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Understand and Improve Memory Using Science-Based Tools

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Understand and Improve Memory Using Science-Based Tools

Huberman Lab Podcast

Huberman Lab,

5 min read
5 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Want to remember something important? Get moving, get emotional and get enough sleep.

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Scientific
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Imagine that you’re a child who’s witnessed an important historical event during medieval times – the King’s wedding, or maybe a great battle. Your parents want you to remember the event, so, sensible people that they are, they throw you in the river immediately afterward. You’re left gasping, choking and soaked to the bone. What would you gain from this experience besides a lasting distrust of your parents? Apparently, you’d gain an enduring memory of the historical event. Why? That’s a question best answered by Stanford professor Andrew Huberman on this episode of the Huberman Lab podcast.

Summary

Both consistent repetition and emotionally intense experiences can form lasting memories.

Memory traces are more effectively activated and thus remembered when their underlying neural circuits undergo strong activation. This can occur in two primary ways: through repetition and intensity. Repetition strengthens the connections between neurons by repeatedly activating them in a specific sequence, making it easier to activate these circuits again in the future. Intensity refers to the strong activation of neurons, possibly even in a single instance, which can lead to robust memory traces.

The concept of the learning curve, derived from the studies of Hermann Ebbinghaus, highlights how repetition influences memory retention. Initially, remembering information requires more repetitions, but as the process continues, the number of repetitions needed decreases; so, less effort is required over time to recall the same information.

Explicit memories are those that we can declare consciously, such as factual knowledge. Implicit memories are subconscious and include learned skills and habits that can be performed without conscious awareness.

The hippocampus is essential...

About the Podcast

The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor in the department of neurobiology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford School of Medicine. 

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