As we
age, our memory declines. This is an ingrained assumption for many of us;
however, according to neuroscientist Dr Richard Restak, a neurologist and
clinical professor at George Washington Hospital University School of Medicine
and
Health, decline is not inevitable.
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The author of
more than 20 books on the mind, Restak has decades’ worth of experience in
guiding patients with memory problems. “The Complete Guide to Memory: The
Science of Strengthening Your Mind,” Restak’s latest book, includes tools such
as mental exercises, sleep habits and diet that can help boost memory.
Yet, Restak
ventures beyond this familiar territory, considering every facet of memory —
how memory is connected to creative thinking, technology’s impact on memory,
how memory shapes identity. “The point of the book is to overcome the everyday
problems of memory,” Restak said.
Especially
working memory, which falls between immediate recall and long-term memory, and
is tied to intelligence, concentration, and achievement. According to Restak,
this is the most critical type of memory, and exercises to strengthen it should
be practiced daily. But bolstering all memory skills, he added, is key to warding
off later memory issues.
Memory decline
is not inevitable with aging, Restak argues in the book. Instead, he points to
10 “sins,” or “stumbling blocks that can lead to lost or distorted memories.”
Seven were first described by psychologist and memory specialist Daniel
Lawrence Schacter — “sins of omission,” such as absent-mindedness, and “sins of
commission,” such as distorted memories. To those, Restak added three of his
own: technological distortion, technological distraction, and depression.
Ultimately, “we
are what we can remember,” he said. Here are some of Restak’s tips for
developing and maintaining a healthy memory.
Pay more attention
Some memory lapses are actually attention problems, not memory
problems. For instance, if you have forgotten the name of someone you met at a
cocktail party, it could be because you were talking with several people at the
time and you did not properly pay attention when you heard it.
“Inattention is
the biggest cause for memory difficulties,” Restak said. “It means you didn’t
properly encode the memory.”
One way to pay
attention when you learn new information, such as a name, is to visualize the
word. Having a picture associated with the word, Restak said, can improve
recall. For instance, he recently had to memorize the name of a doctor, Dr
King, (an easy example, he acknowledged). So he pictured a male doctor “in a
white coat with a crown on his head and a scepter instead of a stethoscope in
his hand.”
Find regular everyday memory challenges
There are many memory exercises that you can integrate into everyday
life. Restak suggested composing a grocery list and memorizing it. When you get
to the store, do not automatically pull out your list (or your phone) —
instead, pick up everything according to your memory.
“Try to see the
items in your mind,” he said, and only consult the list at the end, if
necessary. If you’re not going to the store, try memorizing a recipe. He added
that frequent cooking is actually a great way to improve working memory.
Once in a while,
get in the car without turning on your GPS and try to navigate through the
streets from memory. A small 2020 study suggested that people who used
GPS more
frequently over time showed a steeper cognitive decline in spatial memory three
years later.
Play games
Games such as bridge and chess are great for memory, but so is a
simpler game, said Restak. For instance, Restak’s “favorite working memory
game” is 20 Questions — in which a group (or a single person) thinks of a
person, place or object, and the other person, the questioner, asks 20
questions with a yes-or-no answer. Because to succeed, he said, the questioner
must hold all of the previous answers in memory in order to guess the correct
answer.
Another of
Restak’s tried-and-true memory exercises simply requires a pen and paper or
audio recorder. First, recall all of the
US presidents, starting with President
Joe Biden and going back to, say, Franklin D. Roosevelt, writing or recording
them. Then, do the same, from FDR to Biden. Next, name only the Democratic
presidents, and only the Republican ones. Last, name them in alphabetical
order.
If you prefer,
try it with players on your favorite sports team or your favorite authors. The
point is to engage your working memory, “maintaining information and moving it around
in your mind,” Restak wrote.
Read more novels
One early indicator of memory issues, according to Restak, is giving up
on fiction. “People, when they begin to have memory difficulties, tend to
switch to reading nonfiction,” he said.
Over his decades
of treating patients, Restak has noticed that fiction requires active
engagement with the text, starting at the beginning and working through to the
end. “You have to remember what the character did on Page 3 by the time you get
to Page 11,” he said.
Beware of technology
Among Restak’s three new sins of memory, two are associated with
technology.
First is what he
calls “technological distortion.” Storing everything on your phone means that
“you don’t know it,” Restak said, which can erode our own mental abilities.
“Why bother to focus, concentrate and apply effort to visualize something when
a cellphone camera can do all the work for you?” he wrote.
The second way
our relationship with technology is detrimental for memory is because it often
takes our focus away from the task at hand. “In our day, the greatest
impediment of memory is distraction,” Restak wrote. As many of these tools have
been designed with the aim of addicting the person using them, and, as a
result, we are often distracted by them. People today can check their email
while streaming Netflix, talking with a friend or walking down the street. All
of this impedes our ability to focus on the present moment, which is critical
for encoding memories.
Work with a mental health professional if you need
to
Your mood plays a big role in what you do or do not remember.
Depression, for
instance, can greatly decrease memory. Among “people who are referred to
neurologists for memory issues, one of the biggest causes is depression,”
Restak said.
Your emotional
state affects the kind of memories you recall. The hippocampus (or “memory
entry center,” according to Restak) and the amygdala (the part of the brain
that manages emotions and emotional behavior) are linked — so “when you’re in a
bad mood, or depressed, you tend to remember sad things,” Restak said. Treating
depression — either chemically or via psychotherapy — also often restores
memory.
Determine whether there is cause for concern
Throughout his career, Restak has been asked by dozens of patients how
they can improve their memory. But not all memory lapses are problematic. For
instance, not remembering where you parked your car in a crowded lot is pretty
normal. Forgetting how you arrived at the parking lot in the first place,
however, indicates potential memory issues.
There is no
simple solution to knowing what should be of concern, Restak said. Much of it
is context-dependent. For instance, it’s normal to forget the room number of
your hotel, but not the address of your apartment. If you’re concerned, it’s
best to consult with a medical expert.
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