I think we all worry about our memory, and even more so as we get older. Since I worked in a nursing home it made me think even more about dementia and keeping your memory sharp. I’m not saying learning a language can help prevent dementia, but it can improve your memory.
I can’t tell you the number of times I have gone into another room or upstairs and totally forgotten why I went there. Nowadays, we are entrusting our phones with all the things we used to remember on our own, effectively diminishing our memory. One in two people can’t remember their children’s phone numbers, and one in three can’t even remember their partner’s phone number. I’m guilty of that, I don’t know his mobile at all, only the last three digits. When I was younger I had loads of numbers in my head because we had no choice! It’s called digital amnesia, and it’s totally a thing.
How can we train our ability to remember things better? Learning languages can help the brain improve concentration and aid memory, as explained in the infographic “SOS memory: does learning languages help the brain?” by Babbel, the world’s first language learning app.
From Plato’s aversion to writing, the culprit of taking away some of our memory, to fun facts about polyglots and the language of space, this infographic will take you on a journey into our ability to remember, and the help that learning one or more languages can provide.
Short lessons, a new routine, and spaced repetition are all useful tips and practices to help one’s memory not only with a new language but also in all everyday situations, as proven by a Swedish study: Those who take language courses are better at remembering names of the people they just met. I really need to improve on that. I went on a leadership training day recently and the speaker taught us to repeat the name back to the person and then use it again in a sentence, so you say it three times on meeting the person. This really helps to remember their name after you part.
I’m performing in a play next week and have lines I have had to learn, it’s been difficult, but the way I do it is to visualise the rhythm of the words, a lot of repetition, and to make one of the cues related to my next line. It has reassured me that I can still do it.
How’s your memory?
Thank you for reading - if you enjoyed this content, please consider buying me a coffee here or browse my Amazon wishlist I really appreciate your support and it helps to keep the site running and for my time 🙂