改善记忆力1

教你8招，改善你的记忆力。

Improving your memory is easier than it sounds. Most of think of our memory as something static and unchanging. But it’s not — you can improve your memory just as you can improve your math or foreign language skills, simply by practicing a few tried and true memory building exercises.

改善记忆力比听着容易。我们大多都会认为我们的记忆力就是个静止不变的东西。但它不是－－你可以改善你的记忆力，就像你能改善你的数学能力或是外语能力一样，只需要通过练习一些已经测试且可靠的记忆力构建练习就可以做到。

There are two kinds of memory — short-term and long-term. Short-term memory is the kind of memory our brain uses to store small pieces of information needed right away, like someone’s name when you meet for the first time. Research has demonstrated that short-term memory’s capacity is about seven pieces of information. After that, something has to go.

记忆力分为两种－－短期记忆力与长期记忆力。短期记忆力是这么一种记忆力，是我们的大脑用之来储存马上所需要的小块信息，比如我们初次遇到的人的名字。研究表明短期记忆能力只能容下约七条信息。在这7条信息之后，别的信息就会消失。

Long-term memory is for things you don’t need to remember this instant. When you study for a test or exam, that’s long-term memory at work. A memorably moment in your life, events with family or friends, and other similar kinds of situations also get stored in long-term memory.

长期记忆力是对那些不需要你即时记忆的东西而言。在你为考试准备时，长期记力就派上用场了。生活中值得铭记的时刻，与家人或朋友呆一起发生的事件，还有其他相似的情况也会被储存到长期记忆中。

So how do you go about improving your memory? Read on to find out.

那么，你如何开始改善记忆力呢？继续往下读你就能发现答案。

Your Memory is in Your Brain

记忆在你大脑里

Although it may seem obvious, memory is formed within your brain. So anything that generally improves your brain health may also have a positive impact on your memory. Physical exercise and engaging in novel brain-stimulating activities — such as the crossword puzzle or Sudoku — are two proven methods for helping keep your brain healthy.

虽说这可能显而易见，但记忆力却形成于你的大脑内。因此，任何可能大略改善你大脑健康状态的事也对你的记忆力有积极影响。体能训练及参与新鲜的刺激脑力的活动－－比如字谜游戏或是数独游戏－－就是两种经证实可助你维持大脑健康的方法。

Remember, a healthy body is a healthy brain. Eating right and keeping stress at bay helps not only your mind focus on new information, but also is good for your body too. Getting a good night’s sleep every night is important as well. Vitamin supplements and herbal extracts aren’t the same thing as getting vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids naturally, through the food you eat.

记住，健康的身体就是一个健康的大脑。合理饮食，避免压力，不仅助你头脑可聚焦于新信息，对你的身体也有好处。每夜好眠也很重要。含维他命补品及草本精华与天然得到维他命与Ω-3脂肪酸不是一回事，通过你所吃的食物就可以达到天然得到。

Improve Your Memory

改善你的记忆力

So you want to improve your memory? You need to focus on what you’re doing and the information you’re looking to encode more strongly in your brain. These tips will help you do just that:

那么你想要改善你的记忆力吗？你就得专注于你在做的事情，这样你找寻找的信息才能在你的大脑里更强有力地做好编码的工作。以下招数可以帮你做到

Focus on it. So many people get caught up in multi-tasking, that we often fail to do the one thing that will almost always improve your memory — paying attention to the task at hand. This is important, because your brain needs time to encode the information properly. If it never makes it into your memory, you won’t be able to recall it later. If you need to memorize something, quit multitasking.

1，聚焦信息。那么多人为任务多所困扰，我们经常做不成的事，就是那些几乎能一直改善我们记忆力的事－关注你手头上的任务吧。这很重要，因为你的大脑需要时间把信息正确编码。如果你的大脑从不在你的记忆力进行编码工作，你是不可能在过后想起什么来的。如果你需要记得些什么，就停止进行多任务处理吧。

Smell, touch, taste, hear and see it. The more senses you involve when you need to encode memory, usually the more strong a memory it becomes. That’s why the smell of mom’s home-baked cookies can still be recalled as fresh as though she were downstairs making them just now. Need to remember someone’s name you met for the first time? It may help to look them in the eye when you repeat their name, and offer a handshake. By doing so, you’ve engaged 4 out of your 5 senses.

2，嗅觉，触觉，味觉，听觉及视觉。在你需要为记忆编码时，感觉越多，通常记忆也越强。妈妈做的饼干的味道是那么新鲜，仍能让你想起刚才妈妈在楼下做饼干，这就是原因所在。需要记得你初次见过的人的名字吗？这些感觉也会让你在重复这些人的名字时看着他们的眼睛，然后与他们握手。这么做的时候，你用到了所提到5种感觉的其中4种。

Repeat it. One reason people who want to memorize something repeat it over and over again is because repetition (what psychologists sometimes refer to as “over learning”) seems to work for most people. It helps not to cram, though. Instead, repeat the information spaced out over a longer period of time.

3，重复信息。人们要记忆某事会不断地重复的原因，重复（心理学家称之为“过度学习”）似乎对大多数人都管用。尽管这无助于死记硬背。可是，重复信息间隔的时间会更长。

Chunk it. Americans remember their long 10-digit telephone numbers despite being able to hold only 7 pieces of information in their brain at one time. They do because we’ve taught ourselves to chunk the information. Instead of seeing 10 separate pieces of information, we see 3 pieces of information — a 3 digit area code, a 3 digit prefix, and a 4 digit number. Because we’ve been taught since birth to “chunk” the telephone number in this way, most people don’t have a problem remembering a telephone number. This technique works for virtually any piece of information. Divide the large amount of information into smaller chunks, and then focus on memorizing those chunks as individual pieces.

4，咀嚼信息。美国人都能记得他们长长的10位数电话号码，尽管一次只能在大脑中容纳7条信息。他们会这样是因为我们已教会自己咀嚼信息。见到10条零散的信息不如看到3条信息－一一个3位数区号，3位数的称谓与一个4位数的号码。因为我们自出生起就已被教会用这种方法“咀嚼”电话号码了。不少人在记忆电话号码时都不成问题。这种方法实际上对于任何一条信息都管用。把大量的信息分成小块，然后聚焦于记忆这些分出来的小块。1

Organize it. Our brains like organization of information. That’s why books have chapters, and outlines are recommended as a studying method in school. By carefully organizing what it is you have to memorize, you’re helping your brain better encode the information in the first place.

5，组织信息。我们的大脑就是信息组织者。这也书有章节，学校推荐大纲学习法的原因。细心组织好你需要记忆的东西，就是帮助你的大脑更好地给首要信息编码。

Use mnemonic devices. There are a lot of these, but they all share one thing in common — they help us remember more complicated pieces of information through imagery, acronyms, rhyme or song. For instance, in medical school, students will often turn memorization of the bones in the body or symptoms of specific illnesses into sentences, where the first letter of each word corresponds with a specific bone or symptom. Learn about more mnemonic devices and memory here.

6，使用助记符号划分信息。有很多助记符号，但它们都有个共同点－－通过比喻，缩写，押韵或是歌曲帮助我们记更复杂的信息。比如，在医学院，学生经常把身体骨骼名称或是特定疾病的症状转化成句子来记忆，句子里每个词的首字母都与特定的骨骼或症状相对应。

Learn it the way that works for you. People often get caught up in thinking there’s a “one size fits all” learning style for memorizing new material. That’s simply not the case — different people prefer different methods for taking in new information. Use the style that works for you, even if it’s not the way most people study or try and learn new information. For instance, some people like to write things down when they’re learning something new. Others may benefit more from recording what they’re hearing, and going back to take more detailed notes later on at their own leisure.

7，学习为我所用的方法。人们常受困于“放之四海皆准”这种记忆新材料的学习方式。事与愿违－－不同的人喜欢用不同的方法来接受新信息。使用适合你的方式，即使那不是大多数人学习或尝试以及得到新信息的方式。比如，一些人喜欢在学习新事物时做笔记。其他人也许会录下所听到的内容，之后在空闲时间回去整理更详细的笔记，从中受益更多。

Connect the dots. When we learn, we often forget to try and make associations until later on. However, research has shown that memory can be stronger when you try and make the associations when you first take in the information. For instance, think about how two things are related, and the memory for both will be enhanced. Connect new information to existing information or experiences in your mind.

8，联系圆点。我们学习时，经常会在过后忘记尝试及关联之。然而，调查显示，你初次接收信息时，记忆会在你尝试和关联时变强。举个例子，想一想两个事物如何联系在一起的，那对于这两事件的记忆就会增强。把你大脑中的新信息与现有信息或经验联接在一起。

As we age, our memory sometimes seems to get worse. But it doesn’t have to. By following these eight tips, you can keep your memory sharp at any age, and improve it any time.

随着年龄增长，我们的记忆有时候好像也会差。但没必要这么想。只要按照这8点来做，你在任何年龄都能保持敏捷的记忆力，时刻可以改善记力。

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues, and the intersection of technology and psychology since 1992.

注：本文作者John Grohol博士是心理学中心的CEO及创始人。他自1992年曾撰写过网络行为，心理健康与心理问题及方法与心理的十字路口等作品。