Sharpen Your Memory with Mnemonics
Apr 15, 2009
Food For Thought


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Sharpen Your Memory with Mnemonics

Have you ever met someone only to forget their first name five minutes later? Have you ever gone to the grocery store and come back home only to realize that you forgot the thing(s) you needed the most? If you feel you have a poor memory, there is hope. You may just have some less-than-effective habits when it comes to taking in and processing information.

You can sharpen your memory skills with mnemonics (the "m" is silent). Mnemonics are clues of any kind that help you remember something, usually by causing you to associate the information you want to remember with a visual image, a sentence, or a word.

Try these simple mnemonic devices to improve your memory:

Visual images— a microphone to remember the name "Mike," or a cup of coffee for the name "Joe." Use positive, pleasant images, because the brain often blocks out unpleasant ones, and make them vivid, colorful, and three-dimensional — they’ll be easier to remember.

Acronyms—acronyms are initials that create pronounceable words. They are useful for long strings of information. Acronyms are very common and helpful in healthcare—acronyms for terms such as the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) and fee-for-service (FFS) are often used.

Rhymes and alliteration—you probably remember learning "I before E except after C" in English class. Such rhymes can help you remember rules, places, people, etc. Alliteration (using a string of words that begin with the same letter) is another popular mnemonic technique. A talkative guy named Tom can be remembered as "Talking Tom" or an upbeat co-worker as "Animated Ann" (though it’s probably best to keep such names to yourself).

Jokes—using off-color associations or fun facts, figures, and names can help you recall items because funny or peculiar things are easier to remember than mundane images.

Chunking information—that is, arranging a long list in smaller units or categories that are easier to remember. You can probably easily recall your Social Security number because it’s arranged in group of 3, 2, and 4 digits, not a string of 9.

Barring disease, disorder, or injury, you can certainly improve your ability to learn and retain information. The methods above will not only help to improve your memory, but most of them can also prove to be quite fun!

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams."