I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that the human mind is the most complex thing on the planet. If working at full potential, it can be more powerful than the smartest computer we have ever built. If working at full potential, it can lead us to answer questions that have haunted mankind for centuries. It can open a new world for us. But we don't use it at full potential do we?
One of the very intriguing functions of our brain is the power to store memories. But how does it all work? How does it automatically store a memory and help us retrieve it when we need it? Why do we fail to recall things sometimes? Let's find out.
Step One: Memory encoding
This is the first step when we begin to create a new memory. It allows our brain to convert our interest into an idea that is tucked away in our brain and then recalled later as a short-term, or a long-term memory.
Step two: Memory consolidation and storage
This is the part where the memory we just stored is stabilised in our head. Learning something new needs consolidation just so that we don't end up forgetting it. Take studies, for example. Perhaps the main reason I was so bad in academics (apart from the fact that I wasn't interested much) was because I would spend long hours mugging things up. Which, as it turns out, is the reason I would forget some important bits of my course. One should always have two study sessions with time to relax in between sessions. Known as spaced learning, it'll help you learn more in half the time. When we put long hours studying, our mind zones out every now and then, therefore losing the ability to learn new things. Now I know why I would blank out about the things I had learnt the night before school exams. Another great tip? Read out loud (or even whisper) the things you're reading, it helps to memorise things better.