Imagine having a keen mind and memory for the duration of your life.

Improve your memory. Your brain’s health and vitality have an impact on how well you remember things. There are many things you can do to enhance your memory and mental function, whether you’re a student preparing for final exams, a working professional trying to maintain mental acuity, or an elderly person hoping to protect and grow your grey matter as you age.

The saying goes that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but scientists have shown that this isn’t true when it comes to the brain. The human brain is remarkably malleable, changing even as we age. Neuroplasticity is the term for this capacity. Your brain may create new neural pathways, change connections that already exist, and react and adapt in constantly changing ways when given the appropriate stimulation.

Learning and memory are two areas where the brain’s amazing capacity to change is put to use. At any age, you can take advantage of the inherent power of neuroplasticity to boost your cognitive capacities, acquire new knowledge more easily, and sharpen your memory. These nine pointers can help you do that.

Tip 1: Give your mind a mental exercise (improve memory).

By the time you reach maturity, your brain has created millions of neuronal pathways that facilitate rapid information processing and recall, the resolution of known issues, and the execution of routine tasks with little mental strain. However, you aren’t providing your brain with the stimulation it needs to keep evolving if you consistently follow these well-traveled routes. You have to occasionally reorganise things!

Four essential components of an effective brain-boosting exercise

• You learn something fresh from it. No matter how difficult the task is intellectually, it is not a good brain exercise if it is something you are already proficient at. It must be a strange and uncomfortable activity for you to partake in. You must never stop studying and picking up new abilities if you want to strengthen your brain.
• It’s difficult. The most effective brain-boosting exercises require your undivided focus. It is insufficient that you at some time found the task difficult. There must still be some mental work involved. For instance, mastering a difficult piece of music that you have never played before counts; performing a piece that you already know by heart does not.
• It’s a capacity you can develop. Seek for pursuits that let you begin at a modest level and progress as your abilities grow; always push the boundaries to further challenge your limits. It’s time to move on to the next performance level when a previously challenging level begins to feel easy.
• It’s satisfying. Incentives facilitate the brain’s process of learning. The greater your level of interest and engagement in the activity, the more probable it is that you will stick with it and get the rewards. Decide on pursuits that will keep you happy and fulfilled even while they are difficult.

Tip 2: Don’t neglect your physical activity (improve memory).

Even while mental activity is beneficial to brain health, physical activity is still necessary occasionally. Engaging in physical activity keeps your mind active. It lowers the risk of conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease that cause memory loss and gives your brain more oxygen.

Exercise also lowers stress hormones and increases the benefits of beneficial brain chemicals. The most significant effect that exercise has on neuroplasticity is probably that it increases growth factors and promotes the formation of new neural connections.

Tip 3: Give your pals some time.

Do you picture more “serious” activities like solving the New York Times crossword puzzle or learning chess strategy when you think of ways to boost memory, or do you picture more lighthearted activities like watching a hilarious movie or hanging out with friends? It’s most likely the former if you’re like the majority of us. Numerous studies, however, demonstrate the cognitive advantages of leading a fun-filled, friend-filled life.

Having good relationships is the best thing for your brain.

People are gregarious creatures. We are not designed to live in solitude, much less flourish. Our brains are stimulated by relationships; in fact, social interaction may be the finest kind of mental training.

According to research, a robust support network and deep connections are essential for both mental and emotional well-being. For instance, a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health revealed that the slowest rate of memory loss was experienced by those with the busiest social schedules.

There are numerous methods to begin enjoying the cognitive and memory-enhancing advantages of social interaction. Make an effort to see friends more frequently, volunteer, join a club, or give a call. Don’t underestimate the importance of a pet, especially a social dog, if a person isn’t around.

Tip 4: Have a laugh

You’ve probably heard that the best medicine is laughing, and that is true not only for the body but also for the brain and memory. Laughing activates diverse brain regions throughout the entire brain, in contrast to emotional reactions, which are confined to particular locations.

In addition, joke listening and punch line development stimulate brain regions essential for creativity and learning. In his book Emotional Intelligence, psychologist Daniel Goleman observes that laughing “seems to help people think more broadly and associate more freely.”

Tip 5: Take actionable measures to enhance memory and learning.

• Pay attention. Something cannot be retained if it has never been learnt, nor can it be learned—that is, ingrained in your brain—if insufficient attention is paid to it. To process a piece of information into your memory, it takes approximately eight seconds of concentrated focus. If you find it difficult to focus, find a peaceful area where you won’t be bothered.
• Involve as many senses as possible. Make an effort to connect information to tastes, smells, sensations, and colours. Information can be rewritten physically to help cement it in your memory. You can still read aloud what you want to remember even if you’re a visual learner. Better still if you can recite it in a rhythmic manner.
• Relate information to what you already know. Relate new information to what you already know, whether it’s fresh information that expands on what you already know or something as basic as an address of a person who lives on a street where you know someone.
• Rehearse information you’ve already learned. On the day you learn something new, as well as on occasion later, go over what you’ve learned. Cramming is less successful than “paced rehearsal,” particularly when it comes to remembering what you’ve learnt.
• Use mnemonic devices to make memorization easier. Mnemonics are any kind of hint—the first “m” is silent—that aids in memory retention. Typically, they do this by associating the knowledge with a phrase, sentence, or visual picture.