Author: Robby Berman / Source: Big Think
- Drawing something that you want to remember is more effective than using other memory techniques
- For older people with dementia or Alzheimer’s, drawing stores memories in still-intact regions of the brain
- Even if you’re terrible at drawing, it’s the neurological underpinnings that make it worth a try
It seems everyone wishes they had a better memory than they do.
From simple herbs like ginkgo biloba to weird mnemonic systems — a friend of mine, for some unknowable reason, remembers my name with the phrase “Pig Car” — there are some out-there ideas out there. A new study from researchers at University of Waterloo (UW), however, says there’s an extremely effective and simple way to ensure you don’t forget something: Draw it.The method may even be able to strengthen memory in the elderly who are facing the the effects of conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Drawing vs. writing
(Eepeng Cheong/Unsplash
In the study, which was published in Experimental Aging and Research in the spring of 2017, researchers found that drawing was a more effective tool for retention than writing, re-writing, visualizations, and even looking at pictures. According to the study, led by cognitive neuroscientist Melissa E. Meade, you don’t have to actually be any good at drawing — cue the sigh of relief — it’s the the act itself that generates the benefit. “For example, drawing a picture of some groceries you need to pick up later or the meal you are planning to make will result in that information being…
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