4 ms·

Ask HN: How to improve your memory permanently

22 points by Heidaradar 3y ago

is there a way to improve your memory permanently, I've heard playing board games, learning a new language, doing exercise, gymnastics are all ways to improve memory permanently. Yes, I use spaced repetition but I don't want so much overreliance on it, I have too many cards to remember.

XTXinverseXTY 3y ago
I've heard great things about bacopa monnieri[0], but many people complain about decreased motivation as a side effect Horizontal eye movements have consistently been shown to improve memory retrieval, dependent on handedness [1] [0]: https://examine.com/supplements/bacopa-monnieri/ https://examine.com/supplements/bacopa-monnieri/ [1]: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Horizontal-but-not-vertical-saccades-enhance-memory-Qin-Yang/977d119b0c7fec363850150e0c1dbd280d2ee103 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Horizontal-but-not-ver...
stillpoint 3y ago
With respect to working memory, this week's Huberman podcast (Tools to Enhance Working Memory & Attention) could be insightful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQlTmOFM4Qs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQlTmOFM4Qs
mastah88 3y ago
Heavy metal detox, PRL-8-53, CDP Choline, Ginko bilboa, microdosing, tDCS (some positions, and frequencies), transcranial red light therapy, HBOT, brain entrainment devices, various peptides, racetams, floating chamber... And this is just tip of an iceberg.
- neonnoodle 3y ago
  Personally I am suspended in a tank of concentrated spice gas
jrvarela56 3y ago
The Attention Revolution is a manual for improving your capacity to pay attention. Not exactly memory training, but your ability to direct your attention and focus impacts how much/well you retain information. https://www.amazon.com/Attention-Revolution-Unlocking-Power-Focused-ebook/dp/B003WJR60I https://www.amazon.com/Attention-Revolution-Unlocking-Power-...
saurav1729 3y ago
[flagged]
octo-andrero 3y ago
As it seems to me, it's highly depends on the kind of material you're trying to memorize and the cause you're trying to memorize this. What usually works for me when I'm trying to learn something new: - I write down or retell what I have just read. From my experience the ability to reproduce what you have just read with your own words extremely increase probability that you will be able to do this later. - I try to build some kind of system from the new information: A depends on B, B depends on C etc. Sometimes I draw it with diagrams, but most of the time explicit conclusion of what types of things and connections between them was mentioned in an article is more than enough. - I try to connect the new knowledge to my experience. I realize that this may not work if you need to memorize something like Maxwell's equations, but it's still possible to build links to what you already know OR ask right questions and learn the missing pieces that help you to build a bridge to what you already know. So, you may improve your habits of how you consume new information to improve your memory. If I need to remember something like shopping list I just write it down in notes and don't worry.
kratom_sandwich 3y ago
As with many other things, the first step should be to fix your sleep/ diet/ exercise.
trealira 3y ago
The book Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything [0] explores this. It has been a while since I read it, but from what I remember, the author explores the techniques used by the champion of some international memory competition (where the goal is to memorize something like a really long sequence of digits or the order of a deck of cards as fast as possible). [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonwalking_with_Einstein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonwalking_with_Einstein
pajko 3y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci

22 points by Heidaradar 3y ago

XTXinverseXTY 3y ago

I've heard great things about bacopa monnieri[0], but many people complain about decreased motivation as a side effect Horizontal eye movements have consistently been shown to improve memory retrieval, dependent on handedness [1] [0]: https://examine.com/supplements/bacopa-monnieri/ https://examine.com/supplements/bacopa-monnieri/ [1]: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Horizontal-but-not-vertical-saccades-enhance-memory-Qin-Yang/977d119b0c7fec363850150e0c1dbd280d2ee103 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Horizontal-but-not-ver...

stillpoint 3y ago

With respect to working memory, this week's Huberman podcast (Tools to Enhance Working Memory & Attention) could be insightful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQlTmOFM4Qs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQlTmOFM4Qs

mastah88 3y ago

Heavy metal detox, PRL-8-53, CDP Choline, Ginko bilboa, microdosing, tDCS (some positions, and frequencies), transcranial red light therapy, HBOT, brain entrainment devices, various peptides, racetams, floating chamber... And this is just tip of an iceberg.

neonnoodle 3y ago
Personally I am suspended in a tank of concentrated spice gas

jrvarela56 3y ago

The Attention Revolution is a manual for improving your capacity to pay attention. Not exactly memory training, but your ability to direct your attention and focus impacts how much/well you retain information. https://www.amazon.com/Attention-Revolution-Unlocking-Power-Focused-ebook/dp/B003WJR60I https://www.amazon.com/Attention-Revolution-Unlocking-Power-...

saurav1729 3y ago

[flagged]

octo-andrero 3y ago

As it seems to me, it's highly depends on the kind of material you're trying to memorize and the cause you're trying to memorize this. What usually works for me when I'm trying to learn something new: - I write down or retell what I have just read. From my experience the ability to reproduce what you have just read with your own words extremely increase probability that you will be able to do this later. - I try to build some kind of system from the new information: A depends on B, B depends on C etc. Sometimes I draw it with diagrams, but most of the time explicit conclusion of what types of things and connections between them was mentioned in an article is more than enough. - I try to connect the new knowledge to my experience. I realize that this may not work if you need to memorize something like Maxwell's equations, but it's still possible to build links to what you already know OR ask right questions and learn the missing pieces that help you to build a bridge to what you already know. So, you may improve your habits of how you consume new information to improve your memory. If I need to remember something like shopping list I just write it down in notes and don't worry.

kratom_sandwich 3y ago

As with many other things, the first step should be to fix your sleep/ diet/ exercise.

trealira 3y ago

The book Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything [0] explores this. It has been a while since I read it, but from what I remember, the author explores the techniques used by the champion of some international memory competition (where the goal is to memorize something like a really long sequence of digits or the order of a deck of cards as fast as possible). [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonwalking_with_Einstein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonwalking_with_Einstein

pajko 3y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci