Good Things Come in Threes

by Angela L.

I remember my Latin teacher used to tell me "there's something about the number three that sticks in the human brain", followed by a word or phrase said three times. He was right- we as humans always enjoy things in threes, and here are three memory tips and techniques I use to improve my memory.

When it comes to names, words and phrases, my Latin teacher had it right. Saying a word three times, slowly and precisely, has been a consistent way of remembering that word. It might sound a little silly in public, but hearing it out loud makes the word more concrete in our memory. It's almost like the brain saying "Hey, you're talking about it, it must be important!"

Of course, repeating may be all well and good for words and names, but what about facts and paragraphs? I participated in a "yo' mama" contest where I had to quickly improvise disses - and then remember them - for when my turn was up. I have stage fright, and my mind went blank. What I did was point out the interesting tidbits in what I had to remember. Interesting facts stick out more. If you remember the main points, those points will serve as memory aids, and remind you of the rest of the sentence or paragraph.

But perhaps it's not just one word, or even a paragraph. Maybe it's just a bunch of numbers strung together, or the periodic table? My best suggestion: song and rhyme. Making a catchy song is more likely to stick in our memory. It's why commercials have that annoying jingle that stick in peoples heads for days at a time.

That should cover about everything. Remember these memory booster tips - repeating three times, focusing on main points or interesting facts, and song and rhyme. At the very least, remember that good things come in threes.