Believe in Your Brain
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Believing you have a poor memory is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
We love a good study around here. This one takes something that has inspired thousands of instagram memes and motivational posters and proves that it can actually make a difference: believe in yourself. Yeah!
So what is this study?
Researchers at Harvard studied 90 people, age 60 or older, and found their performance in a memory task could be affected by manipulating their beliefs about their memory skills.
Okay, manipulating is a strong word, but this is #science so there’s no room for ambiguity.
You’re smart, you’re smart, you’re smart
Participants were given 3 different kinds of memory tests. When they were repeatedly told they were wise, their results were better than when they weren’t. Their short-term memory also improved. Yeah again!
The conclusion: believing in your abilities has a measurable impact on your memory. Bonus conclusion: if you’re motivated to develop a better memory and believe you can, you’re much more likely to self-actuate and make this happen.
How to improve your memory
There's no quick fix for improving memory, so try building these into your life to improve your memory over time:
Cardio: Regular aerobic exercise increases the blood flow in the hippocampus -- that’s right, the learning and memory part of the brain.
#Snacklife: Increased glucose and insulin promote the consolidation of short term and long term memories. Blueberries are great for this!
High-qual personal relationships: Physical contact improves memory and social interaction provides lots of stimuli for our brains to form memories.
FOR THE NERDY: Believe this [source: Psychology Today]