How To Improve Your Memory When You’re Learning Something New
You close a book feeling like you understood everything, then realize you can barely explain what you just read. So you flip back a few pages and start again.
It's easy to assume the answer is simply reading more. But research suggests that some habits that make learning feel easy, like rereading, aren't necessarily helping you remember information later.
A large review of learning strategies, along with research on sleep, exercise, and note-taking, points to a few simple ways to make what you learn stick.
About the research
A review of 10 learning techniques1 found that rereading and highlighting, two of the most common study habits, don't consistently improve learning.
Instead, the review gave the strongest support to two strategies: retrieval practice, or actively recalling information, and distributed practice, or spacing learning across multiple sessions.
Other research has explored how habits such as handwriting, sleep, and exercise may support learning and memory. So, what can you actually do to remember more of what you read?
These five research-backed strategies are a good place to start.
Close the book and see what you remember
After reading a section, close the book and explain the main idea from memory. This is called retrieval practice, and research on retrieval practice suggests it can strengthen long-term recall.
In the study, people learned unfamiliar word pairs and either studied them again or tried to recall them.
A week later, those who practiced recalling the pairs remembered about twice as many. Brain scans also showed different patterns of activity during memory retrieval.
The struggle to remember isn't a sign that the technique isn't working. That effort is part of it.
Give yourself some time between reviews
The other strategy strongly supported by the review is distributed practice, which means spreading your learning across multiple sessions instead of trying to absorb everything at once.
Research found that this approach consistently improves learning across different subjects and age groups.
Try reviewing something the day after you learn it, then again a few days later. Each session gives you another chance to retrieve the information rather than simply recognize it on the page.
Try handwriting your notes
Typing is faster, but handwriting may help your brain process information differently.
In one study2, college students who wrote by hand showed more coordinated brain activity in regions involved in learning and memory than those who typed.
One possible reason is speed. Handwriting forces you to slow down and decide what's worth recording instead of transcribing everything.
After reading, try writing a few sentences in your own words rather than copying your notes verbatim.
Let sleep do some of the work
Staying up late to squeeze in another hour of studying may not be the best use of that time. Sleep helps consolidate new memories, making recently learned information more stable over time.
A review of sleep and memory research3 found that the brain continues processing new information during sleep in ways that support long-term memory.
So sleep isn't time taken away from learning. It's part of it.
Move before you learn
Exercise may also give your brain a boost before you start learning.
A systematic review of 13 studies in young adults found that a single bout of aerobic exercise, including walking, running, or cycling, generally supported learning and memory when performed before learning.
You don't need an intense workout. The studies used different exercise durations and intensities, so there isn't one magic routine. A brisk walk before reading or studying is a simple way to put the research into practice.
The takeaway
Familiarity is easy to mistake for knowledge.
Pull the material back out of your head instead of pushing it in again, return to it a few days later, and let a brisk walk and a solid night of rest handle the rest.