You, Too, Can Become a Memory Champion, Scientists Say
You, Too, Can Become a Memory Champion, Scientists Say It's like a magic trick: Some people can memorize a long list of hundreds of random words and numbers in seconds, and then recite it perfectly hours later. But unlike magicians, these memory athletes are open about the secrets of their trade. They use a well-known memory method called the method of loci, and now a new study shows that many people can learn this method. Ordinary people can learn these special memory strategies over just a few weeks, and then, they can perform almost as well as memory athletes, researchers found. What's more, learning the method of loci appears to reshape neuronal networks in people's brains. It induces brain activity patterns that resemble those of memory athletes, researchers reported today (March 8) in the journal Neuron. [10 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp] "Training normal humans to be memory athletes bulks up the brain's memory networks," said the study's senior...