How Can I Remember More?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 10 November 2017
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sometimes our memory fails us and we wish facts would just stick better. Listener Mothibi is a student and has spent three years trying to remember as much as possible for his exams. He wants to know how he can train his brain to better to remember things – and does the brain have a limit on how much stuff we can cram into it?
To find the answers presenter Marnie Chesterton seeks help from memory magician, Simon, at the European Memory Championship. Using the loci technique she accomplishes a memory feat she didn’t think possible. Thought to have been developed by the Greeks, the loci method is a technique that enables the brain to remember extraordinary amounts of information. It turns out, we all have the right wiring to remember more and better, but we need to train our brains.
Also, CrowdScience heads to Cambridge University where Marnie Chesterton lands herself in a study. The scientists scan her brain while she exercises her memory muscles and we discover why sometimes memories get muddled up.
Do you have a question we can turn into a programme? Email us at crowdscience@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producer: Louisa Field
(Image: Woman scratching head, thinking brain melting into lines. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. This is crowd science on the BBC World Service. I'm Marnie Chesterton. |
| 0:40.0 | Each week on this show we take one of your questions and track down the scientists and |
| 0:44.7 | researchers around the world who can help us find an answer. |
| 0:48.0 | And this week we're in Toledo trying to train my memory. |
| 0:52.2 | How much of that can you remember Simon? That would be |
| 0:55.3 | answer later. We will be training something. Useless. Simon Reinhart is |
| 1:01.8 | underplaying his talents. He's one of the best memory |
| 1:04.8 | athletes in the world and is able to remember a deck of cards in 20 seconds and |
| 1:09.6 | long strings of random words and he's going to be teaching me. But first, the reason that |
| 1:16.2 | I'm in Spain bothering Simon, it's because of crowd science listener, Matibi. |
| 1:21.6 | Hello, my name is Matibi, and I'm from London. |
| 1:25.0 | My question to Crowd Science is, |
| 1:27.0 | can I train my brain to remember better? |
| 1:30.0 | Can it run out of space? |
| 1:32.0 | Matib, why are you interested in these questions? |
| 1:35.0 | I was sitting my A levels, I was revising hour after hour, |
... |
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