors help make them more creative.

How To Control Stress And Distraction To Concentrate Better In Your Work Or Studies

Our perception constantly strives to find order in random patterns. Sometimes this may lead us to results which are not what we expect. For example, if you look at your television screen when transmission has ended, your senses and your mind may lead you to the conclusion that the random flickering of the spots look like a swarm of bees.

There are disturbances everywhere and unless you are living in a cave on the top of a mountain, disturbances are quite unavoidable. Sources of disturbances in our everyday lives include the telephone, passing traffic, a barking dog or kids playing nearby. Here are some tips on how to cope.

Most of us have encountered this scenario before. You are about to solve a difficult problem when the telephone rings. You feel flustered but somehow compelled to answer the phone. After you put the phone down, you find that you can’t remember your solution. There are ways to shield yourself from being disturbed. If possible, in the office you can let your colleagues know that at certain times you do not want to be disturbed. If necessary, put a sign on your door. If that does not work, move your workstation.

When it comes to concentration however, we are often to be blamed. Not having enough enthusiasm, and difficulties with concentration can be an indication that our work patterns or habits need correction. You need to take short breaks while you work, and reward yourself when the job is done. Or if the task at hand will take you several hours, reward yourself when you reach a certain milestone. For example, after writing certain number of pages of a document or presentation. Maybe you need sleep, make sure you get enough sleep and talk to a spouse about your need for sleep so that he or she can make the necessary adjustments. Maybe you are carrying too many burdens on your shoulders. In that case, you need to take up a sport or some relaxing activity or hobby.

Our senses can be overloaded in some situations. For example in a lively party, where the music is loud and there are many people talking or even shouting to be heard. How do you react when all of a sudden, in the middle of all that noise, laughter, voices, you hear your name? Automatically, you try to determine who is calling or mentioning your name. Psychologists are not exactly clear why we can pick out essential bits of information in the midst of the deafening noise and chaos of a party. Yet, it is the harnessing of this interesting fact about how the subconscious can filter out background noise to zero in on what is vital that is the core of brain training and memory enhancement.

Our minds seem to possess a variety of filters for blocking out irrelevant information, while at the same time allowing certain sounds or words to enter our consciousness. Anyone who is a parent knows how useful these filters can be. The cry of a baby – even if in another part of the house will alert the mother or father of it’s distress. Training our mind to focus on the task at hand or prioritising what is important will ensure less stress and freeing up more time for a more productive you.

When you have enough sleep and exercise, you will be in a better mental and physical shape to cope. Your concentration, your memory and your capacity for learning will increase.

An expert in any field is someone who has specially developed filters of perception. Many times, they carry out their activities automatically and they themselves usually cannot explain how they tell the difference between important and irrelevant information. Most of us carry out countless everyday routines without even thinking twice about them. But just try to explain to a child how to button his shirt or how to ride his bicycle with the training wheels off and you will know that any skill, no matter how easy it looks, is difficult in the beginning. A child will master these skills only after countless failures and attempts Highly skilled doctors with years of experience are a perfect example. They come to the same conclusion with their diagnosis based on their experiences and observation but often they cannot give details of how they come to their findings. It is part intuition, part training and part knowledge. Intuition comes from experience and the more years of experience a doctor has, the more skilled he becomes.

In the same way, a car mechanic must have an expert knowledge of the inner workings of a car and it’s gears and engine. With experience, he can confirm what is wrong with an engine by the sound it makes. A piano tuner’s ear knows how much to tune a key so that a piano can produce a wonderful melody and the pianist, a masterful performance. A pizza maker knows exactly what is the consistency of his dough before he even throws it in the air. All of these individuals have specially trained senses. Years of practice and learning from mistakes have made them the experts in their chosen profession.

With a bit of practice and an alert mind, you too can become an expert in whatever subject that interests you. Let’s say you want to attend a lecture at your local community college or library. You can use what you will learn in this article to remember the information that will be presented to you.

Keep your goals and objectives in mind before the lecture starts. During the lecture, note down any information which seems important to you. When you’re unsure of what the speaker means or need an explanation for certain words or terms, ask a question as soon as possible. Listen critically to the speaker. When the lecture is over, endeavor to read about the subject in order to deepen your knowledge. If possible, put into practice what has been touched on in the lecture. If the subject matter is about how to take better digital photographs, practice with your camera not more than a week after the lecture. If the lecture is on how healthier living, find out if there are good recipes on healthy cooking from the books in the library or bookstores that are in line with the subject.

Make an effort to exchange ideas and impressions with other people, seek other sources of information about the subject that you’ve just learnt to deepen your knowledge. You may be surprised how someone who did not listen to the lecture may have a different view of the subject. This will give you a chance to gather new experiences or other opinions. Naturally, your motives and goals will change in the course of your journey through the world of knowledge. All these actions will form mental tags that will adhere to the new found information and will continue to boost your enthusiasm and memory of the new subject.

Our perception of things depends on our experiences. If we have not already stored something in our memory, the brain might store some new information in the wrong way; sometimes deceiving us.

Has this ever happened to you” You are waiting at a bus stop, you look around and someone has caught your attention. You do a double take – you know this face from somewhere. You realize that this man looks like an old high school buddy from many years ago. You’re unsure, because you’ve just moved into this area and your old school is hundreds of miles away. You decide to walk up to the person. Half way, he turns around looks at you for 2 seconds and checks his watch. Then he flags down a cab and rides off without looking in your direction again. No, this cannot be your old friend, definitely not. Time and time again, we encounter a situation where the brain plays tricks on us, simply because our grey cells respond automatically to experiences and expectations. For example, if you never expect to meet your old friend at a bus stop, you will find another more appropriate explanation for what you have seen. Such interpretations often lead us into traps, tricking or fooling our sense of perception.

We all know about mirages; It’s an optical illusion, which can lure those lost in the deserted and badly dehydrated, to their doom. Mirages seem like vast expenses of water like a lake or they make remote parts of a landscape seem much closer than they really are. You might see mirages appear on the highway, making us think that the road ahead is flooded with water. Such sightings can be explained through references to conditions in the atmosphere.

The brain has an innate ability to make sense of what the other senses perceives. Even though the information may be incomplete. This can be the basis of a good memory recall. But how do we use this ability of the brain to form other meaningful associations. Memory experts and mentalists have long used such abilities to achieve astonishing mental feats. Like memorizing a long chain of numbers, a long list of items. More pragmatic users have used this ability of the brain to memorize complicated mathematical formulas, scientific equations, memorized biblical verses, learn a foreign language or even teach young children the multiplication tables. It’s about turning something abstract like numbers or a foreign word into more meaningful pictures or stories that helps the human mind achieve phenomenal feats of memory.

When we perceive our environment, all our sensory organs work together. All of us have our preferences when it comes to the senses. And this is also the reason why each of us experiences the world in a very personal way. For the most part, we are blissfully unaware of this taking place. However, scientists make distinctions between three types of perception preference’ visual (eyes), auditory (ears) and haptic (touch).

You can try a simple test to find out for yourself which group you belong to. Ask a friend to give you a paper with 10 words written on it. Memorise as many words as possible, and then remove the piece of paper. Try to recall the words on the paper and note how many words you got right. Now repeat the test with 10 other words, which your partner reads aloud to you, then with 10 more words presented to you as drawings. Then compare the number of points you scored each time the test on which you scored the most points is where you strength lies.

Once you have refined and strengthened your perception, you can apply your strengths to your full advantage. It is even better if you also make an effort to strengthen your weaker senses. If you can do that, you are in a position to absorb and retain information much faster and more reliably than you previously thought possible.

Let’s say you wish to learn a new foreign language. If you perceive information best with your eyes (most people fall into this category) you can record the foreign words and its meanings in English in a media, like a tape or mp3 player as an aid to learning. This will help you train your hearing at the same time. There are a few special exercises you can do to strengthen your preferred form of perception. For example, imagine a dollar note or coin, it’s something that you use every day. Try to describe the design of each side of the note or coin and the form of the print or minting along the edge. Then compare what you have just described to the original. It won’t be easy but this will train your eyes for details. How do you train your vision? Look at a photograph. Carefully look at he picture. What do you notice? Which angle did the photographer take the shot? Are there shadows? Do the shadows fall to the left or right? Can you tell what is in the foreground and what is in the background? You can ask yourself these questions out loud and answer them. Then take a blank piece of paper and make a quick sketch of the picture without looking at it. This procedure is especially effective, because different sensory channels are simultaneously involved – sight, speech and motion or activity.

Many new knowledge or information can be learnt by carrying out the necessary activities. This is the reason psychologists advise us to memorise new facts not only in our minds but also through actions. Action or activity can be done through writing, talking, singing or drawing. That is why many people find that they remember what has been said in a lecture better if they take notes during the lecture. You don’t have to write down every word the speaker said, the main ideas or key words will do You can even draw pictures to illustrate a point. Remember to check on your notes filling in any areas you think might draw a blank in future revision.

Many of us let trivial things distract us from the bigger picture. But, when it comes to filling in the blanks in information, our brains are capable of the most astounding feats. Imagine that you are offered a promotion in your company in another department. This is a significant development in your career but the new job will mean more stress although you have been offered a much higher salary, the job is challenging, the colleagues pleasant and the boss appears to be understanding and easy to talk to. The problem is, you have to make up your mind in 3 days because there are other well-qualified applicants for the job waiting in line.

You are not quite sure if you should accept the offer and you try to find out if there are any hidden drawbacks. You ask if it would be a problem if you had to take some time off at short notice some time in the future. By asking this question, you would be able to find out if the working environment is really as cordial and agreeable as your first impression had led you to believe. More importantly, it will also provide clues as to whether the boss will in fact remain as friendly and flexible as your first impression of him. As the moment for your decision draws near, you have fresh doubts entering your mind. Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night breaking out in cold sweat. In the end, you must decide to say “Yes” to the job or to reject the offer. Despite the fact you do not have all the answers you need.

Very often, we are all forced to make split second decisions. For example, you are driving close to a group of kids cycling on the streets, one of them could suddenly swerve into your path as you pass. When you are buying a present for a loved one, many questions pop into your head. How much money do you want to spend” Which colour does he or she like it to be ? A funny or meaningful card to go with the gift? Should you buy a music CD or a book? Another example, if you want to buy a house, you can inspect it many times but certain parts, the foundation for example, will always be hidden from view. Even if we don’t know all the important details, we often make decisions which can turn out to be good ones. The reason for this is the brain’s ability to fill in the gaps of the whole picture in our minds. Often times, we are not even aware of this happening. In our imagination, we can replace any missing information, thus creating a complete picture. This trick of perception has been proven many times, and even primitive men relied on it. When they spot the tail of the tiger in the bushes, the eyes of the crocodile above the water line or the flight of startled birds in the trees, all these point to the existence of danger nearby. It is largely due to the functioning of the brain that we can cope with the world.

The brain has an innate ability to expand bits information into sound and solid knowledge. Ancient Greeks use this fact to memorise chunks of information and accelerate their memory and learning. The Chinese form words and vocabulary inspired by nature and their surroundings, purely by observation. Some memory techniques use the method of picture association to memorise huge amount of information. So the next time you feel overwhelm by the sheer weight of information, understand that you don’t have to know everything down to the last detail to make an informed choice or decision.

Can you read an entire book in just a few minutes? It may seem unimaginable but the phenomenon of speed reading makes it possible.

It’s all in the technique. Normally a person can only read 240 words a minute. However, some schools offer courses in speed-reading or “photo-reading”, a technique in which anyone can supposedly increase their reading capacity to abut 25,000 words per minute. In these lessons, participants learn how to make use of the entire brain during the reading process – normally only the left side of the brain is used. A person who masters the technique properly can “photograph” the entire printed page in his or her mind, improving the absorption of information.

To learn speed-reading takes time, and not everyone is successful. You can also increase your reading speed 10 to 40 times without taking a speed-reading course. You will notice a vast improvement if you don’t say each word in your mind as you read. This makes your brainwork harder, preventing it from doing other things. You can avoid this in the following way move your middle finger along the lines and follow the finger with your eyes. Some techniques teach you to move your middle finger in a reverse “S” shape, like a fish swimming or a rattlesnake moving across the sands of the desert. It certainly takes practice as we’ve been trained since we were young to always say the words out loud. Chances are, this was how we were taught how to read.

Other usual tips which you can use to read faster or keep your mind from wondering is using the power of imagination. Before you start reading, imagine yourself flipping through the pages of the book. Imagine yourself taking an avid interest. Then take a quick glance through the book, looking at the contents page, the acknowledgement, chapter titles. Always read the back of the book cover. This will give you some motivation of what you hope to derive from the book. As you glance through the chapter titles, you should begin forming questions in your mind about the subject matter.

Besides using our imagination to read faster and have better concentration and stronger focus, we can also use our imagination to memorise numbers. When it comes to remembering numbers, it is often difficult because numbers are abstract forms. Our minds think in pictures. Not convinced? Think of an Elephant. Does the word ELEPHANT come to mind or does a great big gray beast with a long trunk, long white tusks, floppy ears and a swishing tail come to mind? Numbers can be changed into pictures.

For example imagine the number 1 as a candle, the number 2 as a swan’s graceful neck, the number 3 represented by a tree, the number 4 by a flag fluttering in the wind, the number 5 by your outstretch hand, the number 6 represented by a dice, the number 7 a golf-club, the number 8 a pair of eyes and the number 9 is a tadpole. A 7-digit number like 5824137 becomes. Hand+eyes+swan+flag+candle+tree+golf club. You can make a story to link up all the numbers. Imagine using your hands to wipe your eyes because you can’t believe your eyes when you see a swan with carrying a flag in it’s beak with a burning candle on top of it’s head and climbing a tree to take a swing with golf club stuck in the branches.

Memory Olympic participants use more advanced but extremely powerful and fun ways to outdo each other in competitions. Often with a chain of 100 numbers and more. More pragmatic techniques to teach young children as young as 7 how to memorise the multiplication tables. Explore ways to use pictures to help you with memory. And learning. It takes the boredom out of learning and makes you more creative. After all, learning should be fun.

Many factors influence who we are, our psyche. Our conscious mind is only part of the equation. Inner clocks, hormones, dreams, memories and our subconscious. All these control our brains and our behavior without us being aware of them.

Imagine you are a lost tourist in Italy and you want to know how to get to the Leaning Tower Of Pisa. You see someone who is sure of himself and you stop to ask that person for directions. You do not speak Italian and you decide to try your luck in English. “Which way to the leaning Tower of Pisa, please?”. The person tells you politely that he does not understand English. All of a sudden, he describes the way to you, in fluent English, complete with an accent. You can’t believe what you’ve heard and you ask again. This time the person denies, in perfect English, that he does not speak English. Is this person playing a trick on you, is he a liar or insane? All of your presumptions could be wrong as it so happens that the person is under hypnosis. Although you are unlikely to have this scenario on the streets, such a behavior is quite normal for a person who is undergoing hypnotherapy. A language confusion of this nature can be found in people who, in their early childhood, grew up in a bilingual, or two-language surroundings. From our example, it is quite clear that our consciousness does not always work logically, sometimes our inner perception makes us believe strange things.

It is not always the case that the brain gives us a complete picture of what is happening in our psyche, or unconscious mind. Some of us will attest to this, that it is not always easy to be specific about what is we really wish for, strive for, know or fear. Our brains have the tendency to block out unpleasant things, emphasize the good and gloss over the ugly. The brain will even provide us with justifications for actions that are nonsensical, impossible, dangerous or even forbidden.

How many of us actually think that we are losing our memory? We forget to bring an important document to work having spend some time the night before working on it. We left the house without taking our wallets along, forgot to pick up the kids, forgot to buy something from the store that we’ve ran out and forgot to pay our bills. Sometimes we enter a room to get something and forget why we enter the room in the first place. We open the refrigerator and forget what is it we needed, was it the butter or preserves? Then we enter into a self-fulfilling prophecy of telling ourselves that our memory is failing?

A lot of this memory “failings” are the result of not paying attention on the situation. For example, to help you remember to bring the document to work, place it in your briefcase or in an area you are so to notice, like on a table together with your car keys. Always pay your bills first. That way, there is one thing less to take care of. Need to pick up the kids up at 6pm? Make a mental picture of your kids coming home with 6 gorillas. Most mobile phone these days come with a reminder alarm that you can use to jolt your memory. Need to do 5 things when you leave for home? Imagine a cow in a suit having his photograph taken by a dog, sitting on a park bench eating a sandwich to remind yourself you need to bring home your suit from the dry-cleaners, get the prints from the photo shop and you’re out of milk, bread and dog-food. Having fun with your mind and imagination will take out a lot of stress from daily living is the cause of our absent mindedness.

All of nature has a rhythm. Birds fly south and the leaves of trees changes color as if following some mysterious cue from a master timekeeper. We are no different. Our bodily functions and our brain follow a definite rhythm. This affects our thinking ability and mental capacity to remember and concentrate.

At certain times of the day, our rhythm reaches a peak, while at other times, it is low. Our body temperature fluctuates according to this rhythm, as does our blood pressure and the level of certain hormones in the blood. Our body’s functions according to a fixed time plan, which is slightly different from person to person. Our daily rhythms are dictated by the rotation of the earth around its axis every 24 hours. However, our biological clocks run slightly slower than the earth’s rotation’ for most people, an inner day has about 25 hours.

Our biological clock, our inner timepiece is located in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This controls the hormones and the nervous system and is actually a bundle of nerves. Scientists are still trying to figure out how the rhythm develops and how our biological clock is set. We only know that it can be influenced by noise, our social and physical environment and the sleeping hormone melatonin and possibly also through physical activity.

There is one particular factor that affects our biological clock, that is, light. In particular, the sun. Our eyes are light sensitive, even a flash of lightning can make the body start producing certain key chemicals. We now know that these chemicals regulate our biological clock every day. Scientists, study blind people, whose optic nerves has been damaged discover that these people cannot easily keep their rhythm in synchronicity with the rest of society.

6-8am. For most men, this is a good time for sex as the male body experiences a high level of sex hormones

9am – 12pm . The human brain is on a fast track. This time slot is good for making decisions. Heart medication is also effective during this time.

1pm. The body experiences its first low. Our body temperature starts to fall. People who can take a quick nap during this time find themselves more productive later.

3pm. The body experiences low sensitivity to pain during the mid-afternoon. If you’ve been putting off a visit to the dentist, this is a good time to make a dental appointment.

4-6pm. The body starts to perform at its peak because muscles start to warm up. Physical activity is most effective during this time. Athletic records have been known to shatter during this time.
7-8pm. For most people, its time to relax as the workday draws to a close. The liver breaks down alcohol effectively. The body starts to unwind.

1am-3am. Warning! Your mental and physical prowess is at its low. This is the time the body wants to shut down and sleep. This is the time when most accidents happen at home or on the road.

Understanding your body’s own biorhythm will help you to cope with stress. If at all possible, schedule high mental activities at the time your brain and body are at its peak. And remember to take power naps whenever possible. It goes a long way to improving memory and concentration, and maintaining healthy mental and physical capacity.

If you think that an older person can out maneuver you in a game of chess because he is more experienced, then your are making a big mistake. In a survey done in 2005, the majority of people can retain most of their mental capabilities well into their old age.

Playing a game of chess is a great mental activity. It is more than an interesting pastime. It is like teasing the brain and chess players are in fact training their brains. In one test done in Beijing China, a group of Chinese scientists set out to map the effects of a mental activity like chess on the mind. In a park where a group of 50 or more retired Chinese men congregate daily to play Chinese Chess, the researchers found that most of the men had above average mental and cognitive skills. They could hold witty and intelligent conversation and are much less prone to depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The research, spanning over 5 years conclude that the mental faculties of the group of chess-playing men showed no signs of waning as the group continued to age. If fact, their memory continued to improve.

Indeed, other scientific studies in the west show that the gray cells in the brain don’t just diminish in old age, as many people believe. Research shows that as the brain is challenged, the better it will function. Conversely, you are like a couch potato, doing little mental or physical activities, then your brain will start to fail you more and more as you grow older.

The brain can be trained, for instance by reading books, challenging mental puzzles or games, mathematical problems, memory games or with brain-teasing software programs developed by psychologists. There are some memory training programs that can help you perform mental calisthenics like memorizing long chains of numbers, grocery lists or even recognizing hundreds of faces. These programs can also help you to learn a foreign language.

There are other factors however, that can contribute to your maintaining your mental agility into a ripe old age. If you had a good general education, have an active and varied lifestyle, have an energetic partner and a supportive social environment, then you have something of a head start. On the other hand, if you live a life of constant routine, dissatisfaction with your own life or a dysfunctional social environment, this can lead to a deterioration of your mental faculties.

The general agreement between researchers and scientists is that if you keep your mind active, constantly learning new things to enhance your life and the lives of those around you, then you will find that your mental health will keep in tandem with you. Your memory will improve even as you age. You’ll find that your concentration will not falter as your mind becomes sharper. Happiness will then become not only a state of mind but also a by-product of your earthly existence. Your mind will be in the best possible state and a healthy mind will also lead to a healthy and vibrant physical body.

Not too long ago, in a by-gone era we call the Industrial Age, the rules were to get good grades, find a safe, secure job with benefits, and stay there all your life. After twenty years or so, you retire, and the company and the government will take care of you for the rest of your life. Those days, as they say, were the “good ol’ days.”

Fast forward to today. In the Information Age, the rules have changed. The rules now are; go to school and get good grades, find a job and then retrain yourself for that job. Find a new company and a new job and retrain. Find a new company and a new job and retrain. In the new era, the buzzword seems to be to train or retrain. The ability to learn, unlearn and relearn is moving at a staggering pace. If you are not a genius, you will soon be obsolete if you do not learn fast enough. In the old days, information is moving along at a manageable pace. If you are using old methods of learning today, to deal with the “Information Hurricane” coming your way, you have to be prepared to be swamped.

The good news is that new methods of learning are available today to help you cope with the never-ending surge of information. You can invest in some new learning ‘brain’ tools to help you remember information and facts much better. Such tools improve your memory and concentration to give you an edge. You could learn how to be creative, for example, to start a new business to scratch an itch that no one else has thought of. After all, Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

In the Industrial Age, the defining theory of the era was Einstein’s E=mc2. In the Information Age, the defining theory of the era is Moore’s Law, which gave rise to the current concept that that the amount of information doubles every eighteen months. In other words, to keep up with change, you need to virtually relearn everything every eighteen months.

In the Industrial Age, change was slower. What you went to school to learn was applicable and valuable for a longer period of time. In the Information Age, what you know becomes obsolete very quickly. What you learned is important, but not as important as how fast you can learn, change, and adapt to new information. In the bygone era, parents tell their kids “You must go to school so you can get a safe, secure job”. In case you have not noticed, today jobs are plentiful. The challenge is not to get left behind because you become obsolete working at your current job.

Simply put, the Information Age will bring economic changes that will dramatically increase the gap between the have and the have-nots. For some people, these changes will be a blessing, for others, these coming changes will be a curse and still for some, these changes will make no differences at all. There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who say, “What happened?”

I hope you do not fall into the last category of people. You can make yourself valuable by staying relevant. Stay on top of things by learning and relearning. Remember learning is a life-long process, it does not stop when you leave school. If you do not increase your ability to learn as you grow older, your IQ will fall. Keep your body active and fit. Keep your mind sharp and eat healthily. Change is inevitable, but if someone is not prepared for change or swarmed by it, it becomes a stressful and depressing situation. Never rest on your laurels and always be prepared to embrace the future. And the future can be quite exciting.

For hundreds of years, we have known that touch is not only a sensation that can be enjoyed, but it is also absolutely necessary for our survival. It was German emperor Frederick II who, through his cruel experiments back in the 13th century, discovered the human need for body contact. He devised experiments which involved a group of orphans who were separated from others in an orphanage. This group’s only contact was with the foster mother and wet nurses who bathed or nursed them. However, the women were neither allowed to speak nor show any affection to the children under their charge. The conclusion of this experiment was horrific - none of the children survived.

Touches are important, it is a means of creating relationships. As a matter of fact, humans cannot do without touch, it is just as important as food and water. Children and adults alike need hugs to give them a sense of security and safety. Kisses or even a squeeze of a hand give helps us express intimacy. There are many ways we express our social bonds through touch, a business-like handshake builds rapport and trust, a friendly pat on the back for a colleague or teammate give a sense of self-worth. Different cultures from around the world have different rituals concerning touch in their social settings. The Eskimos and the Maori people of New Zealand, for example, rub noses as a form of greeting. The Ipo of New Guinea tickle the chin, the equivalent of a handshake for the rest of us. Hugs, embraces and body contact promote health and well-being and psychologists agree that touch is an important aspect of human existence. The human skin is extremely sensitive to touch. There are close to 700 touch and pressure receptors on a single finger tip. These receptors help us feel minute irregularities of the skin as tiny as a 100th of a millimeter thick. This is as accurate as state of the art laser measuring instruments.

Today, scientists are beginning to find out how skin contact, massage or stroking affects the body and mind. Certain hormones are released when the sensory cells are touched in a mild and pleasant manner. Growth hormones are produced by young mammals when they are licked, cleaned and nudged by their mothers. Medical researchers have found that premature human babies breathe more deeply when they lie naked on their mother’s or father’s bellies for hours. The infant’s heartbeat may even slow down and can be a life-saver for the premature baby. Medical studies also confirm the calming and healthy aspect of massages. Newborn babies gain weight more quickly, have deeper sleep are less stressed and are more active.

Touch not only feels good but it enhances health and mental capability. A study on a group of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease show a combination of massage and electrical stimulation of the skin over a period of six weeks led to a dramatic improvement in both memory and mood. Other studies have concluded that healthy adults also benefit from just 15 minutes of massage per day. Test volunteers were able to solve mathematical problems faster and make fewer mistakes, as well as reporting that they felt calmer. Scientists believe oxytocin to be one of the hormones released, which produces a series of chain reaction opposite to the effects stress produces on the body. This leads to higher pain tolerance, lower blood pressure and more beneficial stimulation of the digestive system.

So if you’re having stress at work, studies or having difficulties with memory and concentration due to stress, give yourself a massage on the shoulders or the head. If you know of someone in the family having such problems, a 5-minute shoulder or head rub goes a very long way to a healthier and stronger emotional and physical state. It also goes a long way towards creating trust and bonds.

For many years,IQ or Intelligence Quotient, was considered by many to be the best measure of human intelligence. But in the last few decades, many factors like self-discipline, memory, perseverance and appropriate emotional behavior have been recognized as important or more important than IQ. Some of these talents are hereditary but we have found that they can also be learnt and assimilated into our lives by mimicking role models with such talents, or learning special techniques.

Humans are at the apex of the animal kingdom for one reason, human intelligence is the highest achievement of evolution. Hundreds of species have died out over uncounted thousands of years so that the most intelligent and adaptable specie can walk and dominate the planet, that is, us.

The human brain is indeed very unique. For all the millions of dollars spent on computer hardware and software, we have made machines that are able to make millions of mathematical calculations in seconds. But we have yet to create a machine that is able to laugh at the punchline of a good joke.

To call someone clever is to accord him or her one of the highest forms of compliments. Any parent would beam with pride if a stranger would also call his or her children clever. But intelligence is in no way predestined, that is , there is no guarantee that the children of clever parents will turn out to be clever as well. Genetic scientists assume that the ratio of unchangeable genetic material to controllable environmental factors is about 30 to 70 percent. However, any arguments on the old debate of nature versus nurture looks like a waste time – a little like whether the soil or the climate is responsible for a bumper harvest.

Many factors help shape the mind of an individual and his or her intelligence. However, scientists agree that having a strong dependable memory is one of the prerequisites for human intelligence. Imagine someone who has a memory that is only dependable for a day. As soon as that person goes to sleep and awakes the next day, he or she has to start all over again, learning new things. However, most people have memories that are decades old, going back to the days when that person was a mere toddler.

With the flow of information that is going around these days, having a strong dependable memory is crucial. In fact the definitive principle that governs the quantity of information today is Moore’s law which states the information doubles on itself every 18 months. With such a dramatic flow of information, it is no wonder that many people seek ways to improve their memory and learning speed, to cope with information change.

The human mind is absolutely capable in managing today’s information flow with the correct system of storing information into your memory. Such special techniques together with adequate sleep, mental and physical exercise and a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables go a long way to helping you stay mentally sharp. And remember, managing the priority or importance of information is one way to help keep you sane in a world where it is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer weight of information.

There are many factors that help shape the mind of an individual and there are just as many ways an individual’s perception in life are shaped. No one is in a position to define exactly what constitutes intelligence. Although scientists do not agree on the definition of intelligence, a number of tests have been designed which attempt to quantify this unique human ability. These tests involve such exercises as continuing numerical series, completing pictures, comparing forms and drawing logical conclusions. Using a mathematical formula and a comparative table, the test results are used to calculate a quotient, the intelligence quotient (IQ). But is it possible to measure something we cannot explain? More importantly, is IQ a standard measure? In other words, does the IQ apply equally to everyone? For many, it is not important to complete a series of formal symbols. Can we deduce something as complex as an individual’s intelligence from an IQ test?

For instance, IQ tests do not measure a person’s capacity for learning nor does it tell you how good is an individual’s memory or whether the individual can leverage on his memory on a human level This is critical, for it means that the IQ measurements doesn’t give any indication as to a person’s potential for development. It is a mistake to think that a high IQ is a guarantee for success in school or in the real world. It is not.

Because IQ on its own does not tell us much about a person, many large corporations now test prospective employees in a so-called quality or assessment center, where they make use of a combination of various behavioral and practical tests in order to assess and evaluate a candidate’s suitability for a job The testing can takes two full days and can be a tiring affair.

As part of the tests, applicants must engage in role play, where they take on the role of a superior, a colleague or a customer and are required to bargain and negotiate about business trips, company allowance, fringe benefits or settle disputes between teams or carry out a project with other team members. Role plays can also take the form of a difficult customer for a product or service. Observers evaluate how well a candidate can remember details about the customer’s name, his needs or a fictitious company product line. Different observers then judge their behavior according to criteria such as the ability to empathize with others, leadership style, self-discipline and self-assertiveness and problem solving skills.

Although a high IQ can be of help to an individual in life or work, there are other talents, like soft skills, that can be an asset to a person in career or in life. For instance, just as a good memory can be of help in life, it is just as important to use that memory on a human level to drive further success For instance helping your boss to remember an event that will make him look good like his upcoming wedding anniversary, remembering and getting your colleague a specific data for a project he or she is trying to accomplish, or remembering your own spouse’s birthday or your children’s school play or soccer game. If we can remember, and perform the small things that matter big to other people, we can certainly bring ourselves to a higher level of success that intelligence cannot.

There are some human talents that just cannot be defined in terms of IQ. Good examples of such qualities are self-discipline, endurance or ambition. These capabilities, however, are often more important to a person’s success in life than their intelligence and other genetic make-up.

Most of us will know of some people who we know in school who always had the best grades but ended up an utter failure in professional life, the popular athlete who somehow never stopped growing up. Or the person who was uninteresting and slow-witted in class and always had difficulties passing every subject and is now a successful manager or entrepreneur living in a big house.

We have all come across people who were genuinely successful in their social life, with a happy marriage, bright and confident children and a wide circle of friends – even though they were not the most intelligent students in school. Why is this the case?

Michael P Steinberg, an expert in human intelligence who has been studying the relation of intelligence and success in life, tells the story of 2 good friends lost in the woods. One is highly intelligent and getting good grades in school. The other boy is not so intelligent and his teachers find nothing impressive about him. He does however have very good common sense and is street smart. As they both wander in the forest, they find themselves face with a dangerous predicament, a hungry and angry grizzly bear not too far off. The first boy whips out his calculator, quickly judges the distance and says, “Based on the known speed of the grizzly and how fast we can run, we’ll be “bear food” in 23 seconds”. The second boy bends down and tightens his shoes laces, looks up, grins and says, “What do you mean WE? All I have to do is run faster than you !”

The first boy may have used his book knowledge and quickly got to the bottom of their problem, but his analysis did not bring him far. The second boy however, had a good grasp of the situation, was able to think out of the box and find a creative solution for his survival. Successful entrepreneurs or managers often find themselves in new and unknown territory that need creative problem solving skills. Such talents are inborn but can be trained. Using experiences and knowledge that we have in our minds and information that has been perceived by our senses, we can often find adaptable solutions to our problems. Such talents make the human race a hardy and adaptable specie that has ensured our survival in untold calamities throughout our existence on earth.

Knowledge can indeed by useful but it is the application of knowledge that makes it powerful. Often knowledge is gleaned from our experience in life, stored away in the recesses of our memory, to be retrieved for our use. Our experience than compares the knowledge against our past success or failures and it is our creativity that shapes our destiny. Our early ancestors may have been cut by a sharp stone. Such an experience, together with his creative intelligence help him conjure up a weapon, a spear or arrow made up of a sharp stone splinter secured at the end of a stick. Through trials and errors in launching his new weapon, our ancient hunter eventually finds his aim and becomes a formidable predator.

So if you were never at the top of your class, fret not. Exercise some imagination and ingenuity. Use your life experiences and memory to think of a creative solution to a problem. You may yet give birth to a million-dollar idea

All of our thoughts are attached to emotions. They are like Siamese twins. In fact the link to emotions is so strong that our clearest memories, those with vivid details are the emotionally charged ones. In fact you can remember so far back to your childhood, your favorite toys, warm moments or painful ones like falling off your bicycle because they were emotionally charged events. In that regard, the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896 to 1980), a pioneer in the study of child development, described a “logic of emotions.”. According to Piaget, the emotions are both the engines and mediators of our thought processes, perceptions and activities. They control and assess what we think and what will be stored in our memories and what will not.

When we associate something with strong feelings or sensory perception is more easily stored in our memory, a kind of filing cabinet. In fact this link is so effective in drawing out our memories that it is considered a technique in itself in memory training. Students or any person intending to learn or memorize large volumes of data can use this method do store and recall any information easily.

But when did we acquire this talent? In fact our ability to store emotions is activated at a very early stage in life. Between the sixth and the 20th month of life, a baby forms strong emotional bonds with his or her parents and other important people. The flipside of this is that if that does not happen, the child may run the risk of being a lifelong outsider. This makes the notion of love a unique human trait. Love is not something that can be taught in a class, it must be lived, it must be experienced. Initially, love is cultivated when a baby can safely suckle its mother’s breast. The warm feeling of having its needs met together with a sense of security when it is cuddled in its mother’s arms is vital to a baby’s emotional training.

Later in life, the feeling of love is associated with physical sensations like kisses and hugs. The day will also come when the child learns that love is linked to acceptance, admiration, pride, friendship, forgiveness and sexual desire. The human mind is indeed a complex mingling of emotions and logic. In fact psychologists have identified a second form of intellect which cannot be measured by tests and is molded by life itself. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German poet who lived between who died in 1832 used the German word ‘Herzensildung’, which means ‘education of the heart’. Today, we call this emotional intelligence (EQ). The talents associated with this form of intelligence include empathy, self-confidence, emotional self-control, character, tact and sensitivity.

However, IQ is not the counterpart of EQ. Most people have both but it is the level of each that distinguishes whether an individual is successful in life. A high EQ is no guarantee of success in life, but given two individuals with the same IQ, the one with higher EQ is more likely to come out tops. The good news is that Emotional Intelligence can be learnt but putting it to use in daily life makes it come out more naturally and more effective.

An American professor of psychology, Howard Gardner has identified at least seven forms of human intelligence. Social intelligence is one of these seven. Social intelligence has two components. One is the ability to access one’s own emotional life or to ‘look into the inner self’. This involves the ability to understand and to control one’s own behavior and actions. For example, this happens when we feel stress or anxiety and the ability or self-awareness to not let these feelings interfere with the quality of a decision. Psychotherapists have a perfect understanding of these feelings and have deep insight into them. Philosophers and authors also have the ability to verbalise their feelings in an exact and self-critical way.

Successful politicians and religious leaders have horned this form of Emotional Quotient, or EQ very well. Good teachers and gifted parents with this ability can put themselves into another person’s position and work well with that person. They can do this very well because they are sensitive to the mood fluctuations, temperaments, motives and aims of people around them, and are able to measure them against their own emotions. A person who has very good social intelligence is able to therefore merge the two facets, that is, to ‘look to the outside’, combined with the ability to ‘look into the inner self’.

Together with the two facets of social intelligence, Howard Gardner has identified a range of other talents. The first of these is language, which is a universal ability of humans transcending all cultures, despite the differences. Poets, scriptwriters, editors and public speakers generally have a high degree of linguistic intelligence. The second is, logical-mathematical intelligence that is shared by all people. The third variety of intelligence is spatial orientation. This ability transcends time. It was just as important when early men hunted animals or crossed oceans to discover new land, as it is now when we need to drive safely on roads or to fly jets. This talent is also important in some professions such as sculpture, architecture. The fourth variety of intelligence is physical-kinaesthetic intelligence, which enables us to remember movements throughout our lives. Anyone who has learnt to play an instrument or ride a bicycle will never lose this ability. Finally, there is musical intelligence. Everyone has an innate ability to appreciate music and rhythm and everyone is a potential musician. We can readily convert tones, harmonies and rhythms into music. Musical intelligence comprises the set of tools we use to do this.

Other intelligence include the ability to use all our other skills and perception to memorise and make sense of the abstract, for example numbers and mathematical formulas. Our brains have a natural ability to think in pictures and this intelligence has in the past allowed early men to communicate. Examples can be found in cave drawings by primitive men, modern form of Chinese characters originating from pictures of animals or other forms of nature, and hieroglyphics used by the ancient Egyptians. In modern times, the ability to think in pictures or make mental movies in our mind has helped many to achieve incredible feats of memory as well as accelerated learning.

Flashes of inspiration are quite common and happens in practically all aspects of human life. But unlike a mathematical proof, these are often very personal, and cannot always be reconstructed by other people. By the way, it is a good idea to put down your thoughts in writing, for 90 percent of all good ideas get lost forever if they are not immediately jotted down. Also, not every good thought can be used immediately. Sometimes, ideas or inspirations are only fragments of a whole, which first have to be polished and supplemented with additional pieces. This is something that poets, playwrights and novelists do, they jot down parts for poems, stories, settings or characters as they occur, returning to them later to be developed and become a verse, a scene or a piece of dialogue.

However, for most of us, wonderful answers don’t just appear all by themselves. One of the most important prerequisites for creative work is to suspend automatic behavior and monotonous functions. The routine that says “this is the way its always been done” is the death knell for inspiration.

One of the most effective methods of creative thinking is brainstorming. Basically there are four rules to the method.

Four – Any adaptation, improvements or combinations to the ideas presented is encouraged. The beauty of this technique is not to find exactly the right answer since there can be many answers to the problems – but to provoke new ideas that have previously not been thought of.

The most important and most difficult rule for such a communal sharing of ideas is – no criticism. This would immediately stifle the creative process and collective thinking of the group involved in the brain-storming. New ideas presented need not be explained or even defended. They must only be taken down spontaneously and in rapid sequence then, at a later stage, they can be evaluated by the entire team to find out if they are of use or not. Do you find that you are stuck in certain situations? Do you need to face up to new ideas? Then brainstorming may be just the right creative method for you.

Here’s an example to show how effective the technique can be while searching for a zip replacement for space suits, NASA designers employed a particularly open technique of idea generation. One participant would pick a word or term at random from the dictionary – for example “forest”. During the brainstorming session, he imagined walking through a forest with thorns getting stuck on his clothes. For the astronauts, the result was a type of fastener which thousands of thorn-like fibres hook into one another. The material was named Velcro. Today, it is not only a household name, it is used in space, in the military, in workshops –everywhere.

One day my son ask me when can he take off the training wheels from his bicycle. I replied, “When I was your age, my father pushed me. I fell and bruised my knee. But I wanted to ride my bicycle so badly that I always got up and tried again”. My son frown at the prospect of constant falls and said, “Did you always fall every time you got up on your bicycle?” “No”, I replied, “If you practise you will learn, and it will work out fine, soon you’ll be an expert.” My son grinned and he got on his bicycle and tried again. Sure enough, he was soon paddling his merry way in a couple of days.

Whether you are learning how to ride a bicycle for the first time or learning to play the piano, most of us need time to master any new skills we desire to learn. It may take some time and effort in the beginning but it’s all worth it, considering we retain the ability to learn right into old age. If you want to learn a complicated skill, you need time and patience. And as soon as the right sequence of movements has been learnt, you can no longer imagine how difficult to take those first steps.

The human mind and body has an innate ability to learn almost anything imaginable. From learning to play the guitar to juggling balls. In any circus or carnival, mind-boggling array of skills and stunts are demonstrated. For example, performing somersaults in the air, juggling knives, balancing spinning plates on sticks. If you hold a baby upright with her feet touching the floor, she will instinctively start making walking movements with her feet. Almost a year will pass before she has found the muscle control to be able o put one foot in front of the other all by herself. In this time, the baby gradually learns to control her movements, first learning to creep, then to crawl and finally to stand upright without holding onto someone or something. It is during this process that she progressively establishes the necessary nerve links between the brain and the muscles.

Just like learning to walk upright is a skill that almost everyone can master, we too have the mental skills to train our memory to perform astonishing feats of memory and improve memory. Memory trainers use an array of clever techniques like mental association. Such techniques have been used for centuries by the Greeks and ancient cultures to amass large amounts of information long before printing was the common enough to hold the massive information required to be pass from generations to generations.

An example of association is to use a technique known as pegging as an anchor or source to hold a piece of information. The body can be used as a reference for pegging. For example, the toes, the knee, muscle, shoulder, collar to the face. Extremely easy to use, it can be the basis of more advance methods of association. Soon, just like learning to ride a bicycle, anyone can use such techniques to master long chains of numbers, lists or mathematical formulas. There are of course many other methods that anyone can use to boost his memory. Dominic O’Brien for example, likes to use the loci method as pegs for his memory feats. Dominic is of course, the world memory Olympiad champion and uses his jogging route to help him remember long strands of numbers or long list of items in the hundreds.

There is much to be gained from a trained memory. Besides making tests and exams a walk in the park, learning a foreign language or “cheating” in a card game, a trained memory has been known to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or other age related memory problems. You might want to explore the different ways you brain can be trained today both to improve memory and for a healthier mental health.

Keywords : memory, memory training, memory techniques, human memory, learning, learning styles, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Whether you are learning how to play the guitar or learning how to ride a bicycle, there are two ways that most people learn. One method is the “just do it” method or the so-called “dive-in” method. If things don’t turn out right, you simply make changes to what doesn’t work and try again. Nobody can predict whether you will succeed eventually. It is also not known why this method is successful, it just is. This is the type of thinking that encourages some parents to throw their babies into swimming pools to help hem learn to swim. Or successful entrepreneurs who take a risk on an idea or concept.

Then there is the other method, which is “think about it” method. It involves thinking and analyzing a problem before jumping into it. In this method, decisions are made only after the outcomes have been carefully considered. This method is controlled by knowing what will happen. For some people, it gives them a certain amount of assurance, if they are worried about the consequences.

Obviously, both methods have pros and cons. But each situation has to be evaluated to find out which method will work best in any given scenario. When launching a mission to the moon, for example, the astronauts cannot hope that they will find the right course and hit their target simply by trial and error. All known possible outcomes and new problems must come to light in the many practice runs in simulators. They would fail disastrously if they tried to navigate in the vacuum of space if the “try first, discuss later” method is chosen. For a mission of this complexity and cost, every single detail has to be precisely calculated before the launch and every single detail planned, including back ups. On the other hand, children can learn to walk, swim or cycle through trial and error. In these skills, they do not need to know the physical laws that govern their motion.

A child learning to ride a bicycle must be aware of certain rules, often the unspoken ones. For instance, if the bicycle starts to tilt to the left, he must turn the handle to the right. The child does not need to know about the law of gravity, inertia, or physics to figure that out for long. Nobody has told him what happens when the bicycle tilts, experience alone is enough to teach him what the consequences will be.

When the child has become a skilled cyclist, all the necessary movements are automatically ingrained in their ability and they don’t even need to concentrate on their steering. They can admire the landscape instead, or talk to a friend, listen to music or even eat and drink. At a certain stage, they may even show off and take their hands off the handlebars, trusting their momentum and sense of balance will prevent them from crashing into a tree or shrub.

Not many people are aware that they can train their memory to remember a multitude of information. Like riding a bicycle, it may be a bit challenging at first but the rewards of such an endeavor far outweigh the initial difficulties. But the good news is, just like learning how to ride a bicycle, there is a “training wheel” stage where the student uses what he or she is already familiar with. For example, you will already know the parts of your body or an area that you are very familiar with like your house or the usual route to work or school. Such memory techniques and memory training methods have been used since time immemorable, long before computers and digital diaries were invented. Once the student is familiar with the workings of the mind, he or she can progress to more advanced learning modality.

A trained memory is definitely an asset. Not only does it save valuable time for any student, it’s very important in daily home or working life. In today’s fast paced environment, sometimes we need all the help we can get and it can and should be fun too. So why not experiment on your own to find out ways you can use your very own imagination to help you learn better and remember better. Remember, if you can’t accept a few scrapes and knocks here and there, you’ll never experience the thrill of the wind blowing in your hair.

Keywords : memory, memory training, memory techniques, human memory, learning, learning styles, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Humans are capable of doing many things at the same time. For example, we can talk on the phone and watch television, drink a cup of coffee while reading the morning papers or sing our favorite song while ironing clothes. These are simple tasks that we can do simultaneously without difficulty. But not everyone develop the ability to do many things simultaneously in the same way. For example, a person may be good at the drums and the trumpet, but to play the drum while blowing a trumpet and honking a horn is another matter. Of course there are people who can do that, making a living out of being a one-man band, but these are experts in their chosen profession . To attain this mastery takes constant practice and determination. However, the brain can quickly adjust and synchronise all these skills into a rhythmic display. The skill level changes from conscious incompetence to unconscious competence.

Take for example the first time you were riding a bicycle. You had to balance yourself, then you had to paddle with your two feet and at the same time ensure you do not run over the neighbor’s cat or crash into a tree. After a some time, you were so proud of your achievement, daring even to take your hands off the handle bar. A classic example of the progression from conscious incompetence to unconscious competence. And all it took was a few hours of practice.

Skills that we have practiced constantly and for a long time will be internalized and can be performed right into old age. Even if there is a period of non practice, it will usually take just a few minutes before the brain and the body “remembers” the skill.

Just like any skill that we have learned, the mastering of memory training or memory techniques follow the same rule of competency. It is no wonder that top practitioner of astounding memory feat practice their craft everyday. Able to remember long digits of numbers of hundreds or even thousands of digits long and to memories similar long list of unrelated words. The old tried and tested method of mastering any skill is practice.

There are many techniques that can help anyone with astounding memory feats. Some people use mnemonics will others use the loci method or associations. For example, you can use the familiarity of your house, the arrangement of furniture or the route you take to work to help you remember anything, like a grocery lists. With more imagination but basically using the same techniques can help you remember names to faces, mathematical formulas, scientific facts or historical dates.

Also, the training of the memory, like any physical exercise is good for the brain, it helps you stave off dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. John Preston, aged 78 can remember every verse of the bible of the new testament, a feat he attributed to a technique he learnt when he was 65-years old young! “Not a day goes by without me putting my brain into practice”, he smiles. And family and friends say he is one mean poker player too. So learn a new skill today and everyday for the rest of your life, it could be the fountain of youth that keeps us from losing the thing that makes us human-our memory, in old age.

Keywords : memory, memory training, memory techniques, human memory, learning, learning styles, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Jane woke up one morning and was astonished to find a strange man in bed with her. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” she shouted as the man looked on with surprise and shock. Jane, aged 71 is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The intruder in her bed is her husband of 60 years and is someone who dearly loved her and has shared the bed with her all the while they were happily married.

Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia named after the German physical Alois Alzheimer (1864 to 1915). Sufferers of this disease gradually lose their memory. As one of the worst form of memory loss, those afflicted can remember events that happened 20 years ago but not what they ate for breakfast half an hour ago.

Notable dignitaries afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease include the late US President Ronald Reagan. Once the disease has progressed, sufferers don’t even recognise their closest relatives. They suffer huge interference in orientation and also severe depression. In recent years, it has been determined that this disease is hereditary.

At present there is no cure for the disease although pharmaceutical companies all around the world are trying to develop and effective form of medication. Sadly, current medication are only effective if the disease is detected in it’s early stages.

Memory loss in old age is a natural part of the aging process and even for old people who become forgetful, very few are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Although memory techniques, mental or memory training cannot be of any help once Alzheimer’s has taken root, it is still the best form of defense to stave off the disease for as long as possible. Therefore, to prevent memory loss and to maintain mental fitness as long as possible, it helps to start memory training early.

The bad news is that brain cells cannot be replenished once they die. Every person is born with about 100 thousand million neural cells. As you get older, more and more of these cells will die off as part of the growing and aging process. But the good news is that older our mental resource seems to be getting less and less as we grow older, many people remain very alert and creative in their old age. This is especially true of creative minds that remain mentally alert for a long time.

The French feminist writer Simone de Beauvoir (1908 – 1986) continued to write books at the age of 75 and the Nobel prize winning Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) did the same at the age of 93. The Polish born pianist Artur Robinstein (1887 – 1982) was still performing at concerts at the age of 89 and the German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer lectured at the age of 98. And who can forget the delectable American George Burns with a smoking cigar in hand? Burns continued to act in movies and on television right up to his death at the age of 100.

Keywords : memory, memory training, memory techniques, human memory, learning, learning styles, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Although you can do certain things at the same time, there are certain tasks that will pose a challenge, but studies have shown that we can ultimately overcome this with practice. For instance, try to imagine the noise made by a train or the sound made by a piano. Now close your eyes and imagine the picture of a dog. How did you do? For most people, it is quite easy to form a mental picture of the dog while holding to the sound made by the train or the piano. Now repeat the experiment with your eyes open. In this instance, it may prove to be a little more difficult. You see, it is difficult for us to combine seeing with other actions. Both seeing and imagining a picture of something involves similar perceptive skills. In general, it is easier for us to perform two activities if they are somewhat unrelated.

Psychologist have confirmed, in a number of studies that it is surprisingly easy for people to do completely different kinds of actions at the same time – but only after enough practice. But if the actions are similar and there isn’t enough practice, it is quite difficult to perform both simultaneously.

You don’t have to be a stage performer to be able to do many things at the same time. With just a little practice, you can improve your own abilities and very soon, you’ll be very good at multi-tasking. Try this experiment. Have a friend read a book and you write down what she is dictating. At the same time, you read the newspaper. You will notice that this task seems almost impossible. Either your reading speed suffers or the quality of your handwriting deteriorates. After about 35 hours of reading however, you can successfully combine reading and taking down dictation. This fact has been confirmed by experiments.

The key to the whole point of multi-tasking is practice. Anyone wishing to read a book while knitting should spend more time practicing. The same goes for cooking a dinner while talking on the phone. I’m sure you have seen outstanding performers doing seemingly impossible things like juggling balls while playing a trumpet or one-man band playing more than one musical instrument.

Some people can astonishing remember more than a hundred telephone numbers in five minutes. This is done by a surprisingly simple memory technique of association where numbers are changed into images and then a mental link is formed. Thus a completely abstract notation like numbers or any scientific symbols can be changed into a mental picture in a blink of an eye. All these happens in seconds because memory performers spend hours practicing their memory training.

However you can put this mental tool to good use. For example to remember a shopping list, you can use the parts of your own body, for example your toes, your ankle, your knee, your hips, etc. Make a mental association to the item you wish to remember. For example butter, fish, pancake, and milk. Imagine your wriggling toes with melted butter, all slippery. Imagine a shark(fish) nipping at your ankles, wearing pancakes for knee pads and a cow (milk) licking you at the side of your hips and making you all giggly. You now have a simple method to remember a ten or twenty shopping and errand list on the fly. Quite useful when you can’t find a pencil or paper.

And remember, it takes a little practice with your memory training and memory techniques which you can come out with on your own. And you can always find time to practice, while waiting for a friend or queuing up at the bank. It is not surprising therefore that some people have been known to memorize long speeches or whole books with the power of association as a memory tool. And when you are really good at it, you can use it as a neat party trick.

Keywords : memory, memory training, memory techniques, study skills, human memory, learning, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

When you think of nuns, most people will picture an old woman in a habit. What most people don’t know is that nuns offer clues to physical and mental fitness and longevity. In a recent study conducted on nuns, it has been found that mental fitness can actually prolong life. Nuns typically live healthy, structured lives without alcohol, cigarettes or drugs. In the study, the depth of knowledge and ideas as well as the ability to articulate were used as measures of intelligence. Nuns, with their daily recitals of religious scriptures have evolved a technique with the same beneficial same effect to the brain, as a good memory training system or technique. Years of leading a structured lifestyle devoted to religious study have helped them enhanced their study skills and concentration to a very high level.

The result shows that most talented nuns reached an average age of 88.5 years, while the others only reached 81 years. With the less intelligent sisters, post-mortem brain examinations showed that indications of Alzheimer’s disease were 10 times more frequent. This is just one study to conclude that the more mentally active you are, the less likely you will have Alzheimer’s disease.

In Canada, there have been some research which shows similar results. It has been shown that the more well-educated are four times less likely to be struck by cerebal atrophy than uneducated citizens. It is a natural law that whatever is not used often will decline slowly and can only be revived with some difficulties.

Many older folks, despite having less physical and mental attributes, have been very successful in being active and confident. They are satisfied with what they have and when they make plans, they see to it that they are accomplished.

Studies has shown that the secret to their confdent outlook in life is simple. They do not look back into the past and rue what might have been or could have been. Instead they look forward to what is possible ahead of them. They constantly renew themselves. Learning new things, creating new ideas for personal growth or making new friends. The act of learning makes their memory stronger and help them minimise memory loss, a natural outcome of the aging process. Many old people have been known to volunteer their time, Mary for example is a 70 year old Canadian woman living in Ontarior who volunteers to read to young children twice a week in the community library. During her free time, she is constantly trying out new recipes and sharing them with friends and neighbours.

The constant physical and mental activities are what keeps Mary young at her age and helps train her memory, making it stronger everyday. In fact neighbours fondly calls her the “Muffin Mary” and are quite happy to try out Mary’s bakes every now and then. The act of engaging the community gives many old folks a sense of belonging and self-worth and helps them stay young both mentally and physically.

Of course, not all older people radiate such optimism and perhaps only a minority would say that they are really happy. However a positive view of the world is an important component for happiness and satisfaction in life. It is not so much a question of prolonging our life span but of filling the years with life.

People who remain mentally active tend to show little signs of mental ageing. Besides that, there is a rollover effect and mentally active old people tend to be more happy. So no matter what your age is, make it a life-long habit to constantly learn new things and give to your community. You will be pleasantly surprised how much you receive back in terms of quality of life.

Keyword : memory training, study skill, accelerated learning, human memory. Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

When asked about the source of his genius, the great American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847 to 1931) had this to say to aspiring inventors, “Make a habit of looking out for new and interesting ideas which have already been used by others successfully”. You see, when we don’t have the right tool or idea in hand, we can use other objects that may be meant for something else. This is one of the best way to use creative problem solving.

As simple as this idea may sound, what keeps us from utilizing it? Psychologists call this “functional restriction”. Which means having seen that an implement works well for what it was designed to do, we fail to see or visualize what else we can use it for. Our brain stores a great number of different representations of every object that we use. We tend to compartmentalize different images or words in our memories. In most instances, a certain image will always correspond to the same concepts.

Let’s take for example the humble paper-clip. Most people who use a paper-clip to hold together notes, letters or maybe dollar bills. Can you think of any other uses for it? Wonderful wire sculptures have been molded from paper clips, I remembered someone in the office using a straightened paper-clip to pry open the door of a jammed CD_ROM drive of a computer. In Austria, a creative paper-clip competition drew in an astonishing 100,000 users for the humble paper-clip.

In most cases, we only think of those links which are closely associated with the object on hand. Take for example a wooden stool. However some problems make it essential to not only think of the obvious connections but also to dwell a little further of what else the object can be used. We can become more imaginative if we can store individual fragments and new combinations of objects in different memory compartments. Thinking wider, a stool then can be an prop in a circus act, you can juggle a set of stools, to hold a lion back in a circus act, a stool can be used to reach for something in a high cupboard or to be used as firewood or as a work of art.

Pilots in World War II have been known to use chewing gum to plug the bullet holes in their airplanes. What can you use a glass bottle for? My grandmother used to use one to roll over peanuts to crush them to bits to make peanut candy. You can put flowers in them, or use it to hold a message if you’re ever stranded on a deserted island. Memory trainers have cleverly used images of words and pictures to formed clever associations to something as abstract as number or mathematical formulas. Anything from a shopping list, historical dates and scientific facts can be memorized easily by using what the brain is already very familiar with. Besides holding promise for accelerated learning, it can be developed and mastered as a study skill for any subject in school. Also, it is surprisingly simple to use.

Many a good marketing idea have used ideas borrowed from elsewhere. Putting nicotine replacement in chewing gum to help smoker’s break the habit for example. And how come no one has ever thought of putting good old plain water in cardboard cartons normally used for soft drinks? One woman in the US did and you can now sip water by putting a straw through a hole in a cardboard carton. The idea has taken America by storm, imagine being able to transport huge loads of drinkable water cheaply and hygienically to any disaster-stricken areas like post Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.

So look at the everyday things around you, can you borrow ideas from them? Necessity may be the mother of invention, but your creativity may help to make you rich one day.

Keyword : improve human memory, forgetfulness, memory training, memory techniques, memory skills, losing memory, Alzheimer’s disease, guanfacine, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

When our memory is affected by the ageing process, some people’s brains compensate to stay sharp. Now, scientists want to find how those brains do that so that they can help everyone else stay sharp.

New research is showing that memory and other brain functions decline even in otherwise healthy people as they age, as anyone who habitually misplaces car keys have suspected. This is not Alzheimer’s disease but the process of wear and tear in the brains due to normal ageing.

If you are 65 years old today, chances are good that you will continue to live to 83 and beyond. A new problem arises. How do you protect the brain from the ravages of time? A very important question as the population greys and improvements in healthcare means people who are 50 today are expected to live for another 40 years.

“I don’t think we’ve recognised, as scientists or a society, (that) this is the front-and-center public health issue we face as a nation.” Dr Denise Park, director of the University of Illinois’ Center for Healthy Minds, told fellow brain specialists assembled by the United States government recently. “We need to understand how to defer normal cognitive ageing, the way we’ve invested in fighting heart disease and cancer.”.

There are intriguing clues, gleaned from discoveries that some older people’s brains literally work around ageing’s damage, making new pathways when old ones disintegrates.

“It’s not just fanciful or pie-in-the-sky” to try harnessing that ability, said Dr Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging, which organized the meeting to seek advice on the most promising research.

On top of the list that scientist have found has work for memory and mental sharpness is simple physical exercise. It appears to be as good for the brain as it is good for the body. Other options that have yielded promising results include brain-training games to medications that may keep brain networks better connected.

For older folks who worry about periodic memory lapses and what constitutes normal mental ageing and what is impending Alzheimer’s, Science cannot yet tell for sure. But there seems to be a distinct difference.

A healthy brain is a bushy one. Branchlike tentacles extend from the ends of brain cells, enabling them to communicate with each other. The more you learn, the more those connections form. Alzheimer’s kills neurons, so the cells disappear along with connections their neighbours need. According to Dr Carol Barnes of the University of Arizona, with normal ageing, the cells do not die but their bushes can shrivel to skinny twigs. Cells that are less connected have a harder time sending messages. Moreover, Alzheimer’s seems to target first a different spot in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory centre, from where ageing does.

Some brains are capable of withstanding a lot of punishment from Alzheimer’s but the patients show little tell-tale signs of it’s symptoms. This is known as “cognitive reserve” and autopsy studies have found between 20 and 40 percent of elders who displayed no confusion actually had brains riddled with Alzheimer’s trademark plagues.

Brain scans show younger people tend to use different neural networks than older people when performing the same task. Compensation is how the brain adapts when old pathways can no longer function, to reroute itself and use an alternative route.

Scientist agree that physical exercise is the best proven remedy to stave off the ageing process. In fact when 70-year olds started a walking programme three days a week, and sophisticated scans showed their brains’ activity patterns started resembling those of younger people.

It has also been shown that people with higher education, more challenging occupations and enriched social lives build more cognitive reserve than couch potatoes. This is what is known as the “use-it-or-lose-it” theory.

What about medication? Scientists are studying if an old blood pressure drug called guanfacine can work for children with attention deficit disorder. It works in the same brain region, the prefrontal cortex, where elder brains forge new networks. “If it works in a six-year-old, we hope it will work in the elderly”, said Yale University neurobiologist Amy Arnsten.

But why wait for the results to be out, you can start training your brain today. You can start by doing more crossword puzzles, learning a new foreign language, a new skill or hobby, play mahjong, learn new memory skills and technques or master memory training. And always keep the mind active. And remember to keep physcially active as well.

Keyword : memory, accelerated learning, brain training, memory training, creativity, human logic, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

When we daydream, thoughts and ideas often bounce around like colored balls in a children’s play area. Here then is the genesis of ideas and creativity. A long-term study of 20,000 trademark and patent description has shown that the one flash of inspiration, which finally led to the patent, was the result of an average of about 20 different groups of associations. All of these had a common origin - the formation of similarities or related ideas. By the careful analysis of objects or processes that have worked, new approaches to solutions are opened up. It is not a process of blind imitation but of recognising analogies and the principles which make them work.

When it comes to finding the inspiration for a problem, humans generally look to the natural world. Nature has provided numerous models for many of our modern accomplishments. The roof of Munich’s Olympic stadium, built for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games, was designed and built using the model of a spider’s web. Modern city planners learn from the intricate veins of the leaf and Engineers and Architects learn from the structure of mushrooms. When it comes from finding solutions for slowing down descent, the designer for the parachute look to how plants propagate with light seeds with wings that allow the wind carry for miles and miles.

Finding analogies have always been a good strategy for finding solutions to problems. Anyone can find and draw such comparisons. In brainstorming sessions, unconventional thoughts often yield ideas not conceived before. Often an unrelated idea is thrown into the fray and similarities are then looked for. Try this exercise, find the similarity between a ladies’ handbag and an oil drum. Never mind about what the handbag is made of, whether is it leather or PVC or what color it is, or even it’s size. Not even what the oil drum looks like. As a start, find the general term for both items. Here the general term of “container” is the correct one.

When it comes to solving problems the unconventional way, fantasy knows no boundaries. Once, while he was half asleep, the famous German chemist August Kekule von Stradonitz (1829 to 1896) watched monkeys playing a game of ring-a-ring-o’roses. He also dreamt of a snake biting it’s own tail. In these analogies, he was able to recognise the ring structure of the benzene molecule, which had been sought by chemists for many years. And the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev (1834 to 1907) conceived the periodic table of the elements in 1869 while watching a game of patience.

Our memory certainly is a storehouse for many of our ideas and inspiration. You can use your imagination to create new solutions or even to help you remember chunks of information. Your imagination can also be used to enhance your memory and accelerate your learning when you link it with proper memory training or brain training techniques. And if we yield to our subconscious mind through dreams and fantasies, we may yet come up with more ideas to problem solving that has eluded us for so long. Why not practice today and find the similarity between 2 seemingly unrelated items, a pencil and a hairdryer, a piece of paper and washing machine, playdoh and a chair. Who knows, you may yet come up with a million dollar inspiration.

Keyword : memory training, memory techniques, study skills, creativity, human logic, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

The Australian Aborigines are the descendants of the original inhabitants of Australia. For uncounted thousands of years, they followed a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle, although most are settled today. The Aborigines adapted remarkably well to the huge area of the Australian continent. Without maps to help them navigate through the land, and without pen and paper to help them record their harsh environment and landscape, the Aborigines did remarkably well to navigate this vast continent and survived and thrived. Their sense of geography was not only highly accurate but also highly sophisticated. How did they do it? The Aborigines passed geographical information on by means of stories similar to myths, which were also recorded in artistic ornaments.

These stories speak of particular features of the land like a kind of road map.
Also, these stories have been immortalised in striking fashion by many Aborigine artists. By telling and retelling these stories, the Aborigines created an aid for their memory of the exact orientation of the land, while at the same time passing on their knowledge of the landscape. Generally, stories or fairy tales, dances or songs are ideal ways for creating images that we will remember as long as we live. You too can use this tool for your memory. But instead of using songs to remember a route, why not use a route that you are familiar with, like a bus or car route to work or school to help you remember everyday things, like shopping list or to-do list? Images form not only the basis of a good memory but also serve to inspire us to greater things. People have been using vivid imagery and imagination successfully as memory techniques or memory training. In addition creative use of such imagery can be used to enhanced a student’s learning and study skills.

Not many of us can make sense of our dreams and often there is no need to. Dreams serve as a kind brain dump when neurons fire off in random fashion to help us dissipate the sheer weight of information that our senses perceived each day. But that is not to say there is nothing of value in dreams. Many writers and artists have been inspired through dreams. The Scottish writer Robert Louise Stevenson (1850 to 1894) composed many of his most famous stories, such as Treasure Island and Kidnapped, from images that came to him in dreams.

Although dreams cannot be influenced, there are some people who are able to play a role in controlling their dreams. Instead of non-participative bystander, such people can control dreams and thought connections. According to psychologists, this kind of dreaming can be learnt through a structured training process. Those who dream clearly can remember their nocturnal messages later on and can store useful notes in their personal creative database.

What can happen if, in your thoughts, you were to combine with the object at the center of a problem? You could then start spinning ideas from this viewpoint. Let’s take for example you are a banker and you ask yourself how it would feel to be a dollar note or a coin? Or if you were an architect, how it would feel or how would the world around look like if you were a building or a bridge? If this technique does not help you, you can try “bundling” your thoughts. This technique, used for stimulating intuition, has been developed by psychologists. Write down on a blank piece of paper, the keyword from which you want ideas to spin off. For example, seemingly unrelated words and sentences are grouped around a central keyword, it is surprising what patterns and structures will emerge. You can then suddenly discover where the real problem lies.

With the keyword in the centre of the paper and in a circle, let things evolve and flow and allow your thoughts to just move you along. Write things down quickly, giving each idea its own circle until, from the centre, lines points out in all directions. Connect each word or phrase with a line to the circle before it. If the connection is broken when something new cannot be connected to the idea or term you thought of last, then start again with the core word. Allow the other thoughts to emerge until your associations are exhausted. Drawing comparisons is a key to creativity. This is a great way for you to recognise new relations, structures and openings that can give you fresh revelations, solutions or ideas.

Keyword : enhance memory, accelerated learning, study skills, memory techniques, memory training, creativity, Martin Mak , Mighty Memory

Imagine the following story. A California Highway Patrol officer spots a lone driver in his car speeding down the highway, weaving in and out of traffic. He revs his engine on his powerful police motorbike and goes in pursuit, with siren wailing and lights whirling. He comes alongside the speeding car and signals to the nervous driver to pull over. When the car stops, he goes over as the driver rolls down the window, sweating profusely inside. As the police officer bends down to talk to the driver, something in the backseat of the car catches his eye. In a few minutes, the driver of the car is cruising down the crowded highway safely as the police officer paves the way for him with his siren and whirling lights. What has happened? The police driver had anticipated a crazy driver at the wheel but when he peered into the car, he saw a pregnant woman in labor pains and in need to be at the hospital quickly!

In the world of routines, when the police officer spots a lone driver weaving in and out of traffic, his mind is conditioned to anticipate a troubled driver, perhaps a criminal. Not that it is necessarily a bad thing. Routines are important, for they help us deal with the stress of daily life. Parents and teachers for example, appreciate routines for they help structure a child’s life and provide certainty necessary for growing up. Look at it another way, if you have to relearn a routine everyday, like driving a car, it would be very stressful. When you are driving, chances are you are not conscious of how you change gears, change lanes or stop the car at a red light or accelerate. All these actions are routines and done at a subconscious level while you hold a conversation or tune to a radio station.

Yet with certain problems, routines lead us to a dead end and to false assumption as the story above shows. While routines help us a lot of times in our every day lives, it is an enemy of innovation, inventiveness and genius.

Great scientists, artists, inventors or entrepreneurs are often people who refuse to think in conventional ways or be pigeon-holed by existing rules. They have their own way of thinking and expressing their ideas. What many of these people have in common is the ability and courage to experiment, to think and act in new and different angles. Without the inner freedom and gumption, new and creative approaches would be stifled and even the greatest and best ideas and approaches would not be brought into existence. By the same token, these individuals accept failure as part of the route to success. For by not taking risks, nothing remarkable can come out of any endeavor.

“An invention is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration”, said Thomas Edison. He knew this fact full well for the famous American inventor was granted more than 1,000 patents during his lifetime. From his laboratories in New Jersey, Edison poured out a river of inventions that included the gramophone (1877), the incandescent light bulb (1879), the first electrical generating and distribution plant (1881 to 1882), the electric valve (1883) and talking motion picture (1912)

Just as there is an infinite wisdom in you for creativity, there is infinite power in you to improve your memory with unique memory training skills, accelerate your learning, power up your creativity or enhance your study skills – All by keeping an open mind. With an open mind, your creativity, learning and memory have no boundaries.

How To Overcome Nervousness, Negativity And Lack Of Self Confidence And Soar

Keyword : Negativity, self-confidence, anxiety, memory techniques, memory training, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Only a few people can really say that they have made their dreams come true. Most only wished or dream about the leading their ideal kind of life. In most cases, the only real obstacle to success is fear. Such people have conversations in their heads that go something like this, “I can’t do that, I wouldn’t dare, I’m not smart enough, I’m afraid.” How often have you said something similar to yourself when you were faced with a challenge?

Self-confidence is the best tool to use to reach your goals and enjoy life. We fear making mistakes, taking risks and failing, and these fears hold us back from taking the many chances that life throws our way. If you always ask yourself self-defeating questions that begin with “what if… ?.”, then this will come between you and your dreams, an obstacle to your ideal future.

Asking ourselves the wrong questions and brooding over unpleasant consequences prevents us from moving on to important activities, and prevents us from achieving peak performances. You could end up in a vicious circle, unable to act on your intuition. The result is a self-fulfilling prophecy the very thing that we feared at the onset, that which we focused on and brooded, is what in fact occurs, and we fail to achieve our goals.

Negative thoughts stagnates our capacity for creative thinking. For instance, if your response to a new challenge is to say to yourself, “I’m not capable of doing that, I can’t cope”, then there is a strong possibility that you won’t be able to cope. Imagine a student who is anxious the night before an important exam. Even if he or she has studied hard and prepared for all possible questions, his or her thoughts can become paralyzed by pure fear. The unfortunate end result is that the student is unable to answer the questions when seated in the examination room. The brain does not function well when under such a psychological stress. When the student is undertaking the exam, he or she may simply forget everything that has been learnt, it simply vanishes, even though the student has gone over the material many times.

Obviously if we focus too much on failure or the fear of failure, our mind has an innate ability to make it come true. Of course, any student will face stress and panic as the examinations draw near but with good study skills and memory techniques or memory training, such bad experiences will be much much less. But without such tools, what then can the student do about such negative thoughts Taking the student as an example, he or she has a tendency to think “It doesn’t matter what I do, I’m still not going to pass”. Then that student will not be able to rest peacefully the night before and in the morning, go to the examination hall with unfounded premonitions of failure. The body can also make the situation more real by tensing up the stomach or cause the heart to beat faster. The path to complete failure happens when he or she visualize the bad marks appearing on his or her result slip or report card. However, if the student takes a more positive approach and says’ “I have done all I can to prepare for the exam and that is why everything will work out fine”, then he or she will feel rested and go into the examination with feelings of self confidence.

When you are faced with worries or self-doubt, ridden with fear and feel restless inside or in other words, you have a negative attitude in life towards yourself and life in general, you will find that you are actually impeding your own way to the top.

Keyword : Study skills, memory training, memory techniques, improve memory, self confidence, negativity, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

We all have moments in our lives when some form of negative thoughts creep into our mind. But if you are plagued by worries and gloomy thoughts, chances are, you are thinking more about the future than about the present. With so many things bad thoughts floating in our mind, it is easy to forget what is important in the here and now, and this affects your ability to take action. It is difficult to move forward if you think like this. The Bible offers us many words of encouragement, “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Take the trouble of today as it comes.“

Some of us imagine the failure that will come and focus of it. This causes us to ponder over our situation, and this leads to tunnel vision. By worrying too much, a problem or potential problem become bigger than it is and we fail to consider other things, even possible solutions. The only way to stave off such thoughts is to develop confidence in your own abilities. One way about this is to begin learning to recognize that your own strategies are effective and sound.

By worrying too much, a problem or potential problem become bigger than it is and we fail to consider other things, even possible solutions. The only way to stave off such thoughts is to develop confidence in your own abilities. One way about this is to begin learning to recognize that own strategies are effective and sound.

To start, understand that you do not have a monopoly on failures. All of us have experiences coping with failures. Try to remember exactly how you managed to deal with failing an exam, not getting that job or breaking up with your ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. You’ll come to realize that it was not the end of the world-however sad or depressed you were at that point in time. Go through in your mind how you dealt with past experiences, and write them down on a piece of paper. Chances are, you have your own personal blueprint on how to deal with such events.

Learn to accept failures without being too critical about them or yourself. It would also help if you take even the smallest success as a reason to be happy. If you think that you might not be able to cope with something – for instance, an examination, a job interview, an important project- overcome you self doubts by writing down 10 reasons why you will be successful with the situation, in spite of the hurdles you have to overcome. If you have a phobia of studying or taking examinations for example, learn how you can improve your study skills or invest in some memory training material or memory techniques that will help improve your memory. If you are shy or fear meeting people, try to rationalize your fears and emotions and come to realize that the vast majority of people are kind and understanding. If you suffer from anxiety attacks in a crowded place or in high places, try to adopt some relaxation techniques that will help you to keep calm in many situations. Remember, when you fall down, you should help yourself get up again and dust yourself off. You have done so as a child and will do so as you get older.

It helps to know that no one is ever successful a hundred percent of the time and all of us have to discover our own strengths. If Einstein (1879 to 1955) had allowed himself to be discouraged by the mediocre grades he got at school, he could never become the great physicist that he is.

Keyword : Self-confidence, study skills, memory training, improve memory, memory techniques, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

We humans have always had a need for security. This mechanism has been built into us a long time ago when we were first hunter-gatherers and then later, when we learn to cultivate our land. From our early days, we have learned to survive by preserving meat or store grains in case our hunting expeditions are not good or our harvest fail. However this basic survival instinct does not always benefit us. We often cling on to our various safety nets, refusing to try out new ways of doing things. We become secure in our own comfort zones. Our credit cards, our big homes, our expensive cars, and a good stable job with many benefits – most people believe having these things will give them security. But these illusions may prove to be their undoing. A well paying job may become obsolete as the company outsources the tasks which you may specialize in. No one is indispensable. It pays to always be on a lookout for emerging trends and learn new skills.

There are also some people who go through life with the oppressive feeling that no matter what they do, they will still fail. People with such thinking have lost confidence in their own abilities and believe that they have no control over their future. Instead of taking hold of new possibilities, and accepting life with all its uncertainties, they adapt to life out of sheer convenience. It is the inner voices in them that tells them the rewards in trying are not worth it, it is best to just give up.

Those who choose security above all else are those that are afraid of making mistakes or making any form of decisions. They stay well in their comfort zones and won’t take the risks. Successful people know that failures are not the end of anything but the beginning of something. For within every failure lie the seeds to success. Taking the necessary risk of a second attempt is what separates the leaders from followers. People who don’t try hard enough will always allow small failures to discourage them permanently. How sad.

Leaders in any fields know that real peace of mind come from within. The only safety net that you can truly rely on is your own self-confidence. True leaders know that courage comes from building on their own strengths to venture unto unknown paths and work decisively and confidently towards their goals. If you want to avoid losing this inner security, you must above all, learn to control negative thoughts. It’s true that bad luck seems to follow those who believe in their own bad luck.

To gain courage and energy, you should try to fix your goals clearly in you mind’s eye. Your imagination is the most powerful God-given tool that you can use. You must form an image of what you wish to achieve, and imagine the positive situation you will be in when you have achieved success. For instance, let’s say you want to get a job of your dreams and have secured an interview, you must imagine yourself as a strong, confident candidate. If your thoughts are filled with doubts, of your own previous failures, chances are, you will not be a confident person during the interview. Your lack of confidence will show in your body language and your speech. Seeing yourself as an ideal, indispensable candidate with enough experience for the job will move you forward in the direction of a successful candidate.

Or take another case, perhaps you’re a weak student and every thought of taking any tests or examinations will make you break out in cold sweat. You can learn new study skills, take up simple memory training and learn easy to master memory techniques to improve your memory and help you remember many things like mathematical formulas, historical dates or important scientific facts. You will find that you memory can perform astounding feats of memory recall and this will give you the added confidence in yourself. A calmer student invariably performs better in tests or examinations, all things being equal. This will show up as better grades and every success builds on itself.

Maybe you’re thinking of moving to a different part of the city. Imagine yourself in your new life, in your new home. Think about the colorful new neighborhood, and try to picture the nice people around you. You will find yourself looking forward to a new chapter in your life, a new beginning rich in promises. You have what it takes to make your own more fullfilling, it’s all in you, in your mind.

Keyword : improve memory, study skills, accelerated learning, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Setbacks are part and parcel of life. We cannot taste the sweetness of success unless we’ve tasted the bitterness of our failures and setbacks. The essential thing to remember is not how many times you fall down but the fact that you always managed to pick yourself up again. You have to become the type of person who always bounces back instead of the type of person who gripes and moans or worse, give up trying.

If you find that you are not happy with your new job or if it does not live up to your expectations, or if you are not happy as you should be with the new house that you just bought, then you have to find the fortitude to admit that you have made a wrong decision. Remember the old saying “nothing ventured, nothing gained”. Maybe your next venture won’t be as successful as you thought it would be. Don’t let it bother you. What can you learn from it? There are many possibilities and you’re sure to find something right or make a successful transition.

If you want to live your ideal life, you need to take your life into your own hands. This means you need to take the responsibility for your own decisions and actions, including the wrong ones. For this reason, you need to invest a lot of energy and anything worthwhile will not work without a strong sense of self-discipline. People who live by the principle of “always put off to tomorrow what you could do today”, will remain in the same circumstances and never be content with their lives. They will wait for the push factor of their environment or external forces to act on them, and depend on the opinions of others instead of taking up the independence of doing what is right.

Perhaps you’re a student with less-than-ideal grades or an adult swamped by information at work. As a student you have to take the responsibility of improving your study skills. As an adult you need to learn new techniques to accelerate your learning or improve your memory to cope with the currents of change. You need the self-discipline to learn new methods to cope with the ever-increasing volume of information flow, instead of moping around and giving up.

Discipline, coupled with a healthy feeling of self-worth are the foundation of success in life. Different people will have different ideas or opinions of what makes them self-confident. You have to ask yourself critical questions, “Do I like myself the way I am?” or “Do I respect myself?” You may not like the answers you give yourself honestly. But you must have the courage to make the necessary changes if your answers to the above questions is “No.”. it is time for you to take steps to become more self-assured and self-confident. The most important principle to remember in building self-confidence is that you cannot learn to respect yourself if you are constantly criticising yourself. Only when you are basically happy with yourself as you are will you be able to learn new things and adjust to the flow of life. But if you are not satisfied with yourself, you will always make sure that your situation reflects your negative self-image. But conversely, if your answers to the above questions is ‘Yes”, then you will go through life full of self-confidence.

All of us make mistakes now and then but not everyone can handle criticism in a positive way. To move forward in life, you need to be self-confident enough to admit when you have made a mistake. Admit your mistake openly without any excuses and as the saying goes “the truth will set you free”. You won’t find it difficult if you have a healthy self-esteem. You will notice that having a life worth living is a cycle of healthy checks, making positive changes, self-discipline, and honest evaluations of one-self. It also helps to have a healthy dose of humour. Learning to laugh at yourself is just as important as making those serious changes to make your life a masterpiece.

Keyword : Self-confidence, self-esteem, improve memory, memory training, study skills, accelerated learning, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

We all have tasted the bitterness of failures, but if we can learn from our failures, then we have in our hands, the seeds of success. Success and failure also teach you to evaluate the demands that are placed upon you. If you set your standards too high, you will find yourself in a difficult situation to meet those challenges that confront you. Failure then becomes inevitable when the gap is too wide between the goal you want to reach and that which you are capable of reaching. If you understand and accept your limits, then this situation is unlikely to come up.

Over-confidence is like a double-edged sword. It can work you your disadvantage. For instance, people who think they are infallible do not find it easy to learn from the mistakes they have made. If you think you are a hundred percent right all the time, chances are, you will lose out in the end. Obviously, if humans are free of self-doubt, we would not be able to develop. All of us have our shortcomings, many of which we don’t even realise, and we should be able to rely on those around to point them out to us.

Every now and then, we have to deal with situations that we know needs to be addressed. In such circumstances, we need to express our wishes clearly and boldly. Have you ever tasted food that is so less than ideal, that you swallow but prefer to spit out? Or have you gotten a piece of clothing with faulty stitching or a toy with a missing part that needs to be exchanged? Perhaps you are too shy to demand that which is due to you or simply do not wish to throw up a fuss. Bad service, defective merchandise or poor food can become a measure of your self-confidence, but also of appropriate behaviour. For instance, it is not appropriate to shout at the waiter of a restaurant or the cashier of the store where you bought the defective clothing or toy.

You need to have a clear understanding of the situation. You need to lodge a complaint and have the fault rectified. Then come to the point politely but firmly. If the waiter or cashier does not show any understanding, ask to speak with the manager or the supervisor. More often than not, you will be accommodated if your demands are fair. If you remain calm, polite and firm, you will be successful most of the time.

Getting what is rightfully yours is good for your own self-confidence. In achieving this, you will find you can have a better outcome if you are truly convinced that your interest is just as important as those of others. For example, someone has taken your reserved seat on a plane or train. A polite but firm remark is often the best approach in dealing with a problem. You can politely ask the interloper to let you have your seat. If he refuses, then you must call the steward or conductor or any other official to ask for support. Just remember, you’ve paid good money for your seat.

Let’s say you some out-of-town guests and decide to go to a popular restaurant but every single seat has been taken up. Are you prepared to stand around in front of all the other guests and wait for an empty table, or do you get nervous thing about these eyes looking at you? Insecurity and fear often prevents us from taking an opportunity that can open. Even if it is only to get a table in a restaurant. If you imagine yourself in a more positive manner, you will become more and more self-confident.

Older folks often lose the ability to learn new things or take advantage of what life has to offer. Many have an unhealthy fear of becoming frail or sick, or no longer see that there can be more than one way of getting a job done. They have self-negating thoughts like “I cannot do this anymore”, or “I can no longer cope with this” and discouraged themselves. In the long run, they become self-fulfilling prophecies and rob the person of the courage to do things or learn new stuff.

The thoughts that we have in our mind, the power with which it brings forth is so great that they can trigger physical changes, such as premature ageing. It’s a fact that those who believe that they have past their prime and are of not much use are certain to age faster than people who refuse to admit defeat. People who believe of their own stupidity in childhood will never be among the smart ones in adulthood. There are techniques that can help a less than average students with their study skills, learning abilities and accelerated learning. Even adults who are swarmed with information can learn memory improvement techniques to help them cope. Older people can play memory games to keep their mind sharp or use memory training to stave off dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Everyone can improve their memory to give them a higher sense of self-worth.

Keyword : self-empowerment, improve memory, acclerate learning, memory techniques, study skills, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

When it comes to building your own character, self-confidence and inner strength, remember one thing - our thoughts define who we are and what we become.

Imagine a drop of dew on a leave in the morning. By itself, it would be gone before the noon day sun reaches it’s zenith. But a single drop of water, combined with millions more in a downpour that last for a few days can create a flood to wash away cars, bridges, dams, houses or even entire towns. So is the power of thought. A single empowering thought, left to grow on it’s own, combined with other positive thoughts and action over days, weeks and then years become your character, and the foundation of your destiny. If the water is to be pure and useful, it must be purified. So it is with our thoughts. Even good thoughts can get contaminated by our own negative perception of life or the negative opinions of others. Our thoughts must be constantly purified in the recesses of our minds together with lots of right actions.

If you say to yourself “I am stupid and ugly and I’ll never amount to anything”, your subconscious mind will absorb the message over time. Left to fester, you will eventually feel the way you think about yourself. Then, the best advice is to say goodbye to stereotyped negative attitudes.

There is a wise old saying that the wise man is happy for what he has, while the fool complains of what he has lost. When we get old, it is no use fretting over things we no longer have- for example your youth, health, or beauty. Instead, we should try to be happy with what we have, wisdom, calmness, experience and composure. We can share these gifts to young people who are just starting out on the journey of life.

When we are old, obviously some parts of our machinery don’t work as well as they use to. For instance, our hearing, eyesight, our walking pace, the things that we can remember or the groceries that we can carry from the car. But instead of brooding about the bad things that might happen, you can do something about your health. If your memory does not work as well, you can learn memory training. Proper memory techniques are not only useful in old age, they are invaluable for young students to learn new study skills or working adults to cope with information overload and accelerate learning. Being old does not necessarily mean being ill or bed-ridden. Regular exercise, a healthy diet low in fats and sodium and a network of social contacts all ensure that in old age, we will be able to look back on the past happily and joyfully anticipate what the future holds for us.

Keyword : Memory training, memory techniques, improve memory, accelerated learning, study skills, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

The human brain learns and orientates itself by forming mental maps of familiar places and situations. Similar to a physical map, these mental maps not only shows the perception of the maker, they form landscapes in their own rights.

“Looking at a map can teach us more with our eyes in an hour than we can learn from our ears in an entire day”. This valuable insight was expressed in 1605 by the cartographer Thomas Fuller. By looking at a historical map, you will get an idea of how strongly a particular image of the world can determine people’s thoughts and actions. For many thousands of years, most Europeans believe that the world was flat and therefore had no idea of the real position of the continents and the oceans in relation to one another. This conviction imposed considerable limitations on how far seafarers were willing to travel. It obviously hindered any endeavours for discovery. This was because people believed that they would fall off the edge of the Earth if they traveled far enough. They had a limited idea of the vast expanse of the oceans and the lands beyond the horizon.

Before sea adventurers could venture into new lands and uncharted seas, a new picture of the earth had to be thought of. Once this gained gradual acceptance, the speed with which exploration took place took off. Bit by bit, mile by nautical mile, the whole world gradually opened up to explorers and discoverers. If the Genoese seafarer Christopher Columbus (1451 to 1506) had not had the audacity and vision to imagine that the earth might be round, and that new land might be discovered by sailing westwards, sea exploration might have been held back by decades or centuries. Later generations of Europeans would have held on to the erroneous opinions that Asia was on the eastern part of the world and cold therefore only be reached by crossing the eastern oceans.

In our modern work life, we often use many expressions that show the significance of visual pointers for human action. For example, when your company has embarked on a marketing plan, you might say that you can “see what is wrong with our marketing strategy and decide on the next course of action”. Quite often, it is very difficult to organise an action without having a mental picture of the result you wish to achieve. For example, if you have a problem, the solution to that problem comes easier if you can visualise it. Then you devise a map to find solution or routes to solve the problem or work around the problem. Similarly, mentalists who to achieve great feats of memory recall use mental maps to train their memory and improve their memory techniques. Students have also been trained to use mental maps to improve memory, their study skills and accelerate their learning. They do this by breaking down course structure down to subjects, down to topics and down to detailed concepts or formulas, much like the a map of a city or town.

Basically, your mind think in pictures and having such mental paths help anyone from a busy executive, managers or marketing people to plan new campaign or product strategies. The paths make it easy to link a seemingly unrelated concepts or ideas to a bold new strategy or package an old product into something new using fresh ideas. With such mental maps, you use your ability to retrace paths in your mind and to store maps to your memory in a manner much more easier than you think.

So like the maritime maps of old, new frontiers are being discovered by understanding the natural way the brain thinks, stores information and solves problems. All made possible because mental maps frees the limitation of conventional human thinking.

Keyword : Study skills, memory technique, memory training, study skills, accelerated learning, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

The brain has the ability to recall many things in detail. For instance, if you are sitting at your desk right now and if you close your eyes, you’ll find that you’d be able to find your calculator or pen. Sometimes, unconsciously, you can even find yourself reaching out for such items when you need them unconsciously, while you are consciously thinking of solving a problem or making an important decision.

People who become blind as adults will find themselves impeded by their inability to use their vision to sense their environment. They cope by relying on their memory of how things are placed. Their mental maps then become suddenly very important to them. Blind people have to re-create the world around them in their heads by using their other senses to help them make sense and navigate their environment with new sensory data.

The blind are able to use their imagination and their memory to get around on their own. For example, when they move around town, they are no longer able to navigate according to familiar landmarks, buildings or street signs. Instead they must find new tags to help them find their way around, such as the aroma of freshly brewed coffee from a nearby café or the aroma of freshly baked bread from a nearby bakery. Using their other senses, they can feel underfoot of a stone or gravel path or the noise coming from a nearby subway, train track or traffic at a busy junction. Soon the familiar pathways will become routine – like the visual “maps” of normal sighted people.

In a similar fashion, people have been using mental maps to help them memorise large amount of information. Such memory techniques help students develop their study skills. In fact, anyone can use memory mapping to help them improve their memory and accelerate their learning. Such memory training has found favour by many people to improve memory in work, play and in school and with constant practise, can also keep the mind sharp even in old age.

For a long time, neurologists and scientists have tried to determine the area of the brain where spatial orientation is located. Recent findings show that the hippocampus, a part of the cerebrum inside the temporal lobes, could play an important role when it comes to orientation. The hippocoampus is part of the limbic system, which is considered to be the control centre for the assessment of information and is the seat of short-term memory.

A British neurologist, named Eleanor Maguire conducted research into the question of where the human sense of orientation is located. She chose London cab drivers for her study. The cabbies, in their distinctive black taxis, are famous for their ability to find their way to almost any location in London. To find out which part of the human brain is especially active during the cabbie’s navigation, Eleanor Maguire used computers to make the blood circulation of individual sections of the brain visible. During the test, she first blindfolded the drivers, then asked them to try to reconstruct certain routes in their minds. While the were describing the route in their imagination, the computers picked up intense activity in the right-hand rear sector of the brain – the seat of the hippocampus. This section seems to perform much of the work when it comes to reading mental maps. Eleanor Maguire received an unusually clear research outcome. It is quite rare for scientists to succeed in defining a brain section to such a specific area. That’s because under normal circumstances, several sections in the brain participate in complex thinking process.

Keyword : Memory training, improve memory, memory techniques, study skill, accelerated learning, mental health, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

You probably had days when we wake up with low level of energy, feeling depressed or even exhausted, as if we are sick. And yet physically, there is nothing wrong with you. There are also times when you are really sick, but somehow you feel the contentment that comes with good health.

Feeling good is more than not being sick or in ill health. For many of us, having physical health and well-being is the highest priority in our lives. There is an old French saying that “Health is not everything, but without health nothing is anything”. These wise words are a great way of describing this realisation. But why is it that now and then, we may be physically healthy but yet, we don’t feel good? The answer is that feeling well means more than not being sick. The fact is that humans need to attain a state of mental balance if they are to feel physically well. This is not a new discovery but unfortunately we seemed to have forgotten about this simple fact.

In the Middle Ages, the human body, mind and spirit were regarded as one inseparable whole entity. In modern times, doctors came to consider the health of a person with the treatment or alleviation of the physical symptoms. As a result , illnesses were considered as a disruption in the proper functions of the organs of the human body. Once doctors began to regard human beings as simply the bearers of their illness, physical and functional symptoms were automatically separated from personality as a whole and were treated as such. As a result, the sick person became reduced to an entity without a mind and spirit. The physician then focus on the diseased organ rather than the person. If nothing wrong is found, a patient may even be labeled as someone suffering from an imaginary illness.

In recent years, doctors have realised that external factors play a crucial role in most ailments. For example, we know that smoking can lead to lung cancer, alcoholism can lead to liver failure and a diet high in fats can lead to high blood pressure or heart attack. Even pollution of our environment can contribute to ill health. We then have to control or eliminate external factors if they cause ill health. For example, it is advisable not to smoke, to eat a healthy diet, to avoid harmful chemicals and to engage in as much physical activity like sports as possible.

In recent times, health care professionals have come to respect the ancient body of knowledge regarding a holistic approach towards health. We have come to realise that psychological factors and social influences have considerable effects on our health. The human mind plays an important role in many ailments. For instance, it is quite obvious that heart attacks tend to affect people in stressful jobs and that people of nervous dispositions are more frequently affected by allergies. Recent research also shows that stress, grief and tension can play their part in weakening the body’s resistance to illness. In contrast, people who have a peaceful and relaxed attitude in life often have a strong immune system.

Recent studies have also shown that people who challenge their minds on a daily basis will also stave off dementia. People who have engaged in memory training as students, to accelerate their learning and study skills when they were students have a more balanced life as adults. Their memory training not only improved their memory but also helped them cope with the stress of information overload in working life. Beyond that, these lifelong memory skills can help keep their minds sharp even in old age.

An awareness of the interaction of body, mind and spirit should not just be limited to the experts. People who understand the unity tend to be more careful in their dealings with themselves and with others. Such a person will treat worries and cares seriously, but he will also experience joy and happiness more intensely and will approach life in a calmer and more optimistic way.

Many people enjoy only a small portion of their lives. Most of the time they find themselves moving along the tidal flow of daily living. This realisation was first described by the Roman poet and philosopher Senecca (around 4BC – AD 65). His insights should make us think. Ask yourself when was the last time you experienced a day that you thoroughly enjoyed yourself. When was the last time you paid no heed to time pressures and deadlines and followed your own wishes and desires? These can be difficult questions for someone who is caught up in the rat race of life. And yet isn’t there always time, if only to indulge for a few minutes, to allow yourself the luxury of pure delight.

Keyword : Improve memory, memory techniques, study skills, accelerated learning, memory training

Many people consciously enjoy only a small portion of their lives. They have forgotten how to listen to their inner voice, to understand their feelings and allow them enough space. While it is important to keep our physical bodies healthy, it is equally important not to neglect our spiritual side.

Anyone who continues to ignore moods and the small changes in their psychological state, who does not recognize and deal with anger and stress, is apt to do as much harm to himself or herself as someone who smokes or drinks al lot of alcohol and do not get enough physical exercise.

Many studies show that each person possesses general resources which help to overcome difficult moments. Scientists are searching for those factors which keep a person healthy or at least contribute to their health. Factors which are found to be helpful include, for example, social networking, confidence in oneself and in others and finally, a strong zest for life. As the old French saying goes, joie de vivre (joy for living), it is a quality that we must all seek.

“Those who don’t enjoy themselves are not enjoyable for others”. This old saying is both simple and yet is profound in truth. Many people do not doubt the truth of the matter but putting it into practice is another whole new ball game. While it’s easy to say that everyone should enjoy themselves more, many people will wonder where they should begin. If you’re such a person, don’t worry, you are not alone. Many people find the art of enjoyment difficult to acquire. But you can learn to enjoy yourself.

Do you remember when you were in school, the subjects that you do best in are always the ones that you enjoy the most? There are simple techniques that can help struggling students cope with their schoolwork. These techniques utilize the brain’s natural ability to form mental pictures or stories. Any person using his or her imagination with such techniques can have improved memory, enhanced study skills and accelerated learning. Such memory training can make any subjects interesting, even with mathematics or physics where the abstract notations and equations can jump to life. When studying become fun, the grades naturally start to improve.

Recently, psychologists have developed a programme to train people in the art of enjoyment. Firstly, this involves sharpening the senses. The following sense-enhancement exercise can be done with your family or friends. Fill a basket with sweets, pebbles, flowers, fruit, spices, perfumes, soft toys, musical clocks, different kinds of fabric and other similar items. Then spread these items out on a table. All participants should carefully examine each item, paying attention to the different senses each appeals to and what memories it invokes.

One important starting point to learning to enjoy yourself is making sure you find the time to do it, and that the process is perceived consciously.

So devote some time for pleasant things and concentrate on them. The general rule of thumb is “less is more”, especially when it comes to eating and drinking. It is not the quantity that makes a treat into something special, but the intensity with which you enjoy the taste. It is essential that you find out for yourself, preferences and build experiences of enjoyment into your everyday life. Enjoy that special wine or that chocolate, but learn not to overdo anything to the excess.

Keyword : improve memory, study skills, memory training, accelerated learning, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

To be happy, you need a deep inner conviction that you can shape your own happiness and you don’t need to feel helpless and at the mercy of fate. The zest for life is an important element when it comes to staying healthy. You need to feel that you can take an active role in driving through the potholes in life. You need to be the master of your own pleasure, enjoyment and happiness, but also have the ability to come to terms with crisis and failures. People who have an optimistic outlook in life, especially in trying times, have a good health protection factor.

Your inner attitude is your best bet when you need to overcome crisis in your life. That conviction within you that you can overcome problems with your own strength or with the help of other people. Psychologists have determined that successful people tend to credit themselves and their own abilities when they attain their goals, but they attribute their failures to external factors. For instance, if they succeed in passing an examination, they know this is a result of their talent and learning while weak results on a test are attributed to adverse consequences.

Successful people acknowledge their own shortcomings. For example if a person has a poor memory, they can take time to learn memory and study skills to improve their memory and help them cope with their study load. They understand their own strengths and weaknesses and make the effort to fortify their weaknesses and accelerate their learning ability with memory training. In other words, self-honesty is vital and the next step is to take remedial action. At the same time, people with a low level of self-esteem will tend to feel the opposite. If they accomplish something successfully, they will attribute their success to luck or other favourable external circumstances and coincidences, while they believe that their failures are due to their own inadequacies or lack of ability. In situation of crisis, an attitude like this, which is characterised by doubt in their own abilities, can easily lead to resignation, apathy or even depression.

“Our thoughts maketh us” and some of our thought patterns can bring us to the edge of despair and helplessness. Consider such negative generalisations such as; “I’m not good enough” or “I always have such bad luck”. If you show such negative attitude and feel that “this will not get better”, it can have a demoralising effect and make you feel more helpless. These attitudes are commonly found in depressive people.

Because of this, you should think positively to counter low moods or periods of melancholy. If you feel you are sinking into despair, first try to regain your composure by breathing deeply. Then it is time for positive thoughts. “I can fix this” or “No problem too big”. Tell yourself that the situation is not as bad as it looks. This will help you gain some perspective. If you look at the problem with some objectivity and detachment, you may find that the situation is not as bad as it first appears or things could be much worse. Any negative situation will lead to a positive results in the end. Attempt to find out what kind of “coping mechanism” work best for you. These remedies may appear to you as overly simplistic, but they can make you feel optimistic and encourage you to regain your strength and tackle the problem actively.

Just as negative thoughts or psychic influences can harm your body, positive thoughts and attitudes support the healing process. Knowing this, some of the sensational reports on miraculous healings and unexplained recovery of terminally ill patients we read in the papers start to make sense. In the scientific world, such cases are known as “spontaneous healings” There are cases in which cancer patients diagnosed as terminally ill have suddenly recovered and their tumours have disappeared, and doctors are unable to explain their healings. A research institute in California has registered thousands of such cases over many years. However, spontaneous healings are extremely rare, and it remains a phenomenon requiring much more investigation and research. In the meantime scientists are looking for the psychological keys that lead to spontaneous healings.

Research has indicated that cases of spontaneous healings-no matter how different their circumstances are, had one thing in common: the patients that are involved had dramatically changed their lifestyle after learning about their fatal ailments. They reviewed their priorities in life, putting less emphasis on things that were previously thought as important. For example, wealth, status in life and material possessions. They followed a healthier diet and lifestyle. They refuse to accept their “death sentence” and instead fought their way back to health both physically, mentally and spiritually. This would not be possible if a healthy, positive attitude had not been in place. So, if life puts you down, think positively. Something good always come out in every situation, no matter how bleak it may seem at the moment.

Keyword : cancer, tumour, memory training, improve memory, study skills, accelerated learning, memory techniques, cancer, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

The human brain is the most exquisite creation in the universe. With the right “brain tools” or memory training, many have been able to dramatically improve their memory and acquire extraordinary feats of memory. Students can excel in school with enhanced study skills and achieve accelerated learning, with only a slight change in their study habits using special memory techniques and their own imagination. The brain can also be called upon to heal critical illnesses, like cancer and tumours, and although rare, scientists are trying to determine what are the “psychological triggers” that are necessary for such spontaneous healing.

There are a number of factors which protect us from disease and give us health. If we can understand and implement them into our lives, we can prevent sickness and relieve afflictions from which we are suffering. One of the key factors is Positive Thinking. An important part of Positive Thinking displayed by spontaneous-healing patients was their firm belief that they would recover, that they would defeat their illness and would influence its progress. Although there is no denying that the support of friends, family and helpers do play an important role in the healing, it is the patient’s belief that the body has strong self-healing powers which would contribute to the final defeat of their sickness.

There are many weapons that have been formulated to fight cancer. Among the most interesting are the so-called visualizing techniques successfully used by many medical practitioners like O. Carl and Stephanie Simonton, a husband and wife team of doctors from Texas. O. Carl Simonton, an oncologist, is director of the Simonton Cancer Center in the US, and his books and lectures have brought the Simonton Method to wide public notice. The technique developed by the Simontons involves asking patients to describe their suffering in detail. They are instructed on how to form the most vivid image of their suffering they can imagine – no matter if this is the image of a tumour or of a failing heart and to allow it to open up in their imagination. They are then asked to form images on how the white corpuscles attack the cancer cells and destroy them, or how the narrowed arteries of their heart open up and allow the blood to rush through. For a number of patients, the imaging technique does indeed cause the tumours to disappear.

However, there is no clear scientific answer to the question of whether and more imporantly, how – physical ailments are improved or even healed by positive thinking. There is, however, no doubt that a confident, hopeful attitude makes an illness much easier to endure.

There is no doubt that there is an interaction between the psyche and the human body. Phenomena such as spontaneous healings and the placebo effect show us as such. But what actual roles do emotional factors play when we are sick? How do feelings influence the processes of the body? Since the late 1980s, researchers in the field of Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) have been asking these questions.

PNI involves the collective effort of psychologists, psychiatrists, immunologists, neurologists and endocrinologists. They are trying to decode the connections between the body and the spirit. Their work has produced some interesting findings. For instance, doctors have found out that certain neural pathways of organs in the body’s immune system have direct connections to the brain. In this respect, the lymph glands and spleen stimulate the production of cells responsible for destroying invading cells that cause illness. This also works the other way, with immune cells being influenced by the hormone system. Thoughts and feelings probably work via intertwined routes to affect the immune system. When there is an illness, these paths carry messages to the brain, influencing the emotions,. PNI is still not well-understood, but it could open up new avenues for the treatment of psychological and physical ailments. What it has shown is that the brain is a powerful tool and it does have infinite wisdom stored in it to influence memory, thinking creativity and healing.

Keyword : Improve memory, memory training, study skills, accelerated learning, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

The American psychologist Robert Sternburg has described three levels of intelligence: the analytical, which we use to solve problems; the creative, with which we tackle new problems; and the practical, which helps us to master our lives. For many years now, neurobiologists have studied the way our thinking has evolved. They have divided the brain into compartments, in which thought activities, such as “formulating”, “recognizing” or “hearing” or located. Their work has given us a much clearer idea of the ways we think. According to the neurobiologists, our thinking platform are formed during the first years of life. Comparisons between children growing up in different environments, for example, one lacking in stimuli against one with more has shown that those in a less stimulated environment have less developed intelligence. An environment completely devoid of any external stimuli prevents the formation of neural paths, or nerve connections, in the brain.

In 1900, the French psychologist Alfred Binet (1857 to 1911) developed the first method for measuring intelligence. Since then, procedures for measuring individual thinking capacity, known as IQ tests, have been used all over the world. However, the questionnaires of IQ tests only capture intelligence relating to language, logic and mathematical thinking. The ability to solve problems or create new things, which many deem to be the actual nature of intelligence, unfortunately cannot be measured in this way, just as there is no way to measure a person’s social competence.

It is an accepted fact that people have different types of intelligence and this has to do with the processing of information in the brain. For example, logical and rational matters are stored differently to intuition or vivid imagination. People with highly developed analytical abilities like mathematicians will generally solve difficult problems in a very different way and will use different areas of the brain as compared to artists. These varying thinking structures can make communication more difficult, for example, between women and men. But because of these varieties of thinking, human cultures are rich in its diversities.

Did we indeed evolve from our primate ancestors into such extremely complicated and highly intelligent human beings? The experts hold differing views on this question, but most agree that communication must certainly have played a very important role. Humans are social beings who live together in large communities. As the communities grew and the relationships within these communities became more complex, communication would likewise become more difficult. So as the communities that were formed by our ancestors increased in size, there was a corresponding increase in human mental capacities. Eventually, humans developed two powerful communication tools: language and writing.

Even if the basics of intelligence are laid down in our genetic blueprint and are formed during the first years of our lives, human mental development is certainly nowhere near its conclusion. Human beings also distinguish themselves by their ability to learn new things up to the end of life. There are no real limits to human memory and intelligence. Using special memory techniques many have been able to remember large amounts of information. Such memory training are obviously helpful for students to brush up their study skills and accelerate their learning. However research have shown that by learning such memory skills to improve memory and using them throughout their lives, people have been able to stave off dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Keyword : memory training, memory techniques, improve memory, study skills, accelerated learning, creative, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

A couple of months ago, I read in the newspapers about how this woman in her late fifties, with heavy make-up, colored hair and the trendiest clothes had been denied entry in one of the hippest clubs in town. She and her friends were eventually allowed in but the club denied them free complimentary drinks on “Ladies Night”. The free drinks on Ladies Night was meant to attract much younger ladies to the club which would in turn entice men to come patronize the club. That article set forth some rather heated debates on local forum websites with some netizens suggesting that she and her older friends should patronize other community clubs meant for older folks. I for one did not understand why a person at her age would put herself through such an embarrassing episode. Then a few days ago, a picture of her appeared in the newspapers again. Apparently she had died of cancer and she had been fighting for her right to party and have a good time before the curtains came down for her. And because of her and the publicity generated, the club eventually set up a separate section where people of all ages could have a good time drinking and dancing on the club premises.

The example I cited above demonstrates how our narrow thinking can be if we set ourselves up into believing what seems to be the obvious. If we look beyond the obvious and ask ourselves “what if” questions, we may be surprised to discover that there can be many interesting answers and solutions to any problems. Life can be like a big noisy party. With music blaring in the background, people laughing and shouting and glasses clinking. But even with all these going on, it’s still possible for you to understand the person across from you. Or even one from twenty feet away. That’s because our attention is selective and we can tune out certain things and tune in to the things we want to focus on.

You can test this for yourself. From where you are seated, find five things that have “red” in them. Suddenly your mind starts to focus and things with red starts jumping out around you. With your “red” mindset, you see red on a book, red on a cup or red on a picture and so on. Likewise, whenever you learn a new word or phrase, you suddenly hear it being used around you. Or after you bought a new blouse, shirt or skirt, you might start seeing it around town. That’s because people find what they’re looking for. If you’re looking for beauty, you’ll find beauty. If you’re looking for conspiracies, you’ll find it. It’s all a matter of tuning your mental channel to find what you’re looking for.

We learnt how to set our mental channels from our formal education. Other important sources comes from our family and friends we hang around with. Through the years, you learn what is appropriate and what is not. Through this, you learn many of the questions you use to find out about your environment. You learn how to probe and search for information, which ideas to pay heed to and how to think about these ideas. Your educational background gives you many of the concepts to understand and put order to the world around you.

For example, if you were taught the right memory techniques to train your memory, you’ll discover you can suddenly memorize long chains of numbers like credit card numbers or telephone numbers. As a student, your study skills will improve and you will experience accelerated learning. You’ll remember complicated road directions easily and can memorize long grocery lists. As you progress with your memory training over the years, sometimes even unknowingly, your friends may even accuse you of cheating in poker games or bridge. This is because you can remember the card sequences and what hands are being played. People with memory training are also protected against Alzheimer’s disease or dementia much more longer than people who don’t have mental skills.

Much of our educational system work against the nurture of creative thinking. For example, in school, our teachers have always taught us how to find the “right answer”. However, memory training and creative thinking is all about using our imagination to “think out of the box”. By the time the average person finishes college, he or she will have taken over 2,000 tests, quizzes and exams, all gearing us to coming up with the “right answers”. The “right” answer approach becomes deeply ingrained in our thinking. This may be true for some mathematical problems where there is in fact only one right answer. The problem is that most of life isn’t this way. Life is ambiguous and there are many right answers. It all depends on what you have been looking for. But if you think there is only one right answer, then you’ll stop looking as soon as you find one.

When I was in college, one of my teachers put a small chalk dot on the black board. He then asked the class what it was. After a few seconds of awkward silence, we were all relieved when someone blurted out what seemed like the obvious, “A chalk dot on the blackboard!”. The teacher glanced at the ceiling and said, “I’m surprised at all of you”. He told the class, “when I did the same exercise a year back with some kindergarten kids, they thought of twenty things it could be, a puppy’s eye, a stone, the top of a can of can, a jelly bean, top of an orange, a crumpled piece of candy wrapper, a Christmas tree ornament, a bug and so on. They were letting their imagination run wild !”. In the decade or more between kindergarten and college, not only had we learned how to find the right answers, we had lost the ability to look for more than one right answer.

Keyword : memory training, memory techniques, improve memory, study skills, accelerated learning, creative, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

A very successful advertising executive once said, “The creative person wants to be a know-it-all”. He wants to know about all kinds of things” ancient history, 19th century mathematics, current-manufacturing techniques, flower arrangement and hog futures. That’s because he will never know when this information might come together to form a new idea. It may happen ten minutes later or ten years down the road. But he has faith that it will happen”.

Knowledge is indeed the wellspring of new ideas. However, knowledge won’t make a person creative. We’ve all known people who knew lots of facts and information and nothing creative ever comes out of them. Their knowledge just sat in their heads because they didn’t think about what they knew in any new ways. The real key to being creative lies in what you do with what lies in your brain, all the facts, information and knowledge which you’ve garnered through the years.

Creative thinking is a way of thought, an attitude that you adopt to search for ideas and work with your knowledge and experience. How they all come together, be mixed around and manipulated like fresh clay to be molded into ideas. With this perspective, you try various approaches, first one, then another, often not getting anywhere. You persist, you use crazy, outlandish and impractical ideas as stepping-stones to practical new ideas. You constantly break the rules and explore for ideas in unusual outside places. By adopting a creative outlook you open yourself up both to new possibilities and to change.

Are you a creative person? Why not take a test to see if you have what it takes to solve a problem, with some imagination. Think of all kinds of crazy ideas to solve the following problem;

An eccentric old king wants to give his crown to one of his two sons. He decides to hold a race and the one who owns the slower horse will become the king. The sons, each fearing that the other will cheat by having his horse run less fast than it is capable, ask the court jester for his advice. With only two words, the jester tells them how to make sure that he race will be fair. What are these two words?

There is a man by the name of Johann Gutenberg. Gutenberg combined two previously unconnected ideas, the wine press and the coin punch. The coin punch was used to leave an image on a small metallic surface such as a silver or gold coin. The wine press was used to apply force over a large area to squeeze the juice such as grapes. One day, Gutenberg hit upon the idea and asked himself, “What if I took some coin punches and put them under the force of the wine press . Would they leave an image on paper?” He did just that and lo and behold, he had invented the printing press and the movable type.

Grace Hopper, a Navy Admiral also had such an Eureka moment. Tasked with explaining the concept of a “nanosecond” to some non-technical computer users. (A nanosecond is a billionth of a second, and it’s the basic time interval of a super-computer’s internal clock). She had to find a way to explain a nano-second and decided that she could explain it as a space problem rather than a time problem. She pulled out a piece of string 30 centimeters long (11.8 inches) and told everyone one that it was the time taken for light to travel from one end of the string to the other.

The examples above illustrates a creative mind’s power to transform one thing into another. By changing the way we look at things and playing around with our knowledge or what we do know. We can make ordinary knowledge and make it an extraordinary idea, and the unusual, commonplace. In this way, wine presses squeeze out information and a string is transformed into a nanosecond.

Just as it takes a wild imagination to come up with new ideas, people who participate in memory competitions have been known to use unconventional associations to remember long chains of numbers or list of things. Such memory training techniques can also be used by students to enhance their study skills and improve their grades, sometimes dramatically. Memory training is also known to not only improve memory, but also to accelerate learning

Discovery is all about looking at the same thing, or what others view as the same, and thinking of something very different. So if you are ever stuck with a problem, try to see it in a different light. You might just come up with something that no one has ever thought of.

Keyword : memory training, memory techniques, improve memory, study skills, accelerated learning, creative, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

Culture can affect not just language and customs, but also how people experience the world at surprisingly basic levels, new brain research has revealed.

Researchers, with the help of brain scans have uncovered shocking differences in perception between Westerners and Asians, what they see when they look at a city street, for example, or even how they perceive a simple line in a square, according to findings published in a leading science journal.

In Western countries, the culture conditions people to think of themselves as highly independent entities. When looking at scenes, Westerners tend to focus more on central objects than on their surroundings.

East Asian cultures, in contrast, stress interdependence. When Easterners look at a scene, they tend to focus on the context as well as the object.

Using a camera analogy to explain the results of the research, Dr Denise Park of the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas in Dallas said, “The Americans are more zoom and the East Asians are more panoramic, The Easterners probably sees more and the Westerner probably sees less, but in more detail.”

The research, led by Dr Trey Hedden and Professor John Gabrieli of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, demonstrates that such deeply ingrained habits of thought affect the brains of East Asians and Americans even as they perform simple tasks that involve estimating the length of a line.

Using an experiment involving two tasks, Dr Hedden ask subjects to look at a line simply to estimate its length, a task that played to American strengths. In another, they estimated the line’s length relative to the size of a square, an easier task for the Asians.

The level of neural activity, by tracking blood flow were then measured by Brain Scanners. The experiment found that although there was no difference in performance, the tasks were very easy, the level of activity in the subjects’ brains wee different. This suggests different levels of effort.

For the Americans, areas linked to attention lit up more, when they worked on the task they tended to find more difficult – estimating the line’s size relative to the square.

For the Asians, the attention areas lit up more during the harder task also – estimating the line’s length without comparing it to the square.

The findings are a reflection of more than ten years of previous experimental research into East-West differences.

In one study, for instance, researchers offered people a choice among five pens; four red and one green. Easterners were more likely to choose a red pen, and Westerners were likelier to choose the green.

Using experiments to measure how well eight-year-olds could solve puzzles, American children were better at solving puzzles they had chosen themselves. Interestingly, Asians children performed better when told the puzzles they were solving were chosen by their mothers.

And using tests on underwater scenes they recently viewed, Westerners tended to remember more about the biggest fish, while Easterners remembered more about the scene’s background.

The new research promises to add new precision to the earlier work. In their study, Professor Gabrieli said, the scanning not only showed brain differences in the line-and-square task, it also allowed researchers to begin to ask how deep those differences go.

Depending on which area of the brain were activated during the tasks, it is believed that everyone sees the same thing, but may filter it differently.

Keyword : memory training, memory techniques, improve memory, study skills, accelerated learning, creative, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

The sky is falling! With more people without jobs, rising oil price, falling home prices and a credit crunch in the US have brought consumer confidence to its lowest point in five years.. On the horizon is a fairly long recession coming our way, many American families may be battening down and planning belt tightening measures.

Its interesting to know that curbing consumer spending in the short term, may cause some Americans to loosen the belts around their waists Where’s the connection? The brain has a limited capacity for self-regulation, so exerting willpower in one part of your life may lead to backsliding in another part.

However, there is good news. Practice increases willpower capacity so that, in the long run, buying less at the present moment may improve our ability to achieve future goals - such as losing those extra pounds we gained when we weren’t out shopping.

Our brain has a store of willpower and this dwindles when we control our thoughts, feelings or impulses or when we modify our behavior in pursuit of our goals. Psychologist Roy Baumeister and others have found that people who successfully accomplish one task requiring self-control are less persistent on another unrelated task.

In one groundbreaking study, some people were asked to eat radishes while others received freshly baked chocolate chip cookies before trying to solve an impossible puzzle. The radish-eaters gave up the puzzle in eight minutes on average, working less than half as long as people who got cookies or those who were excused from eating radishes.

In another test, people asked to circle every “e” on a page of text then showed less persistence in watching a video of an unchanging table and wall.

There are other activities that saps willpower and these include resisting food or drink, suppressing emotional responses, restraining aggressive or sexual impulses, taking exams and trying to impress someone. Task persistence is also reduced when people are stressed or tired from exertion or lack of sleep.

But what holds back willpower? Studies have suggested that it is blood sugar, which brain cells use as their main energy source and cannot do without for even a few minutes. Most cognitive functions are unaffected by minor blood sugar fluctuations over the course of a day, but planning and self-control are sensitive to such small changes.

When you exert self-control, you lower blood sugar and this reduces the ability for further self-control. People who drink a glass of lemonade between completing one task requiring self-control and beginning a second one perform equally well on both tasks, while people who drink sugarless diet lemonade make more mistakes on the second task than on the first.

If you consume foods that raises blood sugar levels for longer periods like foods containing protein or complex carbohydrates, you may enhance willpower for longer periods. In a short term period, you should understand that you have a limited willpower budget and therefore should spend it wisely. For instance, if you do not want to drink too much at a party, then on the way to the party, you should not deplete your willpower by window-shopping for things you cannot afford. Taking another route to avoid passing the store would be a good idea.

If you need to study for a big exam, it might be wise to conserve your energy by saving the household chores for another day, so that you conserve your willpower for the more important task at hand. Similarly, it can be counterproductive to work towards different goals at the same time if your willpower cannot cover all the efforts that are required. Focusing your effort on one or at most, just a few goals at one time will increase the odds of success.

Concentrating on success is vital as willpower can grow in the long term. Willpower is like a muscle, and can gain strength with use over time. The concept of exercising willpower is seen in army boot camp where recruits are trained to overcome one obstacle after another. And the challenges get tougher from one to the next.

In psychological studies, even a task as simple as using your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth for two weeks can raise willpower capacity. People who stick to an exercise plan for two months are shown to have reduced their impulsive spending, junk food intake, alcohol use and smoking. They also study more, watch less television and do more housework.

People who take up a short-term memory training course to train their brains report less stress during exams. It is the wisdom that persistently doing and learning a short-term task with memory techniques will lead to long term benefits that motivates such people. The trainees eventually experience better memory recalls when studying or meeting people for the first time, better study skills and accelerated learning and cognitive ability and having a more positive outlook in life. They also experienced better concentration and elevated moods at school or at work and are better at managing their emotions.

Other forms of willpower training, like money-management classes work as well. No one knows why will power can grow with practice but it must be due to some biological change in the brain. Maybe neurons in the frontal cortex, which is responsible for planning behavior or in the anterior cingulated cortex, which is associated with cognitive control, use blood sugar more efficiently after repeated challenges.

Perhaps one of the chemical messengers that neurons use to communicate with one another is produced in larger quantities after it has been used up repeatedly, thus improving the brain’s willpower capacity.

Whatever the explanation, consistently doing any activity that requires self-control seems to increase willpower, and the ability to resist impulses and delay gratification is highly associated with success in life.

Keyword : memory training, memory techniques, improve memory, study skills, accelerated learning, creative, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

Scientists in Singapore have read the tea leaves, and found that a cup of the brew is good for the brain.

The study, taken over a period of four years, adds to the growing knowledge on tea’s long-touted virtues.

The main finding is that tea slows down brain-cell degeneration and thus keeps the mind sharp into old age, said Professor Ng Tze Pin from the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) psychological medicine department.

It was found that catechins, a natural compound in tea, protect brain cells from damaging protein build-up over the years, maintaining the brain’s cognitive capability.

Moreover, the caffeine in tea unlike that in coffee, contains the natural protein theanine, which counters the normal side effects of caffeine such as raised blood pressure, headaches and tiredness.

Brain-cell degeneration, caused by a combination of loss of nerve cells, predisposed genes, small strokes and increased levels of harmful protein build-up, often leads to dementia.

There is still no cure for it. An estimated 24 million people worldwide have some form of dementia, an illness that affects memory, thinking ability and behavior.

In Singapore, about 5 per cent of those above age 65 and 13 per cent of those above 70 suffer from dementia. About 7,000 new cases are diagnosed every year and the number is expected to rise to 187,000 by 2052.

The NUS team studied the tea-drinking habits of 2,501 Chinese aged 55 and above, from September 2003 to December 2005. The team members were Prof Ng, Prof Kua Ee Heok, Dr Feng Lei and Dr Niti Mathew, as well as Dr Yap Keng Bee from Alexandra Hospital’s geriatric medicine department.

Participants’ health, attention span, language use and visual and spatial abilities are assessed. Their tea consumption – how often, how much and what type – was monitored.

About 38 per cent did not drink tea. About 29 per cent drank only one kind of tea. The rest, about 33 per cent, drank a mix of teas.

Two-thirds of the tea drinkers maintained their scores on the same memory tests tow years later.

Among the non-tea drinkers, 35 per cent saw a dip in their memory test scores by an average of two points, which signifies cognitive decline.

Age, education, level of physical activity and other drinks were taken into account.

Tea was the distinguishing factor keeping brain cells energized. Said Prof Ng : “Tea is cheap, non toxic and widely consumed.”

But tea alone cannot do the job. “It still means a lifetime of good habits and a balanced diet,” he said.

Behavioral scientists and psychologists have also added that constant use of the brain including brain-memory training techniques, memory-related games like Mahjong, an active social life and plenty of exercise can improve human memory and stave off age-related memory decline.

Keyword : memory training, memory techniques, improve memory, study skills, accelerated learning, creative, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

Very often, you will encounter situations in your daily life or career where you have to solve extensive problems with many relatively simple steps. With some logical preparation, you can make your work flow much more smoothly.

How do you proceed in such a situation? First, ask yourself what will happen when you take a certain step. Then you imagine other scenarios. As time is getting tight, you choose the option that appears the most promising. In this way, you deal with the ideas point by point, then select and proceed. In the end, you will have build a structure of thought in which you can move about safely.

In our working and personal lives, we often have to deal with simultaneous problems. We need to take care of customer orders and, at the same time, organize and conduct meetings. After work is finished for the day, errands have to be run and meetings must be held with friends. Maybe your children need help with their homework, or need a hand with a class project. Often, our deadlines are so important that everything breaks down if a meeting takes slightly longer than planned. Because there are so many things to accomplish, we are constantly forced to redefine the sequences in which we do things.

But what is the best way to proceed? We have an idea of our goal, and we can only attain it if we break it up into several intermediate goals and assess which of these can be reached and which ones cannot.

At the moment, human thought cannot be reconstructed by computers, for machines are incapable of understanding actions. This means being able to imagine what can be done under completely different circumstances. Instead, computer programs repeatedly compare the current status with the goal, and mechanically set themselves intermediate goals. The human brain, however, is extremely flexible. It is able to respond to a multitude of stimuli and is therefore not fixed. It is a little like a skeleton key, which can be fitted into a never-ending number of locks.

At a very young age, children learn to build entire houses from individual building blocks. Anyone who has watched this knows that small children first act according to the principle of trial and error. They place one block on top of another and while doing so, they learn which ones remain in place and what can be done better the next time. The house usually falls down a few times, but eventually they get it right.

You can also approach other problem solving according to this principle, simply by dividing them into small steps. For example, let’s say you want to redesign your living room and don’t know how to go about it.

Well, you could divide your plan into many small steps. Maybe you could start with the question of which furniture or if the curtains will remain and which new areas you would like to clear, and what it is you would like to change completely. Once the design stage has been completed, the manual labor has to be done. The final stage comes when the new furniture, wall-paper or drapes are put in place.

By the way, engineers who designed the first industrial robots faced a similar problem. They had to teach their machines how to screw and weld a car together from many small parts. This could only be done after the individual sequences of action were thoroughly analyzed and divided into many small units.

Similarly, you can build a formidable memory by learning how to build small pegs of memory patterns. These pegs then become the foundation of a memory training which other information can be build on top of. Such memory techniques soon become your brain’s foundation and once in place, you can indeed remember a huge database of information that you can recall at will. You can improve your memory and in fact, your learning and concentration will be enhanced. Once you learn the basic memory structure, you can use it over and over again, in learning new knowledge, in your professional or personal life.

Keyword : improve memory, memory techniques, memory training, Martin Mak, Mighty MemoryBy Martin Mak

Have you ever entered a room to get something and then forgot why you entered the room for? Have you ever been introduced to someone and forgot the name in less than five minues? Have you ever been interrupted in the midst of a conversation or presentation and then forgotten where you left off? All of us have experienced such situations of “forgetfulness”, some in more severe form than others. For the most part, such situations can be remedied by making the mind focus on the situation, if only for a brief moment. Although it is easier said than done, we can train our mind to automatically “book-mark” a situation for quicker recall. One of the ways is to understand which of the senses you use most often and use that sense as your recall mechanism.

All of our sensory organs work together when we perceive our environment. Each and every one of us has his or her preferences when it comes to the senses. This is one of the reasons why each of us experiences the world in a different and very personal way. For the most part, we are blissfully unaware of this taking place. Scientists however, make distinctions between three types of perception preference’ visual (eyes), auditory (ears) and haptic (touch).

You can, with a simple test, find out for yourself which group you belong to. Ask a friend or your spouse to give you a paper with 10 words written on it, which you look at for 10 seconds. Memorize as many words as possible, and then remove the piece of paper. Try to recall them, and note how many words you got right. Now repeat the test with 10 other words, which your partner reads aloud to you, then with 10 more words represented as drawings. Compare the number of points you scored each time, the test on which you scored the most points is where your strength lies.

Once you have refined your perception, you can apply your strengths to your full advantage. It is even better if you also make an effort to strengthen your weaker senses. You will then be in a position to absorb and retain information much faster and more reliably than previously. Suppose you want to learn a new language. If you perceive best with your ears, you can record the words of the foreign language and its meaning in English and play it back. If you perceive better with your eyes, like most people, you can use videotape cassettes as aids to learning. This will help to train your weaker senses at the same time.

Scientists are still not entirely sure of the reasons why we can pick out essential information in the midst of the deafening noise and chaos of a party. Our consciousness seems to possess a variety of filters for blocking out irrelevant information, while at the same time allowing certain key words to enter our consciousness.

Anyone who is a parent knows how useful these filters can be. The cry of a baby, even if it is in another part of the house, will wake a mother or father from even the deepest slumber. This will happen even if the parents are used to loud noises.

With a little bit of practice, you too can become good at using your perception to train your memory or your awareness. So for instance, if you find that you are more of an auditory person, the next time you go into a room to look for a pen, imagine you own a “talking pen” or a pen that plays music. If you are a visual person, the next time you have to remember buying a tube of toothpaste and bananas, you can imagine buying a tube of black toothpaste or a bunch of blue bananas. That way you’ll know what to look for once you’re in the store. You can also use this memory training technique or memory prompter to pick out a key word that you want to be reminded of if you were interrupted in the middle of a presentation or conversation.

You can also, with some practice, utilize simple-to-learn but powerful memory training techniques in all areas of your work, home or school life. After all, with so much information bombarding us everyday, it’s good to have a tool to deal with the daily information deluge.

Keyword : memory training, memory techniques, enhance learning, memory skills, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Does it make sense to be more involved and have a more active social life as we age? Yes it does. Being more engaged socially appears to delay memory loss as we grow older, a new study has shown.

The finding, which appears in the July issue of The American Journal of Public Health, suggests that strong social interaction, through friends, family and community groups can enhance our brain health as we age and that social isolation may be an important risk factor for cognitive decline for old folks.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health used data gathered from 1998 to 2004 from the Health And Retirement Study, a large, nationally representative population of American adults aged 50 and older.

In the study, participants took memory tests at two-year intervals during the period. Testers read a list of 10 common nouns to survey respondents who were then asked to recall as many words as possible immediately. They did so again after a five-minute delay. The researchers also measured social integration based on marital status, volunteer activities and contact with parents, children and neighbors.

When the results were analyzed, it showed that people in their 50s and 60s who were involved in a lot of social activity also had the slowest rate of memory decline. In fact, compared to those who were the least socially active, study subjects who had the highest social integration scores had less than half the rate of memory loss. The researches looked at age, gender, race and health.

It was interesting that those who had the least number of years of formal education appeared to have he most to gain from an active social life as they aged. The study showed hat the protective effect of social integration was greatest among individuals with fewer than 12 years of education.

“The working hypothesis is that social engagement is what makes you mentally engaged,” said Dr Lisa F Berkman, the study’s lead researcher and director of the Harvard Center For Population And Development Studies.

“You can’t sit and withdraw if you’re constantly talking and working on things and figuring out problems in your daily life. It’s not just completing a crossword puzzle, it’s living your life.”

Hopefully, the results will change the mindset of those who are put in a position to care for an elderly family member. There are many people who erroneously believe that just being there to give moral support to an aged person is enough. But people need to understand that aged people need to be more socially engaged to reap the rewards of good mental health. Old folks need to be encouraged to get involved more socially and engaged at a level that is meaningful both for the individual and the group or community they are involved in.

Such involvement by aged people in a community or group can reap similar memory benefits as engaging in a memory training or using memory techniques to enhance learning and memory skills. It is also definitely more meaningful and has an added side effects - contentment, greater self-esteem, optimism and overall greater self-confidence.

“A lot of people, when they think about the elderly, focus on social support … things like what can I do for my elderly mother,” Dr Berkman said, “But having someone to count on is not what we’re measuring. It’s not about support it’s about being completely engaged and participating in our society.”

What was notable about he study is that participants didn’t have to be married to or surrounded by extensive family to receive the protective effect of social engagement.

“You don’t have to have friends if you have family. If you don’t have family but you have friends, that’s good. If you volunteer to civic organizations that can be a substitute,” Dr Berkman said.

“People don’t have to have all of these things. They just have to have some breadth and diversity in the kinds of networks and ties they have in a community.”

Everybody wants to be happy. But happiness can mean different things to different people. The ancient Greeks, for example, devoted much thought to the meaning of happiness and how it can best be achieved. However, as with many other issues, they looked at this question mainly from a philosophical point of view. Today, we know that our moods, happiness, sadness joy, anger are primarily a question of the balance of hormones in our heads. Thus, feelings of great joy produce certain brain chemicals called endorphins. These are the body’s natural painkillers, which influence the transfer of signals between the nerves. For example, the production of endorphins dampens the body’s sensitivity to pain.

Endorphins not only make people happy, they also dampen pain and delay feelings of exhaustion. They are produced after serious accidents, for example, making injured people feel their pain less acutely. The injury and shock are very real, but the production of endorphins provides the body with the ability to withstand an acute crisis. For long-distance runners, the enormous effort of completing a marathon triggers the production of endorphins which results in an overwhelming feeling of happiness.

During a long and difficult surgical procedure, heart surgeons often find themselves in a state of deep satisfaction. They are completely absorbed in what they are doing and so their work becomes a form of meditation. Psychologist use the term “flow” to describe the condition in which the performance of difficult tasks leads to happiness and contentment and is not perceived as stress.

Opium, cocaine, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and numerous other substances work in a similar way to the body’s own stimulants. Just like endorphins, they produce feelings of bliss and high spirits. However a steady intake of these substances changes the nerve cells, which then cease to function normally without drugs. Thus, the body becomes dependent on these substances. In other words, you become addicted.

Exercise helps to give the body a general sense of well-being and helps to alleviate depression. The increase blood flow to the body and the brain helps rejuvenate the mind and body. So if you generally feel that you cannot concentrate while doing mental task at work or at school, taking a walk or going for a jog can help. Consistent exercise has been known to help boost memory and concentration by as much as 20%.

How can a circus acrobat perform a triple somersault at a dizzying height on the high wire? What gives an extreme climber the ability to master the sheerest rock overhang without ropes or harnesses, or a figure skater the ability to execute the tight turns and graceful spins? Such people distinguish themselves particularly in one area they have complete confidence in their own ability to perform. Through constant training sessions they have developed a certain confidence as to how much strength lies in one hand, how a simple jump can put the body in the correct position in space.

Just like a skillful acrobat or athlete, with the correct memory training techniques, anyone can master his own mind and memory. Like a skillful athlete, the secret lies in practice and awareness of your own thinking patterns. Simple mind exercise takes just minutes a day and can be performed anywhere. Not only do you achieve greater awareness, clarity of thinking and generally improve your memory, a stronger mind through mental exercise can also stave off age-related memory loss. Proper memory training techniques can also help students improve their study skills. With a purposeful techniques to study, the mind achieves the flow state needed for better concentration. A purposefully controlled mind and body can lead to a more confident, happier individual without the use of drugs.

Keyword : improve memory, learning skills, memory techniques, memory training, Martin Mak, Mighty MemoryBy Martin Mak

Don’t you find it embarrassing when you can’t remember the name of the waitress who served you last week? Or the name of the your neighbor who came around to introduce himself to you just yesterday? You are not alone. In almost any society, when people are asked what is the biggest problem with their brains, most will say that memory is their greatest concern.

Interestingly enough, despite years of research, scientists do not know for sure how the process of recall occurs in the brain, but American psychologist Roger Sperry established in 1981 that two sides of the brain deal with different functions. The right side focuses on pattern recognition, music emotion and creativity, while the left deals with order, sequence, logic and language. The study of music helps the study of math, for example, and the study of rhythm helps the study of languages. Now scientists know that the more people use both sides of their brain, the more each side benefits the other. And scientists are aware that a person who uses both sides of the brain can have an excellent memory.

The way memory works is complicated and it’s still an emerging science. So what goes on in your brain if you ran into a woman in the store and you can’t remember her name? Seeing the woman triggers your hippocampus, the brains command center for creating new memories. It immediately begins to form impressions based on the woman’s characteristics, such as hair color, height, clothing and mannerisms.

To look for any of these same impressions, the hippocampus’s neurons-tiny nerve cells that act as transmitters-start connecting and activating other teams of neurons located in your cortex, where long-term memories are stored.

This thinking process will access any stored pieces of information on the woman. If her name can’t be located, other regions of your cortex, such as the prefrontal cortex, will be called upon. They’ll then go back to your hippocampus and other cortical regions to “brainstorm” together, and hopefully come up with the woman’s name. If they don’t, it’s time for you to work on your memory-boosting techniques.

That’s what Dave Williams did. The 45-year old mechanical engineer decided to improve his memory with memory training as a way to counteract the effects of a car accident. He was amazed at how much he was able to achieve. After two years, he entered the U.S. Memory Championships. He now teaches people on how to improve their memory. Williams says one of the most important factors is first believing it’s possible. “We tend to remember what we forget. We don’t value all the amazing things we do remember. It’s like we’re psychologically sabotaging ourselves.”

Remembering names is a good example of how defeatist we can be. How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m so bad with names”? “Most people give up even trying to remember names because they figure they can’t”, explains Jane Clements, a life coach who also runs memory workshops. She suggests the following tips;

So with a little bit of imagination, you can align the functions of both the left and the right brain. It doesn’t really take much effort to improve your memory and enhance your learning skills. All you need is good memory techniques to train your memory to be sharp. Anyone can do it.

Keyword : memory techniques, memory training, improve memory, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Don’t you find it troublesome when you can’t remember where you parked your car? Or do you get frustrated when you can’t remember your password to your computer or ATM machine? Whether it’s forgotten names, misplaced keys, missed appointments or simply not being able to recall something you know that you know, experts say we don’t have to put up with forgetfulness, and it has nothing to do with age. We can have a great memory well into our 80s and beyond, but only if we’re willing to invest some time and energy. “Your memory declines with age only if it’s not used. Conversely, if it is used, it will continue to improve throughout your lifetime. But you have to work at it. The advantage of this is a better quality of life in your later years. Research has shown that seniors with a sharp memory and an alert mind are more socially active and participate in a broader range of activities, which in turn helps maintain brain power and memory in the process. Studies suggest that healthy, active seniors are able to learn and remember nearly as much as younger age groups, maybe just not at the same speed.

So remarkable is the human capacity for recall that some people have trained themselves to remember the order of playing cards in ten shuffled decks, 1,000 random digits and 99 new names and faces. These are the mental equivalents of super athletes.

While most of us won’t need to memorize the order of ten decks of cards, having a reliable memory is important, not only in our personal lives but professionally. “When you remember customers’ names and important figures and products, you look impressive, save time and make people feel important.” Says Bob Reinhart, a 55-year old memory consultant, who has made a living teaching memorization techniques for the past 20 years. “People don’t really know just how much untapped memory power they have between their ears”.

There are dozens of mnemonic technique, but it all comes down to using your imagination and association, what Reinhart calls “the pillars of brain function.” Since the brain has difficulty remembering abstract symbols like names and numbers, the key is to make them memorable by attaching lucid images to them.

Kathy Wilbright, a 39-year-old owner of a busy café, learned this simple lesson during a one-day memory course she took at a local college to help her remember customers’ names. She was taught memory techniques and memory training to improve the way she perceives the world and improve her memory. It worked. “For example, there was one gentleman who kept coming in and I could never remember if his name was Gary or Barry,” says Wilbright. “After I took the course, I started picturing a bunch of berries on Barry. I never forgot his name again.”

So even though one of the simplest ways to improve memory may sound obvious, it’s important. The most common reason healthy adults forget is they fail to focus. Distraction can cause memory lapses no matter what age you’re at.

Working in our favour, say the experts, is the fact that the mind naturally craves to make a connection between things that aren’t normally associated. Think of the words ‘giraffe’ and “apple” and your mind automatically finds a way to connect the two. (I quickly imagine a giraffe balancing an apple on its head. Harnessing the natural inclination, then exaggerating the image using your imagination so it’s unforgettable, is the key to remembering.

So the next time you need to remember something, try to make a vivid ludicrous association between 2 things. For example, a jersey in a window display is dark red like a ripe, cherry. When you want to remember the color of the garment, you just have to think of a cherry and instantly you recall what the jersey looks like. Your memory can store about 10,000 pictures and you can use this “library” of images to form any number of chains of association. The crazier, the more unreal and absurd these fantasy pictures are, the easier it is for them to be memorized.

Keyword : Study skills, memory training, memory technique, improve memory, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Have you been forgetting things lately? Do you feel that your memory lets you down now and then? Then perhaps you need to learn new memory skills. Boosting your memory will make your life a whole lot easier and it can be fun.

Where did I put the car keys? Where is the TV remote control? What was I suppose to pick up from the store today? Most of us know all too well that memory lapses make life inconvenient and can cause embarrassment. As the years go by, we also worry about becoming more and more forgetful. You start to wonder if your occasional memory lapses are perhaps the first signs of the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. Does this mean you have suddenly become elderly? You start to have haunting thoughts like these as you find yourself in positions where you cannot remember even the simplest of things.

You can improve your memory with simple memory techniques. One of the most popular techniques is the Roman Room system (the Romans developed their own mnemonic technique based on Greek research). It’s helpful because, after names and faces, forgetting objects is one of the biggest categories of forgetfulness. The idea is to use the rooms in your house or sites in your neighborhood – anything you know really well, as links on which to mentally hang things you want to remember.

If your memory suddenly refuse to do what you have asked it to recall, there is no cause of alarm. A bad memory is usually one which is untrained. If you can exercise the smallest of discipline, like brushing your teeth in the morning, you can find that you will have an excellent memory. All it takes is a bit of ingenuity and a lot of imagination and a bit of discipline.

There are some very effective ways to train your memory and your concentration. Let’s start with a simple technique. Let’s say you don’t want to forget three things you need to pick up: rice, egg and bread. Picture walking through your front door and there’s rice thrown all over the front welcome mat. Proceed to your living room and imagine eggs smashed on your floor and TV. Continue down the hall and picture slices of bread glued to the walls. The more ridiculous the images, the quicker the recall. Once you’ve done this, take a mental walkthrough of your home to help with the memorization process. Since these elaborate pictures, which you create in seconds, have sprung from your own imagination, they are much harder to forgot.

Elizabeth Gray, a 31-year-old senior project manager for a Toronto company that designs business software, took her memory for granted until she agreed to develop and promote a new piece of software. Used to excelling at whatever she did, Gray suddenly found herself forgetting major marketing points during presentations to clients and unable to recall their suggestions for product modications. She also forgot what she planned to follow up on, back in the office. “I thought there was something wrong with me. “ She didn’t want to seem unconfident by taking notes, which would also create awkward dead time during presentations while she reached for a pen and paper and jotted things down.

Instead, Gray signed up for a two-day memory workshop, and after learning applying the association-imagination principle, she immediately saw positive changes. Now she can easily remember ten to-do things by creating images. For example, to remind herself to mail out a follow up survey after a presentation, she uses the image of a peppermint stick; peppermint-lick-envelope-mail-survey. It might not work for somebody else, but it does for her because she’s the one who made it up. The benefits have been measurable for Gray. “I speak more confidently now because I can remember the points,” she says. “I’m also able to use my humor since I’m not worrying about remembering everything.”

While there are many causes for a bad memory, a healthy person can usually expect the cause to be a lack of concentration or attention for the matter at hand. Whether you are a student struggling with bad grades, a professional seeking to stop embarrassing moments during a presentation or just someone seeking to stave off Alzheimer in old age, you should consider some form of memory training. Any student can excel in school with proper study skills and almost any healthy individual can boost his or her memory with proper memory training or memory techniques to improve memory. Any good technique should not take more than a weekend to learn and it should be fun to learn!

Keyword : Short term memory, memory techniques, improve memory, memory methods, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

The question of the capacity of short term or immediate memory was one which preoccupied a number of philosophers during the 19th century. Sir William Hamilton, for example, observed that if we flung a handful of marbles on the ground, the maximum number that could be perceived reasonably accurately would be about seven. The first systematic experimental work to be done on this problem was carried out in 1887 by a London school teacher, J. Jacobs, who was interested in measuring the mental capacity of his pupils. He conceived of a technique, the digit span, which has played an important role in psychology ever since. The subject is presented with a sequence of digits and required to repeat them back in the same order, the length of the sequence is steadily increased until a point is reached at which the subject always fails; the sequence length at which they are right half the time is defined as his digit span.

You can try this experiment for yourself. Read out loud the sequences shown below at a steady rate. After each sequence, close your eyes and try to repeat the numbers in the correct order. Note in each case whether you get the sequence completely correct or not. If you do, move on to the next length of sequence. If you make a mistake, try the next sequence of the same length, and continue testing yourself until you reach a length at which you are always wrong. Your span is the length at which performance reaches its limit, which for present purposes can be regarded as the longest sequence you recall correctly on at leas one of the three attempts.

8 7 5 3
4 9 2 5
3 5 1 4
6 4 6 1 8
9 7 2 5 9
2 8 1 6 7
7 2 3 8 2 5
9 4 8 5 7 3
7 9 6 8 5 3
4 9 5 6 4 1 2
7 3 1 9 8 4 6
5 9 2 8 7 4 6
9 6 8 5 1 2 7 3
7 1 5 3 9 6 2 8
3 1 5 9 8 7 4 2
9 1 7 3 8 1 2 6 4
6 1 2 9 7 4 8 5 3
2 6 5 9 3 4 8 6 2
5 1 9 2 4 8 3 1 2 6
8 1 4 5 7 5 6 9 1 3
3 4 2 8 5 6 3 7 8 1

Studies show that most people can manage six or seven digits, but there is quite a large range of capacity, with some people managing only four or five and others getting up to ten or more. Of course, the laboratory tests for which these experiments were carried out were in much more controlled conditions than this.

If you speak the sequences aloud, you will probably do somewhat better than if you simply read them to yourself. The reason for this is that articulating and hearing the sounds of the numbers registers them in a brief auditory memory store, thus improving your memory. Your auditory memory can even be used to train your memory.

You can also improve your performance by grouping the digits rhythmically. This technique appears to help reduce the tendency to recall them in the wrong order. Studies comparing different modes of grouping seem to come up with the conclusion that grouping in threes is best and that even a tiny gap between successive groups is helpful, provided the listener can hear it. So if you re telling someone your telephone number and you want to ensure that they write it down correctly, group it in threes, or if it is not divisible by three, in threes and twos. Once you have done so, you would be wise to check it, since there is a surprisingly high error rate in copying telephone numbers, even when we are simply remembering a number for the brief period needed to copy it from one sheet of paper to another.

Of course, you can pick up a good memory strategy to help you remember long chains of numbers. Such memory techniques are helpful not only to remember numbers. The mechanics of which once learnt, can help you remember long lists, study assignments, complicated formulas and historical dates. These memory methods to improve memory are just as useful in our professional lives as well as in our everyday lives.

Keyword : memorization techniques, memory training, study techniques, improve memory, human memory, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

The scientific study of memory began in the early 1880s when a German philosopher, Hermann Ebbinghaus, came up with the revolutionary idea hat memory could be studied experimentally. In doing so he broke away from a 2,000-year-od tradition that firmly assigned the study of memory to the philosopher rather than to the scientist. He argued that philosophers had come up with a wide range of possible interpretations of memory but had produced no way of deciding which among these theories offered the best explanation of memory. Ebbinghaus aimed to collect objective experimental evidence of the way in which memory worked in the hope that this would allow him to choose between the various theories.

Ebbinghaus decided that the only way to tackle the complex subject of human memory was to simplify the problem. He tested only one person, himself, and since he wished to study the learning of new information and to minimize any effects of previous knowledge, he invented some entirely new material to be learned. This material consisted of nonsense syllables, work-like “consonant-vowel-consonant” sequences, such as WUZ, CAX, TU and ZOK, which could be pronounced but had no meaning. He taught himself sequences of such words by reciting them aloud at a rapid rate, and carefully scored the number of recitations required to learn each list, or to relearn it after a delay had caused him to forget it. During his learning he carefully avoided using any associations with real words, and he always tested himself at the same time of day under carefully controlled conditions, discontinuing the tests whenever “too great changes in the outer or inner life occurred.” Despite or perhaps because of using this rather unpromising material, he was able to demonstrate to the world that memory can be scientifically investigated, and in the short period of two years was able to show some of the fundamental characteristics of human memory.

To assess any system’s capacity for storing information, three basic questions must be answered; how rapidly can information be fed into the system, how much information can be stored and how rapidly is information lost? In the case of human memory, the storage capacity is clearly enormous, so Ebbinghaus concentrated on assessing the rate of input and, and of forgetting.

Consider the rate at which information can be registered in memory. If you spend twice as much time learning, do you remember twice as much information? Or is there perhaps a law of diminishing returns, with each additional learning episode putting a little less information into storage? Or perhaps the relationship is the inverse; the more information you have acquired, the easier and quicker it is to add new information rather like rolling snowball picking up more snow with each successive revolution. Ebbinghaus investigated this problem very simply by creating a number of lists each containing 16 nonsense syllables. On a given day, he would select a fresh list (one he had not learned before) and recite it at a rate of 2.5 syllables per second for 8,16, 24, 32, 42, 53 or 64 repetitions. Twenty-four hours later he would find out how much of the list he had remembered by seeing how many additional trials he needed to relearn the list by heart. To get some idea of what his experiment was like, try reading the following list of nonsense syllables as rapidly as you can for four successive trials JIZ, BAH, FUX, YOB, SUR, XIQ, DAJ, LEM, VUQ, PIL, KED, WAV, TUK, GEF.

The results of this very tedious exercise were recorded. The relationship between the number of learning trials in Day 1 and the amount retained on Day 2 has a linear relationship, signifying that the process of learning shows neither diminishing returns nor the snowball effect, but obeys the simple rule that the amount learned depends on the time spent learning. If you double the learning time, you double the amount of information stored. In summary, as far as learning is concerned, you get what you pay for. This relationship has been explored extensively in the 100 years since it was discovered by Ebbinghaus and is known as the total time hypothesis. This is the basic relationship that underlies the whole of human learning.

The generalization that “you get what you pay for” is a reasonable rule of thumb, but within this broad framework there are goody buys and bad ones, bargains and items which are not worth the price tag. Despite the general relationship between practice and the amount retained, there are ways in which one can get better value for time spent. With proper study and memorization techniques, there are ways to beat the total time hypothesis. With memory training, you can actually spend less time studying and get better results and improve your memory. The human mind, as later studies will prove, have an insatiable appetitive to learn new things.

Keyword : Memory techniques, accelerate learning, memory training, improve memory, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Being mentally alert is a state of mind and we are obviously not always alert. Our mood and general level of physiological arousal will tend to range from deep sleep through drowsiness to a normal waking state; occasionally we experience a state of high agitation or excitement, and under extreme conditions, terror and panic. High arousal tends to be accompanied by changes in the electrical activity of the brain as recorded by electroencephalogram (EEG), and by an increase in heart rate, palm sweating and electrical conductivity of the skin. Arousal can also be altered by manipulating the environment or through drugs. Hence loud noises will tend to increase arousal, whereas the deprivation of sleep will tend to decrease it. Amphetamines or the caffeine in a cup of coffee will tend to lead to higher arousal, while a tranquilizer will tend to reduce it. Other drugs such as alcohol have more complex effects, initially increasing but then decreasing arousal.

Do our state of arousal influence our memory? Clearly in an extreme case, it has a profound effect; a subject who is asleep has a very limited performance repertoire. It has been suggested that we are able to learn when we are asleep. Unfortunately objective tests of the effectiveness of sleep teaching suggest that nothing is learned except the few bits of information that are registered during the occasional periods during the night when we approach a waking moment, in between long periods of deeper sleep. If you wish to learn, it is advisable to be conscious at the time.

Any individual can have a very wide range of levels of arousal at any moment, and there is no doubt that performance is sensitive to arousal level. In general, performance improves as arousal increases up to some peak, beyond which it deteriorates, a relationship known as the Yerkes-Dodson law after the two people who first pointed it out Taking the two extremes, neither the moment prior to falling asleep nor the moment of blind panic are likely to be particularly efficient states of mind for the performance of any task. Different tasks are optimally performed at the different levels of arousal. For example, the level at which you are likely to run fastest or hit hardest will be higher than that which is best for knitting a sweater or solving a crossword puzzle.

How can we determine the optimal arousal level for memory? Like much else in human memory, this is not an easy question to answer. It depends crucially on when the learned material is subsequently recalled. If recall is immediate, then performance is best when level of arousal is relatively low; higher levels of arousal lead to poor initial performance, but in the long run they produce better learning.

This was shown most clearly in a series of experiments conducted by Kleinsmith and Kaplan in 1963 in which subjects were presented with the task of learning to associate numbers with words. The words were selected as being either relatively neutral (swim, dance) or as having emotional overtones (rape, vomit). Three groups of subjects were tested, the first recalling after a delay of two minutes, the second after a 20-minute delay, and the third after a delay of one week. The low-arousal words were initially well recalled but showed marked forgetting. Recall of the high-arousal words actually improved with time. Kleinsmith and Kaplan argue that high levels of arousal help the memory trace to consolidate, but that during the early stages of consolidation they make retrieval difficult. The high-arousal items therefore have a short-term they benefit from good consolidation.

Taking these findings a step further, we can therefore remember things better with we attached vivid imagery to it. For example, if you want to remember a dental appointment at 10 in the morning, you can picture a bowling ball coming towards your mouth and your teeth become bowling pins (10-pins – 10 am). Memory strategies have come up that can help people improve memory, learn complex mathematical formula, foreign languages etc. Such memory techniques and memory training are useful not only for school work, but also in our daily and professional lives to help us cope.

Keyword : improve memory, omega-3, omega-6, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory, Atkins Diet, Alzheimer’s Disease.

The cells of your brain, cells that determine your intelligence, heartbeat, muscular movements, subconscious, and consciousness, are made entirely out of fat. In recent years there has been much focus on the amount of fat we should eat and what form that fat should take. In the 1980s, many people steered their diets toward very low or no-fat foods. However, when you lower a food’s fat content, you usually lose taste unless you add sugar. During this era, the food industry came out with thousands of fat-free foods, and in some cases the fat-free foods had more calories than the full-fat versions due to added sugar. Studies conducted within that period indicated that the incidence of obesity increased despite the large number of fat-free foods.

Most nutritional authorities are now focusing on the type of fats in our food, and emphasizing increased consumption of healthy fats, most of which fall into the category of omega-3 fatty acids. Among the bad fats that we should decrease our intake of are trans-fatty acids, produced during chemical processing. Studies show a link between the amounts of trans-fatty acids ingested and the risk for heart disease. They are also thought to cause inflammation and contribute to brain cell damage as we age.

Other “bad fats” include omega-6 fatty acids, which comprise 60 percent of the total fatty acids in corn oil. Corn oil and other high omega-6 vegetable oils are found throughout the American food supply in foods such as margarine, mayonnaise, most processed foods, fried foods, and vegetable oils.

Omega-3 fatty acids, or “good fats,” are found in plants and fish. They are anti-inflammatory and thus help protect the heart and the brain.

The Inuit Eskimos of northern Canada and Greenland obtain up to two thirds of daily calories from fat by eating a traditional diet of fish and seal blubber. The high level of omega-3 fats in their fish diet protects them against heart disease. More critical than the exact amount of omega-3 fats in the diet is the need to balance the amount of omega-3 with the amount of omega-6 fats. The traditional Inuit diet contains about 1 portion of omega-3 fat for every 3 portions of omega-6 fat, compared with the typical American diet’s one portion of omega-3s for every 20 portions of omega-6s. Traditional healthy diets such as the Mediterranean Diet have a ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 of about 1 to 3. Olive oil has very low levels of Omega-6 and is a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acid. While this oil is brain healthy, it still adds calories to the diet, so you have to be careful with how much you add to your foods. Your brain will be happy with olive oil, as it will help keep the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids low, and it is the ratio that is most important in controlling inflammation in the brain.

In addition, some studies have found that people from different part of the world who eat diets low in animal fat have a lower risk for developing hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and dementia. This is the case for certain African countries where the people eat diets consisting of yams, palm oil, and a small amount of fish, when compared with African Americans who eat the typical high animal fat American diet.

Some popular high protein/low carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins Diet, promote a considerable intake of meat and other animal products, which can be very rich in omega-6 fatty acids. The way in which these fats negatively affect brain functions is believed to involve a combination of influences on brain circulation, inflammation, and cell development and regeneration.

Health scientists and dieticians point out that by cutting back on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, the Atkins Diet limits important sources of minerals, vitamins, and fibers, and may negatively affect cholesterol and cardiovascular health.

The danger from diets high in omega-6 fats is that it may contribute to chronic brain inflammation, a possible underlying mechanism in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Omega-6 fatty acids may also impair memory through their affects on the hormone insulin. Laboratory animals that are fed omega-6 fats have greater difficulty learning and getting through mazes. In addition, their brain cells show fewer branches or dendrites.

Eating omega-6 fats also increase risk for insulin resistance-insulin becomes less effective in getting glucose into cells, putting people at greater risk for the memory impairments associated with diabetes. Fortunately, diet-related insulin resistance can be reversed and controlling diabetes with diet, weight loss or drugs can improve memory as well as learning ability.

Other benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids is that it reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke and help to keep brain-cell membranes soft and flexible. Omega-3 fatty acids come from foods such as ocean-caught fish, shrimp, scallops, and lobster. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat, but have a good ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. You can add omega-3 fatty acids by eating foods rich in these fatty acids or you can take fish oil supplement capsules. Since we generally get sufficient omega-6 fats in our diet, the challenge is to eat more omega-3s for improved brain and general health.

In general, substituting omega-3 fats for omega-6 fats not only protects the brain, but it can help us to control appetite and lose weight. It has been found that people who dipped their bread in olive oil eat less bread compared to people who spread butter on their bread. This is because olive oil tends to satisfy us more and this leads to less bread (carbohydrate) being consumed. In addition to helping us lose weight, it is also healthier for our brains.

Keyword : improve memory, memory ability, antioxidants, memory loss, brain function, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Why is it that some people do not seem to age and have such clarity in thinking? Just as an apple turns brown or metal gets rusty from being exposed to air, our bodies are also vulnerable to various atmospheric oxidants, known as free radicals. These free radicals are unavoidable because they’re everywhere, including our food, water, and air. They also come from within us, as the by-products of our own metabolism. Some experts believe free radicals are the true culprits of aging.

Our body’s cells are constantly under attack by these electrically-charged free radicals. These attacks, collectively called oxidative stress, can cause cells to lose their structure and function, eventually wearing down their genetic material or DNA. Brain cells, too, can suffer from this oxidative stress. Through the DNA damage, this oxidative stress accelerates brain aging and promotes other age-related diseases like cancer and cataracts.

We can fight this oxidative process by supplementing our diet with antioxidant vitamins C and E. People with low blood levels of these antioxidant vitamins have poor memory abilities and studies show that people who take these vitamin supplements have better memory abilities, less memory loss and cognitive decline.

Some studies suggest that natural antioxidants in the foods we eat serve a more potent brain protection function and improve our memory. Laboratory animals fed these natural antioxidant foods show better memory ability in finding their way through mazes and other tasks. Other studies have shown that people who get their antioxidants from the food they eat have a lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The standard measure of a particular food’s ability to counteract oxidative stress is known as the “oxygen radical absorbency capacity” or ORAC score. This score can tell us how well a particular food will protect our brain cells from the damage of oxygen radicals or the free radicals. It is recommended that we ingest at least 3,500 ORAC units each day. Certain fruits with high ORAC scores include prunes (5,770), raisins (2,830), Blueberries (2,400), Blackberries (2,040), Cranberries (1,750), Strawberries (1,540), Spinach (1,260), Raspberries (1,230), Brussel Sprouts (980), Plums (950), Avocado (780), Oranges (750), Red Grapes (740), Cherries (670) and Kiwi (600). The units indicated are per 3 ½ ounces.

People who want to ensure that they get adequate antioxidant foods to improve their memory and brain function may follow the tips below.

Also remember to drink plenty of water to flush out toxins from your body, and exercise more to boost your oxygen intake to your body and brain. With eating the right foods, exercising and having a healthy attitude, you can have a healthy mind and body and a great memory too.

Keyword : improve memory, memory training, mental exercises, memorization techniques, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Summary : Your brain is like a muscle and it can get better with use. Research shows that mental exercises can grow your brain and enhance its performance. This will help you stave off age related memory loss like Alzheimer’s disease later on in life.

Several large studies have found a less risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease in intellectually actively people compared with their mentally inactive peers. And the mental activity can take many forms, such as reading, working jigsaw puzzles, woodworking, printing, knitting and playing board games. Some studies have even found that people with mentally demanding jobs, professionals, managers, etc experience less memory decline as they age when compared with their counterparts who have less demanding jobs.

In a study with 500 elderly, they were asked how often they participated in leisure activities like dancing, playing chess, card games or doing crossword puzzles. Over the years, the scientists kept records of those who developed mild memory loss or full-blown dementia. They found that the people who were the most active mentally had a 63 percent lower risk of getting dementia compared with those who rarely played board games, read, or did similar activities. The people who played the most had the most protection, doing crossword puzzles four days each week translated into 47 percent lower risk of dementia compared with once a week puzzle solvers. For each day of the week that people exercised their minds, the researchers found nearly a 10 percent reduction in the risk for dementia.

Other studies indicate that mental activity earlier in life is beneficial as well. The rate for developing Alzheimer’s disease was three times lower in people who had been intellectually active during their forties and fifties compared with those who had not. Even mental activity as early as one’s twenties will mean better cognitive function late in life. This means that college graduates have a lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease than those who never get beyond a high school education.

Experts believe that one reason solving puzzles and other forms of mental stimulation help lower the risk for dementia is that people develop a “cognitive reserve” that allows them to tolerate more damage from Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. A recent study suggests that it’s not how much brain you have, but how you use it that makes the difference. The investigators tested 19 people with a range of IQs from below to above average. Participants performed memory tasks while the investigators measured their brain activity patterns during functional MRI scans.

The scans showed more activity in the frontal lobes of people with higher intelligence. These same investigators also have demonstrated the brain-protective effects of education. These findings show that more intelligent and better educated people use their brains differently than those without these benefits, and this may help explain why keeping the mind active helps protect against the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Mental calisthenics may not only keep our brain ells healthy, but they may also help them grow. New research suggests that the brain can actually rewire itself and grow new cells, a process known as neurogenesis, believed impossible until the last few decades. Research by the Princeton University has shown that laboratory animals continue to produce new brain cells in the hippocampus, that sea horse shaped formation beneath the temple. Studies have shown that such neurogenesis can occur in humans as well. Neurogenesis may be an important aspect of memory and learning. In animal studies, they have found that enriched environments are associated with greater numbers of synapses or cell communication links in the brains memory centers. And, when running through their mazes and completing other memory tests, the stimulated animals appear more intelligent. These kinds of studies have led many researchers to believe that routine mental exercise stimulates existing connections between neurons and leads to new neuronal connections in the brain. This in turn will improve memory and brain performance.

Even in the face of this and other compelling evidence for the protective benefits of mental exercise, memory training and memorization techniques, there are still skeptics who believe that mental activity has little or no effect on the rate at which our brains age. However, even without absolute proof of cause and effect, the risks of staying mentally active are minimal, and the potential gains great. In the words, remaining mentally active and practicing mental exercises can’t hurt. It can also enrich our lives.

Studies on mental exercises have shown that the tasks must involve an element of effort. They can be diverse and can include any of a number of activities reading, working jigsaw puzzles, woodworking, painting, knitting, or playing board games. You may prefer learning a language or reading a challenging novel or biography or learning a memorization technique as memory training Evidence indicates that the “fun factor” keeps us coming back for more, and that is what you want – to sustain the activity over time. Epidemiological studies suggest that we need to develop a regular habit of mental calisthenics, and that years of activity may be needed to obtain optimum effect.

Older adults may be able to preserve and improve their memories and ward off stroke by eating more non-fried fish, researchers reported in the latest issue of Neurology.

The have found that older adults whose diets include three or more weekly helpings of baked or broiled tuna and other fish, like cod, high in omega-3 fatty acids are less likely to develop “silent” brain lesions that can lead to cognitive decline and vascular stroke.

A brain lesion, or infarct, is an area of damaged brain tissue. The damage typically results from a lack of blood flow to the area. The lesion is dubbed “silent” if it developed in someone who has not had a recognized stroke or transient ischemic attack, also called a mini stroke. Silent brain lesions are very common, especially as a person grows older. The lesions can cause thinking problems, memory loss and stroke.

“Previous findings have shown that fish and fish oil can help prevent stroke, but this is one of the only studies that looks at the effect of fish on silent brain infarcts in healthy, older people,” said Dr Jyrki Virtanen of the University of Kuopio in Finland.

He and his colleagues studied magnetic resonance imaging brain scans of 3,600 adults aged 65 and older who had no history of cerebrovascular disease. Five years later, researchers rescanned 2,313 of the participants and asked them questions about their diets, including how much fish they ate.

After comparing scans and analyzing diet information, they learnt that the adults who ate non-fried tuna and other fish high in omega-3 fatty acids at least three times a week had a nearly 26 per cent lower risk of silent brain lesions than those who opted for such foods less often.

Those who had just one serving of fish per week reduced their risk of silent brain lesions by 13 per cent and those who regularly chose the healthy fish also had fewer changes to the white matter in their brains.

“While eating tuna and other types of fish seems to help protect against memory loss and stroke, these results were not found in people who regularly ate fried fish,” Dr Virtanen said. “More research is needed as to why these types of fish may have protective effects, but the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA would seem to have a major role.”

Tuna, salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and anchovies are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids and are good for the heart and the brain. Together with a healthy lifestyle, active mental stimulation, you can improve your brain function, stave off brain aging and improve your memory.

Keyword : memory training, improve memory, study skills. Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Training your brain is no different from physically training your body to keep it fit and healthy. If you engage a physical fitness trainer, they will have you focus on working one group of muscles one day, and a different group of muscles the next. In this way, you are less likely to injure yourself and you are more able to balance your strength and stamina.

Brain exercises is good for keeping your mental faculty sharp. You should start by sorting the exercises according to which brain hemisphere you’re toning. For most people, left-brain functions include logical analysis (reasoning), drawing, conclusions), information sequencing (making lists, organizing thoughts), language and speech, reading and writing, counting and mathematics, and symbol recognition. The right hemisphere gets involved in spatial tasks such as reading maps, staying oriented and finding our way, as well as in artistic and musical abilities, face recognition, depth perception, dreaming, emotional perception and sense of humor. In left-handed people, these hemispheric functions are reversed.

Ideally, you want to work both hemispheres, and you may want to alternate your mental aerobic stimulation program from left hemisphere to right hemisphere. A recent study showed how a specific form of right brain activity like reading maps can effect the size of the hippocampus, a key brain region involved in spatial memory.

In this investigation, London taxi drivers spent two years studying for a difficult exam about the city streets. When the taxi drivers were asked to imagine a specific route in the city, a brain scan imaging study showed that the hippocampus was working. These same scientists have recently reported that the size of the hippocampus in these taxi drivers is larger than average and that its size varies directly with the number of years on the job. Other studies have found that it need not take two years to demonstrate training benefits. For example, University of Rochester researchers found that playing video games for only 10 days can result in improved right-brain performance scores. Our goal in mental exercises is to build both sides of the brain and alternate such right-brain exercises as mazes and map reading with left-brain verbal and logic tasks.

Everyone should create some kind of mental exercise routine to help build brain efficiency over time. Here are some tips to get you started.

Keyword : memory training, memory techniques, improve memory, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory, how to remember

The single biggest reason people don’t remember is that they don’t pay attention. Think about the last few people you ran into today. Can you recall the color of your friend’s shirt? Was your boss wearing the blue tie or the red one? Or was he wearing one at all? Which blouse did your wife wear this morning? Most people don’t notice all the detail so they don’t have the information to remember it in the first place.

You can remember better, by merely choosing to focus your attention, you can begin to actively observe these and other details. Making a conscious attempt to absorb the information gets you on track to improve your memory. You need to make a conscious effort to observe so that your brain can make sense and remember the information. Sometimes, just looking or listening carefully is enough to fix the information into your memory stores. Think of your brain as a sponge, you want to absorb as much detail as possible to augment your memory skills.

To help your memory recall, slow down, take your time, and decide at the start that you want to remember something will help with the “observing” step. Taking interest often translates into getting involved. For example, let’s say you are driving and you got lost. If you listen intently to directions and drive to your destination, chances are, you’ll be able to remember how to drive there again, days or even weeks later. The goal in active observation is therefore to mentally stay in the driver’s seat.

Most of us have our five senses to help us observe. For instance, our sense of smell can bring back the most vivid memories. Whenever I pass a bakery and smell the aroma of freshly baked bread, it never fails to bring back memories of my childhood when as a kid, I lived near a bread shop. The memories seem to be hardwired to feelings I can recall as a child. It is interesting that the brain center that modulates our sense of smell is right next to the amygdala, a major brain center for emotions. Therefore to “observe” is to use all five senses, look, listen, feel, taste and smell.

To help you improve your memory, it is also important to recreate images in your mind’s eye. For better memory recall, try creating a mental snapshot of the information our wish to remember. Transforming information into visual images is one of the most effective ways to fix them into our long-term memory storage. It’s like taking a photograph with a camera, CLICK!, and you will develop a second basic memory skill.

CLICKs can take two forms, real or imagined. A real CLICK involves active observation, concentrating on what you see, and making a conscious effort to fix the observed image into a mental image. Imagined CLICKs are those you create from your own memories and fantasies, but they still become fixed in your memory as a mental snapshot. Imagined CLICKs can be a fantasy distortion of an image you observe.

As a rule, bright, colorful, enhanced pictures stick best in memory, as do those with movement, three dimensions and lots of detail. The more vivid and detailed the image, the easier it will be to recall later. The very act of focusing on details helps us to pay better attention and learn the information contained in the image.

Animating, distorting or exaggerating one or more aspects of your CLICKs can also give them personal meaning, making them easier to learn and to recall alter.

The more vibrantly and creatively we visualize new information for ourselves, the more effectively it will stick in our minds. Exaggeration and playfulness enhance our ability to store and recall.

If I park my car on level 2D in a multi-level car park, I might imagine 2 big dogs guarding my car. I am especially afraid of big fierce dogs and this gives me an extra emotional connection to use my CLICK. I make it very unpleasant to approach my car with those dogs snarling at me. If I take a mental CLICK of that image, the emotional charge of my mental CLICK helps to fix it in my memory.

You can use the CLICK method in many situations, lets say you were introduced to a new friend. You might want to ask him or her how the name is spelt and form a vivid picture. For most situations, a symbolic image containing personal or emotional meaning works best. Such memory techniques can help you train your memory leading to an improved memory.

All of us suffer from some form of stress in our lives. For many people stress is an emotional pressure cooker, amplifying feelings we may already be having or might possibly be suppressing. The way we deal with emotions such as sadness, anger, apprehension, etc, can have a major impact on our memory, mental and physical health.

Almost everyone experience anger from time to time, and it is an appropriate response to some stressful situations. It often helps us resolve conflicts, but anger can lead to high levels of stress hormones, anxiety, depression, and even memory loss. Chronic anger arouses the nervous system and increases heart rate and blood pressure. Expressing every angry feelings or emotion that comes to mind can be socially alienating, and people who tend to get angry quickly with little or no provocation have a greater risk for heart disease than those with calmer temperaments.

There is a clear relationship between levels of stress-related emotions such as anger, and blood pressure; the stronger the emotion, the higher the blood pressure. And as blood pressure increases, so does the risk for strokes, dementia, and memory loss.

Although studies show that control of angry outbursts might benefit physical and mental health, too much anger suppression may increase blood pressure levels. New research suggests that an intermediate level of anger expression, somewhere, between unbridled outbursts and complete containment, may be the healthiest response, allowing a certain amount of stress release without blowing our tops. Anger modulation is the goal, striving for a healthy expression of angry feelings in the right situation.

In a study of men age 50 to 85 years, using standard anger expression scale and covering a variety of ways people express anger, such as the rate the respondents slammed doors, made sarcastic remarks, or lost their tempers. Men with moderate levels of anger expression had a lower risk of heart attacks compared with those who tended to express fewer angry feelings. A little bit of anger expressed directly rather than indirectly seems to protect the brain as well as the heart. Also, subjects in this study who responded that they directly show their anger rather than indirectly by just saying nasty things or making sarcastic remarks showed a significantly lower risk for developing stroke, which often causes long-lasting memory impairment.

Anger, stress related or otherwise, is sometimes the flip side of sadness. In fact, some psychoanalysts describe depression and sadness as “anger turned against the self”. Many people have found that their anger may be masking underlying feelings of sadness or disappointment and I’ve heard it said that it’s easier to feel mad than sad. The idea of modulating angry feelings applies to unhappy ones as well, and talking with friends or professional is a good option to keep in mind.

A good way to de-stress and build your brain power is simply to hang out with friends and play a game of chess or some card games like bridge or poker. In Asian communities, old folks often come together for a game of Mahjong. This is a game that requires a sharp mind and it certainly is a good memory training game and it has been proven to improve one’s memory. The advantage is that it also gives respite to the stress of life. Together with the fact that Chinese tea is often drunk during Mahjong sessions, it is not surprising that cases of Alzheimer’s and dementia is low in such communities.

You may also consider taking stress-management classes to acquire specific skills on how to handle your reactions to stressful situations. You can learn to better monitor and better interpret any automatic, sometimes irrational thoughts that stem from stress. You also learn to use progressive muscle relaxation techniques and related strategies.

Anyone can be taught the skill of having a super, trained memory, even a child. When I hear someone say, “I can never remember faces.” Or “I can’t remember names, but I never forget a face.” I think how casually we treat our memory and how often we take it for granted. If a child or young student crams for an exam yet delivers a poor paper, adults have a convenient explanation, “a bad memory.” The young person, grateful for a way out of something that is perceived to be beyond his control, seizes the “bad memory” excuse, and often ends up using it for future failures.

It seems strange that we are comfortable in telling others of our mental shortcomings. We are constantly assuring one another of how poor we are at remembering, how we have no head for figures, and how we can’t even remember what we had for lunch. It is seen as a very natural state of affairs. Yet we need a good memory, and your child especially needs a good memory, or to improve his memory to pass exams. While our education system is not perfect and it can be sad that our children have to rely so much on their memory rather than truly understanding the subject. We may conclude that the entire system needs to be totally revamped, but if we still choose to place our children in a school, we must help them develop the necessary skills to handle it, and a good trained memory is the primary skill. Your child may be able to work out a math problem with brilliant accuracy, but if he can’t remember who was the first man to walk on the moon, when World War II ended or what the capital of Australia is, his report card will suffer.

A good memory is important because it helps to apply thinking and intelligence to a continuous stream of information. Most of us have yet to realize that we are all born with equal powers in our brain. If I were to tell you that there is no such thing as a bad memory, you may want to hold yourself up as an example to disprove me. But eminent psychologists who have researched the memory phenomenon can attest to my claim.

One marvel of the brain is a museum of microfilms, one of its most striking features being the back-up system. In those minute gray folds, tons of information get stored, which is why a tiny jolt of electricity can make you relive a scene from your childhood, a smell or fragrance can trigger a recall of another vivid memory. A super memory is already within you and your child. All you have to do is train it so that you can tap it whenever you need it. After all, every thing needs assistance to develop to its full potential.

To start with, don’t put the idea into your child’s head that he has a bad memory. He does not. If he seems to have forgotten something, don’t use phrases like “Why can’t you remember?” or “Why have you forgotten already?’ This will give him the false assumption that he has a poor memory. Instead, use more assuring phrases like “Of course you remember, think back carefully” or “It will come to you, just give it time.” Secondly, he aware that we don’t all learn or remember in the same way. Some of us remember best what we see and some remember better what we hear.

Our memory is like a bed-sheet on a clothesline, held up by pegs. If you use only one peg for a wide sheet, the wind will soon toss it about, and it won’t hang or dry properly. But if you use the right number of pegs, it will stay in place and dry thoroughly. To apply this analogy to the trained memory, in this case, the “hearing” or auditory memory, if you tell your child to say Eisenhower, he may get stuck and be unable to say it because the “pegs” in his brain have been unable to catch it. But if you break the word down to its phonetic units, I-sen-how-wer and say it slowly and clearly, his brain will seize each syllable and commit it to memory.

Keyword : Improve memory, training memory, remembering dates, learn history, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

There is no mystery involved in training your child to have a good memory and for his brain to remember more efficiently. There are two very effective ways of training your child’s memory and to improve his or her memory.

Keyword : Alvin Toffler, Improve Memory, memory training, accelerate learning, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

The notion of accelerating the way your brain works may seem implausible but it is entirely realistic. As a matter of fact, constant changes in society and in the economy is making it more imperative to learn the tricks of the brain. That is, how to accelerate your learning and improve your memory. Like everyone else, you will soon need to learn in better and more powerful ways. If you do not, the growth of knowledge and advances in technology will make much of what you presently know obsolete. If you do, you not only will comfortably adapt to the future, but you will also participate in recreating it.

Since the late 1970s we have been living through a watershed in human history, that is, the computer revolution. There is no going back to the way things were. Both our society and the economy are notably different from the way they used to be. The computer revolution has been changing the way we work and the way we form and conduct personal relationships. Indeed, it has been changing the way we live.

But what part of our lives is changing the most? It has arguably had the deepest and most sustained effects of the way in which we use and understand our own minds. If we look at the profession of psychology, you’ll see that he influence of computers and computer science is unmistakable. Consider as an example, MIT psychologist Steven Pinker’s 1997 book titled How the Mind Works, which draws largely on research based on computer models.

Can understanding how your mind works helps you to use it more effectively? As you will see, the answer is a resounding “yes.”. The computer age is different from the era that came before, but not just in the kinds of machinery or even the kinds of ideas that we use. As futurologist Alvin Toffler has repeatedly pointed out, we live in a world where change is faster, deeper and more ubiquitous than ever before.

The development of computer technology has contributed substantially to an increasingly rapid pace of change. Coincidentally, it is also the source of ideas that will help us adapt to and thrive in the world of perpetual change that it has helped produce. Where do we see change happening? Look at the world of education. Think back a few decades. As recently as the 1960s and ‘70s, most middle-class parents believed that children who did well in school would grow up assured of a decent-paying and personally rewarding job.. Today that kind of confidence seems more like complacency.

What went wrong? Most people just do not trust the system that much anymore. In the 1960s most parents felt they could count on education as being a safe and certain road to their children’s economic success. In 2005, parents no longer view their children’s formal schooling to be any guarantee of future success. Fast forward to 2009 and amid the gloom and doom of recession, the buzzword is adaptability and the ability to learn quickly.

Keyword : Adapting to change, memory training, improve memory, learn faster, creativity

The importance of learning adaptability is not limited to children in school. It pertains to you too. Adapting to change is a crucial skill regardless of whether you are a CEO or you are just starting out in a new job.

The rapid pace of change is both good news and bad. It is good news for people who are ambitious and flexible. It means that the next technological revolution is probably is just around the corner. And when it comes, it will inevitably create new and previously unforeseeable work and business opportunities. The bad news is for people who find change difficult. A rapid pace of change will make certain skills and related occupational obsolete.

If you can anticipate the next revolution from the beginning, you will have an enormous advantage in learning to use and profit from new inventions and discoveries. Furthermore, becoming a participant will give you a head start over people who watch from the sidelines. Conversely, if you cannot adapt to change, you will become its victim

Is being able to adapt enough? Here is another question. How well do you manage information? New information, if anything, is an even more potent force than new technology. And the speed at which new information appears and proliferates is at least the same as the speed of technological progress. New information technology, such as the Internet, serves to speed up the dissemination of facts and data. Keeping up with the growth and spread of information has become just as important for you as becoming familiar with new technology.

Many managers have already begun to feel pressured to assimilate and evaluate larger quantities of information than they feel they can handle. This feeling has led a growing number of office workers to complain about what psychologist David Lewis calls data smog. How will you cope when confronted with a confusing mass of data? It is not uncommon for people to invest in memory training to improve their memory and learn faster. You will need to be able to dive in, pick out a few critical facts or concepts and use them as hooks to hang a coherent picture of what the information as a whole is telling you. Having this ability will protect you from feeling overwhelmed by new data as they become available.

In the other two attributes, creativity will also become essential for finding and keeping a good job. Why is creativity more important today than it was in the past? The answer again is the computer. Being able to accelerate your learning and remember more is just part of the puzzle. In the past you could earn your living by diligently applying what someone had taught you in school. But the days will soon be over when a company will pay you to apply tried-and-true methods. Today companies can buy a robot to do that.

In the future companies will hire human beings to succeed in those areas where computers fail. Applying set procedures, mechanically and repetitively, has become the work of computers, not people. Companies have learned this. More than ever before, you will have to value and nurture your talent for innovation.

Developing creativity will be essential for you to define and shape your own niche in the market, where technological progress is not likely to become a threat. It is a fact that computers cannot innovate, but you can. Even if you do not consider yourself to be especially creative, the fact remains that you are surely more creative than present-day computer programs. You need to recognize creativity as one of your true strengths, even if you have not viewed it as a strength in the past. Nurture your creativity, and it will reward you.

In summary, there are three indispensable skills that together will help you cope with unprecedented demands on your abilities. First, you must be able to easily and quickly adapt to change; second, you must become an adept manager of information and learn memory techniques; and third, you must develop creativity and innovation.

Keyword : Improve memory, memory skills, learning skills, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

Summary : To survive in a world that is ever changing, we need a mindset that is adaptable to change. Having good learning skills and flexibility to respond appropriately will ensure success in an ever-changing landscape.

Are you feeling the stress in a world that continually changes? With the world around us in a constant state of change, how do you cope? Many routes are open to you, from buying a more powerful computer to studying economics. For most people, one place to start is to concentrate on your own mind and to develop the capacities that new circumstances will reward. In other words, develop and expand your own intelligence.

Is it actually possible to increase your own intelligence? Many people still see intelligence as a fixed resource measured by IQ tests. Interestingly, psychologists have increasingly come to reject this view. In 1995 psychologist David Perkins, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, published Outsmarting IQ: The Emerging Science of Learnable Intelligence. In this book, Perkins spoke for a growing number of psychologists who reject the notion that intelligence cannot change.

What has caused this revolution in thinking among psychologists? Perkins and other psychologists came to realize that intellectual abilities are in essence no different from other kinds of know-how. Acquiring the knowledge that IQ tests measure is essentially no different from developing any other ability, such as drawing or bike riding.

Virtually everybody can draw. Give children crayons or pencils and they will draw. Even crippled or mentally subnormal children usually enjoy drawing. Nevertheless, except for a gifted minority, most people do not draw especially well. They can learn to draw well, of course, but only by study and practice. They can improve their skill even further by reading books or taking courses that present advanced drawing techniques and art theory. Drawing is a learnable skill. The proof lies in the number of people who have learned to draw.

Bicycle riding is another learnable skill. If you are starting out learning to ride a bicycle, you need considerable practice and maybe a few falls. But eventually, you will succeed and will probably remember the skill for the rest of your life.

Here then is the critical question. Aren’t intelligence and thinking just as learnable as drawing and bicycle riding? Like drawing and bicycle riding, exercising your mind is something that you do naturally. You can learn how to develop good memory skills to improve your memory, by training your memory. In addition, you can acquire mental skills that allow you to accelerate your learning, develop quicker thinking and accelerate your learning. Nevertheless, without practice, your skill as a thinker can remain rudimentary. How can you strengthen your mind? There are tools and techniques that offer methods, tools and information that can help you improve your recall ability and to use your mind more successfully. Most people in the past have conceived of intelligence as being equivalent to what you may call mental power.

Until recently almost everyone in our society, professional psychologists and the layman alike, considered you to be very intelligent if you had a powerful mind, regardless of whether or not you were particularly adaptable. A smart person was someone who could use his or her mind to do something that seemed difficult and complicated. You could appear intelligent if you were skillful at games that seem to require mental power, such as chess, or if you could intimidate people with your talent at winning arguments. On the other hand, if you were adaptable, most people would probably never have noticed.

One of the main problems with a power-oriented view of intelligence was that power intelligence often proved rigid and inflexible. It is the dinosaur of the intelligence world. And like the dinosaur in prehistoric times, people with power intelligence did indeed reign supreme, as long s conditions in the outside world were essentially stable. But when change replaced stability as the norm, these people quickly became lost. They were no longer in their element. And their old way of looking at the world, which they had built up over many, many years, was suddenly obsolete. They became vulnerable.

A second problem was that power intelligence often did not turn out to be useful, regardless of how much it could impress. Being good at winning arguments or chess matches can certainly impress people. But it does not necessarily help in earning a living. The world is full of people who can impress us with how much they know, but all their knowledge does not necessarily do them a lot of good in the real world. Think of all the people with PhD’s who end up earning a living as cab drivers?

In times of rapid change, you will often do better to have a simpler, more schematic view of reality, one that captures the essence of things even if it misses some of the details. For starters, changing your mind becomes easier. It costs less in time and energy because you do not have to re-examine as many beliefs or re-evaluate as many commitments. In a word it makes you more adaptable.

In the future, adaptability is likely to prove more important than power. You will do better to have a simpler, sleeker, and more elegant mind that can reinterpret and revise what you already know in response to new information. You need new memory and learning skills to stay adaptable. People who immerse themselves in complexity might find themselves so weighed down by details that they feel unable to respond.

Keyword : Memory training, improve memory, IQ, memory techniques, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

The last several years have witnessed a growing dissatisfaction, among both professional psychologists and the general public, with the traditional conceptions of intelligence. Two central notions defined the old view of the mind. The first was the image of the brilliant scientist, a type epitomized by Albert Einstein. People thought that the greatest scientists were the most intelligent people. The second was the IQ test. People thought that high IQ and high intelligence were the same thing.

Many people today, experts and non-experts alike, have become skeptical about both of these old ideas. And their skepticism has created a vacuum. If the old ideas are no longer acceptable, then we need a newer, better idea that can take their place. One influential theorist, Howard Gardner, sees an answer in the concept of multiple kind of intelligence. But the kinds of intelligence that he postulates seem to be top-heavy with skills that are generally taught in school. More and more psychologists feel that such a school-oriented theory cannot be right. They believe instead that we should attribute greater importance to ways of thinking that lead to career success and life success even if school does not reward them. In my experience working with university students and the general public, most non-professionals share this feeling.

If we look at reality, we can see that the meaning and nature of intelligence are always changing. Apart from looking for universal definitions, we need to look at the here and now. What does intelligence mean in the twenty-first century? In the world of information, high technology and global commerce? Intelligence is something that develops over time. Your mental consciousness is a crucial part of your intelligence. The better you understand your mind, the more effectively you can use it. The more you understand how your brain stores information, the better you can improve your memory. The more information that you can store, the faster you can learn and conceptualize new ideas. Increasing the magic of your mind changes more than the way you think, it also changes you as a person. If you can train your brain with memory training or memory techniques, it should help you adapt to the demands of the information age. In terms of what today is truly relevant, it will also help you extend your intelligence further than ever before.

You have more power than you realize. Some people think power comes from position, others think it comes from money, and there are those who think it comes from education. These externals must surely count for something, but they are not the whole story. You only have to look at yourself to see where to find a vast source of power, it is the power of your mind.

Consider the mind of one man, Galileo. Galileo did not accept that the planet earth was the center of the universe, and in the wake of this idea, the civilization of the Middle Ages came tumbling down. Minds have created and destroyed empires and changed civilizations. Your own intelligence has the power to change the world and the power to change your life.

Keyword : Memory training, improve memory, memory techniques, brain training, accelerate learning, Martin Mak, Alvin Toffler, Mighty Memory

The human consciousness is the awareness of oneself as a being that thinks and learns. Consider the difference between your consciousness and its closest relation, emotional awareness. Since the time of Freud (who lived from 1856 to 1939), we as a society have become skilled interpreters of how dreams, fears, conflicts and emotional attachment affect our experiences and actions. In spite of our high level of emotional awareness, few of us achieve a high level of mind consciousness. Otherwise educated and sophisticated people have virtually no awareness of how they solve problems, discover ideas, assimilate and manage information, or adapt to change.

Is it is important to develop your mental prowess? A human mind is an instrument of enormous power. The similarities between the workings of your mind and the mind of a major scientist (such as Einstein) or a revolutionary thinker (such as Freud) are great, while the differences are subtle. To make the most effective use of your mind, you need to be aware of what it does as you think and learn. Strange as it may seem, you only have to learn to use the ability the mind that you already possess. That is why mind consciousness is such a powerful asset. With the right techniques, you can train your mind and improve your memory and accelerate your learning.

You can never totally be the master of your mind any more than you could ever totally be the master of your body, but you can guide it. Your heart keeps beating, your lungs keep breathing, your ears keep hearing, and the rest of our body keeps working, for the most part, whether you tell it to or not. In the same way, your mind keeps assimilating information and reinterpreting your experience. But neither are you obliged to let your mind master you. Think in terms of the analogy with your body. You can tell your eyes where o look and your feet where to step. With exercise you can influence how far you can run, and with training you can even affect how rapidly your heart beats. With memory training, if you observe your mind and understand it, it will exceed your expectations. If you continually train your mind with the right memory techniques, it will serve you well in years to come.

With subtle change in your observation skills, you can guide your own learning in the same kind of way that a government regulates a country’s economy. Economists offer methods for the government to avoid both an over heated inflationary economy and economic depression. They track business cycles and prescribe remedies to contain the excesses that could derail economic growth at any point.

Your mind goes through learning cycles in the same way that the economy goes through business cycles. If you understand the cyclical patterns of your own mind, you will be able to keep the growth of your own mind magic on trick as well.

Can brain training help you in the real world? Definitely! Tennis Coach Timothy Gallwey has argued for years that you will do better at learning even a sport such as tennis if you become conscious of how your mind naturally learns. The same principle applies to most domains of experiences.

Keyword : Improve memory, memory training, memory techniques, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Whether you lose your job, or a relationship breaks up or someone close falls ill, major crises are a fact of life. They happen to all of us. Learning to cope and move on entails the period of time for expansion and self-expression as well as the period of time to do critical analysis and self-correction Many people try to avoid the latter phase. They feel that it is too depressing. But they pay the consequences. Other people are good at facing their problems but not at making the adjustments that will let them put the problems to rest.

Possibly the greatest value of adaptation and change is the help it offers you in adapting to changes in your life and your world. Where does this knowledge come from? One comes from the hands-on situations we are faced day to day, or emergency situations that we may encounter. Another comes from the history of science. Textbook science tells us stories of the great thinkers, such as Galileo and Newton, who changed the way we understand the world in which we live. But what happened to the less famous scientists, the professionals who needed to adapt when a Newton or an Einstein challenged the core of their work? Adaptation to change is no harder or easier for scientists than for the rest of us. Scientists need to adapt successfully as a matter of course because change and progress are the very lifeblood of science. The ways in which scientists cope have valuable implications for how we can adapt to change as well.

Charles Darwin wrote, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Regardless of your IQ or your history, you can learn how to be more intelligent and how to succeed in the constantly changing world of the information age. The key ideas to remember are adaptability, creativity, and information management.

Having the courage to learn and change may not necessarily make you a happy person, but it will help you negotiate hard times more smoothly and successfully as well as learn from these experiences. Knowing how your brain works helps you know when and how to intervene in managing your mind to make the process of adaptation happen more smoothly and perhaps more quickly. It also helps you monitor both the conscious and unconscious spheres of your mind and gives you feedback about whether you are adapting successfully.

Mental consciousness serves the needs of your head as well as your heart. To understand the way that you think and learn is to gain at least partial control over your mind. If you understand how our minds work, then you can deliberately put your mind power to work for you. You can improve your memory, have better recall ability and able to learn new tasks or cope in a new job or situation better and quicker. Good memory training techniques should help handle your life changing moments and once learnt, you will have the skills for the rest of your life.

The real beauty of adopting good mental techniques is the way it combines simplicity and power. As you come to understand the concept of mental consciousness, it can start to change your whole conception of what learning involves. You see the essence of learning more as a process of acquiring new ways of thinking. At the same time, you see it much less as a process of acquiring information.

Most people believe that you can acquire specific skills (such as reading) and bodies of information (such as social economics). But can you acquire the higher-level skill of becoming more adept at the process of knowledge acquisition? And in general, can you acquire your ability to use your mind more effectively? The principle of mental consciousness asserts that you can. In other words, it means that you can tap into the vast resources of your mind.

The way you naturally think is far more reliable than you give yourself credit for. If you are like most people, you have had to face numerous obstacles over the course of growing up and functioning as an adult in our society. You have probably been wrong some of the time. Nevertheless, most of the time your mind almost certainly has served you well. Your mind’s strong track record shows that it cannot help but function remarkably well in many ways. Treasure the skill at thinking that your already have, only learn to make it even better.

Keyword : improve memory, memory training, personal growth, coping with tough times, memory techniques, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Summary : Don’t let stress or despair cloud out the possibilities of a breakthrough in life. With childlike optimism, you can find hope and triumph in life’s darker moments, if you are willing to change.

Perhaps it was easier to cope during the 1930s, at least emotionally, because so many people were facing the same, or similar, problems. Nevertheless, there are many people today who continue to function in the face of serious difficulties.

As an example, think about Kayla, a single mother in her early thirties who worked as a fashion designer for a Wisconsin-based children apparel manufacturer. Her life at the time was hard enough as a result of a painful divorce, loneliness, and a worldview that made worrying a constant companion even when things were going well. But matters became much worse when, during the recession of 2000, she lost her job, in the first of what proved to be many layoffs at her company.

How did Kayla cope? She channeled her fear and energy into the day-to-day problems of looking after her daughter. More than a year later, she responded to an ad from a children’s toy company. Getting the new job was the catalyst to turning her life around. She is now remarried and very happy.

Conditions outside your control can change very quickly and unexpectedly. Despair is a terrible poison, because it can blind you to unanticipated possibilities when they suddenly appear. Losing hope shuts down the parts of your mind that are trying to adapt. It keeps you from changing and tragically can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Can childlike methods solve adult problems? Some experts claim that adults learn in markedly different ways from children. This idea seems to argue against applying findings from research with children to adult problems. In reality, do adults and children learn in the same way? In fact some brain training and memory training methods use the mind’s amazing ability to imagine or think in pictures. With such memory techniques, using such child-like brain imaging methods, adults who have difficulty with memory or recall have developed amazing memory ability and vastly improved memory. Children have an amazing ability to adapt their behavior and their thinking to the increasingly complex world that they are always facing. As adults, we have not lost our childhood ability to adapt. On the contrary, we have added years of formal education and real-world experience to what we could do as children. Unless some kind of external pressure has caused us to repress the skills that we already have, adults become better at adaptation than children.

Whether they realize it or not, adults sometimes prefer not to change. Change can be difficult because people face it with so much reluctance. Adults often have good reason to resist change. They may genuinely believe that their old familiar way of thinking is better than any newer alternative. If it is not broken, why fix it? Alternatively, as people get older, they may feel that adaptation is just not worth it. The unpleasantness of giving up an old trusted way of thinking or the uncertainty of trying something new may be too great. Adults sometimes need to “mourn” what no longer works. You need to recognize that an idea is no longer working, experience the regret, and then let go. The ability to adapt can open the door to a better future.

Keyword : improve memory, master information, information expert, memory training, memory techniques, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory

Summary : If you have information on a subject matter, do you want to be perceived as an expert on it? Find out how you can own information, flavor it in your own way, speak and write it with confidence and to make others perceive you as a master on the subject.

What makes a successful speaker or a seminar leader? What makes some people so engaging when they speak on the podium on a subject? The secret of successful speakers and seminar leaders is that they “own” the information they present instead of just keeping it inside their head. You can be just as effective as these individuals are. However, you first have to understand what “owning” information means and how to achieve it.

What does it mean to “own” information? Simply put, it is a subjective feeling of mastery. People who “own” information feel able to offer their own interpretations of the facts. Like many other subjective feelings, it expresses itself in your actions and changes your entire manner. Remember the successful seminar leader. You could recognize his or her sense of mastery in his or her manner and you also knew that it came from the inside. There was no need for him or her to put on an act.

Here is another example. Compare the way that Nobel Prize-Winning scientists talk about their discoveries (which they own) with the way a journalist (who is using) reports on a subject. Responsible journalists are usually careful to stick to the information given and not draw conclusions or inferences of their own. But listen to the scientists. They feel free to speculate and pass judgment because they know their information inside out.

To “own” information, you do not have to be a recognized expert. Granted, you must know a fair bit on the subject. If you have undergone memory training or know some memory techniques to improve your memory, you can expound on a subject matter quite easily, when the need arise, without knowing everything about it. Most people own what they know about their friends and colleagues. Children own a lot of information too. They own a myriad of facts about their families their homes and their daily routines. Once you “own” information, you gain enough confidence to organize it intuitively, without having to follow formal procedures.

If you do not “own” information, you will always treat it lightly, like a borrowed shovel. But once you “own” information, you start to feel in control. When you “own” information, you are the authority; if other people challenge you, you will keep your cool. Because you are using the information in the context of your life. The main benefits to you are increased flexibility in your thinking and a reduction in your stress level. Owning information makes it easier for you to think on your feet. You can examine and evaluate the various components to determine which ones are solid and which ones are shaky. Finally, it helps you to expand your knowledge base in the future, by serving as a point of reference.

The opposite of information ownership is surface understanding. The most extreme form is rote learning. People can recognize that, too. It makes your presentation seem wooden, like that of a public speaker who keeps repeating the same stock phrases and seems to be following a well-rehearsed script.

There is no need for you to suffer from information overload. You can achieve the kind of confidence that can only come from control over a body of knowledge. And this comes from experiencing or adding your personal experience or know-how to that body of knowledge. Information mastery is a skill like any other, you can learn it in the same way that you can master other aspects of your life. And having owned that information, and articulate in your own personal way, you become an expert in that area.

Keyword : Keywords: how to improve short term memory, how to improve concentration, martin mak, mighty memory.

Summary : Are you losing your memory, or are you a victim of circumstances? There are many factors that affect short term memory. Knowing what these factors are and employing some easy tips and techniques can greatly enhance your short term memory.

If you need to recall something that you learnt just a few seconds ago, to maybe 2 minutes ago, you are using your short term memory. Many factors affect your short term memory, also known as working memory. Understanding, or being aware of these factors can help you dramatically improve your short term memory. Alternatively, there are also methods and techniques that will strengthen your short term memory.

Factors that affect short term memory include stress, lack of sleep, lack of exercise and lack of proper nutrients essential for proper brain functioning. It is important to be able to de-stress if you have a stressful job or a stressful family environment. De-stressing techniques include body massages, long baths, and hanging out with friends. Intake of B-complex vitamins, zinc and foliate can often help you cope better with stress.

It is important to be able to get enough sleep for proper brain function. A good eight hours of sleep is important for short term memory improvement. When stress is preventing you from falling asleep, a hot cup of chamomile tea or warm milk can sometimes do the trick. Exercise also does wonders for short term memory. A morning or evening walk or jog often helps to de-stress a person and helps to bring oxygen to the brain.

In today’s work environment, it is not uncommon to mult-task in a job. Being forced to handle 2 or more tasks at any given moment will invariably force the brain to focus on more areas and leads to short term memory loss. This again leads to the topic of stress and its management. Being able to be situationally aware of the jobs at hand, and staying alert is the best option to remembering things on a short-term basis.

The effectiveness of mnemonics being used to help short term memory has been a controversial issue. However, it is still the best technique to be used when trying to recall vast amount of information that has been pass down in a short space of time. In particular, a study with young people with learning disability has proven its effectiveness.

To improve short term memory, it is essential to know that memory uses mnemonics to set off certain physiological responses. The mnemonics include images, sounds, colors, tastes, smells, touch, language and emotions. Most of them are related to the senses. Associating a pleasant, frightening or funny image, color or sound to a certain information helps people to recall better
As soon as the mnemonics have been learnt and understood, there are steps to be taken to improve short term memory. When a person decides to memorize the things he or she learn, the motivation leads to enhancement of the memory. Using existing information when memorizing new ones is also a way to improve short-term memory.

The ability, and equally important, the motivation to teach someone else the new information learnt is one way of strengthening short term memory. Also, re-arranging and organizing information is a method to improve short term memory. Writing down information, reading out load, listening and seeing helps to engage more than one sense at the same time. In other words, adding colorful charts, cartoons, diagrams to a text increases the memorizing speed.

The key to improving short term memory is intention. Here are some tips and techniques to get you started. In any given situation, if you perceive the circumstance or information to be important and you intend to recall it later, you can then make your choice to focus on it, interact with it to make it personally meaningful to you. This will take less effort to remember later.

Adding details and repetition are also some of the more usual ways to help you create a personal relationship with that piece of information or experience. You can add details through any of the five senses that is, adding visual, auditory, smell, taste or tactile cues to the information. By creating multiple links to the fact, you are adding a variety of access points to that which you want to remember.

In other ways, repetition is like a well-worn path which you walk over and over again. For example, memorizing the multiplication tables or the alphabet, or even simple tasks that we take for granted, like telling the time. There was a time in our forgotten past that our parents or teachers helped us with telling the time or the alphabets by drilling the information into us, through repetition. Like learning to ride a bicycle, the information is so ingrained in us that we do it on a subconscious level.

Using Mnemonics can also help you remember information better, like the abstract. For example, to remember the "classic" named colours of the spectrum or rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet), it can be easier for some people to remember the mnemonics "Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain" or "Roy G. Biv" (a made-up name) instead. You can also use a method, in reverse "VIBGYOR" pronounced "vib-GYOr".

Although we tend to remember less as we grow older, as the brain’s processing ability slows down, there is no reason we should not engage in mental activities like playing chess, scrabble, or solving puzzles to keep our mind’s sharp. Learning new strategies can also help the brain to cope with the slowing down and make you mentally-fit.

Intention
Paying attention to details, staying alert, and being motivated to concentrate are all states of the mind. You don’t need to take a magic pill or go into deep meditation. All you need to do is to be self-aware of situations throughout the day and it will become a habit. Paying attention takes effort but the effort pays off most of the time. For example, most short term memory complaints have nothing to do with the actual ability of the brain to remember things. They arise from a person’s inability to pay attention on the situation at hand. Can’t remember where you left your keys? Simply pay attention to where you left it. As simple as this may sound, it takes frequent practice to make it a habit. Start your mental exercise in the morning, be aware of how you place your toothbrush, or tube of toothpaste in the morning. Then change it the day after, and try to remember later during the day.

Always focus on the task at hand and block out everything else. For example, if you are studying for a difficult subject, switch off your TV or radio. Any form of distraction will only serve to dilute what you need to remember. Need to write a compelling report or article? Close yourself up in room without any interruptions.

Develop A Plan:
Try to have a time gap in between when you have to learn large chunks of information. This is so that new information do not overlap each other. Having the habit of using mind maps can help you to summarize and recap what you have learnt in an easy-to-see and review plan. For example, when you are trying two new recipes at the same time for the first time, it’s harder to get them right. But if you master one before the other, you will have less difficulties remember the two down the road.

Use Your Imagination
You can remember things better if you attach meaning to them. Spending a little time to make the attachment can make it all worthwhile when you need less effort to recall them later. For example, when meeting new people for the first time, take note of what they are wearing, their facial features, hair, physical attributes etc. For example, a lady named Isabel wearing a red dress. Imagine a big red bell on a tower going ding, dong, ding-dong loudly. It’s A Bell! Difficult words and mathematical equations can similarly be recalled in the same way.

Keyword : exercise memory, exercise mind, brain, improve memory, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

If you think that you can get smarter if you use your brains more often, you are partially correct. While exercising your memory or “using your brain” more often does not boost your IQ, it can help improve your memory. And a good solid memory is the cornerstone of mental intelligence and creativity.

In a report by the Daily Telegraph, performing a mental exercise twice a day could help delay the rapid memory loss associated with dementia for more than a year, It said that a study of nearly 500 people aged 75 to 85 years looked at how often they did crosswords or puzzles, or just read, wrote or played card games. Of those who developed dementia, people who did 11 mental exercises a week developed memory problems about a year and four months later on average than those who did four exercises a week

This study suggests that elderly people who will go on to develop dementia may delay their onset of rapid mental decline by taking part in mentally stimulating activities. However, the age at which people were diagnosed with dementia was not affected

The study has some limitations, including the fact that it was a relatively small study and only measured participation in the activities at one point in time. Although by itself, this study does not prove that increased mental activity reduces risk of dementia, keeping mentally and physically active is probably beneficial for people of all ages.

Where did the story come from? The research was carried out by Dr Charles B Hall and colleagues from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and other research centers in New York. The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Neurology.

Most people assume that to exercise the brain or memory means you have to be strapped in a chair, hook up with electrodes and look at a flashing screen, Most mental exercises are leisure activities like doing word puzzles, playing poker or bridge with family and close friends, playing scrabble or mahjong, reading a novel or thinking of creative ways to solve problems. You can also exercise your memory by remembering your grocery lists or errands instead of using a paper and pen. You can also use a memory tool to help you get more out of your brain.

Staying mentally active is a choice and a mindset. Make it a habit to be mindfully aware of everyday things like, for instance where you put your car keys or wallet. Always have a mental conversation in your head to remind yourself to stay focus and alert in whatever tasks you do, be it cooking a meal or balancing the checkbook. I have a friend in her 90s who is still mentally-sharp. She still does volunteer work in old folks home. Focusing on others instead of yourself will also strengthen your mental outlook in life.

And don’t forget to get plenty of exercise. Get up early to go for walks in the park, or go for a run or a swim. Whatever that is convenient for you. You don’t have to join an expensive gym to keep that ticker in shape. Rigorous physical movement brings oxygen to the brain. Exercising your mind, memory, body and soul will help you stay physically and mentally sharp for a long, long time.

Keywords : improve memory concentration, improve mind, memory training, memory techniques, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

Summary : Facing a deluge of information that you can’t handle? Understand how your brain interprets information and organize information so that you can easily recall later and make it easier for others to understand it.

Why do so many people suffer from information overload and so few people achieve information mastery? If you are interested to improve your mind, improve your memory, improve concentration and to remember tons of information, there are memory training methods and memory techniques that really work. But information mastery is more than memorizing tons of information. It’s also about how to make information make sense not only to yourself, but to those you wish to communicate its importance to.

So how do you have information mastery? The answer has to do with the way you picture information to yourself. Consider the following. College and high school graduates usually know many ways of representing information. Unfortunately, though, the representations that they know are usually the wrong ones. Believe it or not, these representations can actually make it harder to learn a body of information and gain a subjective sense of ownership.

What are the most popular formats for representing facts? These may include formats such as tables, flowcharts, pie charts, equations, and graphs, they can be wonderful. They can even be useful to you for organizing a body of information you have already mastered. Sometimes you might use them to summaries a set of facts. Other times they reveal properties of the information that you would otherwise not notice. But do they help you at the point when you are first becoming comfortable with a new domain of knowledge? The answer almost always is “no”.

You use graphs and tables to communicate information because they summarize a lot of data succinctly with a few lines on a page. When you are first learning new information, however, you usually want everything to be loose and expanded instead of tight and compact. If you are like most people, tables and graphs will help you only if they are ones that you already know well. You normally want all the details and qualifications and special circumstances to be written in full. That way you can devote your mind power to identifying and understanding the main facts.

Here is an example of how I make sense of tables. Recently, a financial planner from an investment company met with me to discuss a return on an investment for one of her company’s products. Her model was in the form of a spreadsheet. She began going through the model, explaining what it meant line-by-line. I started to feel restless and uncomfortable. To understand this model, I knew that our conversation would have to move in a different direction.

So I focused instead on her goal. Which was, to convince my friend to purchase her company’s product. Then I asked myself what her unique selling point was. It turned out that there was one key cell in the spreadsheet. If the figure in that cell was correct, then her product genuinely was more attractive than the competition. If that figure was wrong, my client ought to choose a different product.

So I marked the key cell and asked her to confirm that this value was the crucial one. She confirmed this. Then I wrote that figure on a new piece of paper, with a note saying what it meant. After that the problem became to verify whether or not this crucial figure was correct or not. By now I was doing most of the talking. I started asking her to explain how the key figure had been calculated. It turned out that I needed only a few select pieces of information to evaluate her entire argument.

Different people like to represent new information in different formats. A colleague of mine likes to make pictures. I prefer a long list of point form notes. Some people are most at home with tables and graphs. Do not feel captive to the format in which you receive the information. The best form is whatever makes it easiest for you to understand and evaluate the facts.

Summary : Need to have a focused mind to get that job done? Having difficulties with your mental concentration? Here are 10 Steps to a laser-like mental concentration.

Now, more than ever, people are finding it more difficult to get their mind concentrated on the task at hand. This is because of the fast paced world we live in. We are often called to multi-task, or, to do a few tasks at the same time. For example, a stay-at-home mom may have to prepare dinner for the family while keeping an eye or listening out for the cries of her baby. An office executive may have to work on a report, while distracted by an urgent meeting or to assist in another area.

Concentration is not a natural skill. It is a learned skill. And it is a vital skill practiced by a martial arts practitioner, a surgeon, an athlete or anyone who needs to focus on a task at hand. But with a focused mind, you can get more done, in a shorter period of time. Here then are 10 steps to better;

1. Try to eliminate distractions. This is often easier said than done. Most times, if you can eliminate 20% of your distractions, you find that you can do the task at hand 80% faster. This is the 20/80 pareto rule. You can unhook the telephone for example, or if your are doing some work on the computer linked to the internet, make yourself “invisible” if you are often pinged for a chat by someone you know.

2. Have everything you need for the task at hand. For example, if you have to write a report, make sure you have all the data, sharpened pencils, books etc on your table. Also have a cup of water or coffee at hand. You don’t want to feel thirsty when things are getting done, only to have to go to the kitchen or water cooler and get entangled in another activity.

3. Have a space that is especially equipped for the work you have to do. That means a sturdy work-table with tools at hand if it is carpentry work you are doing. Or a neat table with ample lighting, a smooth running pen and lots of blank paper, if it is paper work that needs to be done.

4. Have a strong mental or emotional attachment between working and your work area to make concentration easier. Stick a motivation poster on the wall if it helps you perform the task better.

5. Set a specific goal for yourself and reward yourself when that goal is reached. For example, if you are studying for a test or exam, give yourself a break as soon as you reach a particular page or understand a particular concept.

6. Force yourself to be more efficient by scheduling meetings or other interruptions to make yourself work more effectively during a shorter period of time.

7. Eliminate scattered thoughts from your mind. Thoughts are little voices in your head that kills focus. If you find yourself distracted by that argument with your wife in the morning, have a quick chat with someone you know that will cheer you up with trivial talk, like last night’s base-ball game or reality show.

8. Visualize yourself doing the work you are supposed to do. See yourself in your mind’s eye finishing that report, studying that exam or finishing that piece of carpentry work you set yourself to do.

9. Take well-timed rest. A stiff shoulder or a pinched nerve can often distract you. Stop for 5-minute breaks and massage that sore muscle or stretch before continuing. Lie down on your back if possible if you need to relax your back.

10. Practise mindful concentration. Your brain can be trained for short burst of concentration. Pick a spot where you can’t be interrupted for 10 minutes. Count from backwards from 10 to 1. If you sense your mind drifting, start from 10 and begin all over again. Believe me, it’s not as easy as it sounds. With practice, you find that you can WILL your mind to focus.

With better concentration, you’ll find yourself to be a happier, more productive person Your memory will also improve and you stay more centered to finish any task you set yourself up for.

Keyword : improve memory, memory training, remember better, remember-memory, Martin Mak, Mighty Memory.

Summary : Assimilating new information can be challenging. There are some simple techniques that you can use to acquire new information pleasant, without making rote memorization a chore.

Acquiring information by relating the information to your personal experience, requires more activity than just committing it to memory. Nevertheless, the activity is so much more pleasant and you remember better! You will probably not experience it as work. Listen to people who are skillful at acquiring and using information. They use phrases such as “getting used to new information,” “seeing the big picture”, or “getting a feel for it”. Every one of these phrases touches on the same essential idea. People do not learn by passively copying information into their memory the way that you enter data into a computer. The human way to learn instead is to transform information in some way that gives it personal meaning.

In the same sense, you can dramatically learn new information or improve your memory by using memory training methods or memory techniques that teaches you how to relate information. In this manner, you can understand subject matter better and accelerate your learning. The better you understand the way your mind naturally assimilates and transforms information, the more you will be able to use this knowledge to gain ownership of new information. This is the crucial link to the “remember-memory” cycle – the use of your 5 other senses.

I spent 2 years in high school learning Japanese. I found the language incredibly hard to learn, but a fellow classmate always seemed to find it easy. Why did he find it so simple? The answer, as it turned out, is that he spoke Korean at home. There are some similarities, therefore he could learn the Japanese by thinking of similar words and grammatical forms in Korean.

Many people think that quantity or technical content is what makes information easy or hard. That is not the case. What makes information ea