Forgetfulness

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FORGETFULNESS

Who among us hasn't forgotten a name in the middle of an introduction or spent the better part of an afternoon searching a shopping mall parking lot for a misplaced car?

Train your mind to remember

Pay attention

If you don't attend to what you're doing, reading, watching or hearing, you won't remember it later. Lapp's advice is to pause before you do something, become aware of your surroundings and mobilize your senses: Look, listen and feel.

Avoid distractions

Make a mental note of what you're going to do before you do it. It will minimize distraction.

Make meaningful connections

To remember things like street adresses or a shoping list, make up a story or a sentence that links that information is a meaningful way.

Paint a mental image

Concrete visual images can help connect new names and faces.

Increase your intake of the "memory minerals"

Studies suggest that deficiencies of iron, zinc and boron can interfere with concentration and recall.

Sharpen your memory with exercise

In one study researchers found that volunteers who got an hour of aerobic exercise three times a week performed better on memory tests than those who didn't work out.