If you can never remember what to buy at the market without a list; if you have a hard time remembering where you last saw the remote control; or, if you can’t seem to recall the name of that nice woman who lives down the street, perhaps you aren’t eating enough fish.
According to a recent survey, we could improve our memories if we watched less television, completed more crossword puzzles and ate more fish. The results come as a result of an on-line survey, taken by more 30,000 people as part of Australia’s science week. It also found people who read fiction had better memories than those who don’t.
The survey–dubbed the National Memory Test—quizzed people on tasks such as “remembering a shopping list, recalling names, faces and occupations, long-term recall and spotting differences between two photographs.” Survey participants were also asked to answer questions about their television viewing and reading habits.
The results: little difference was found between men and women, instead the survey found television viewing had the main impact on results. According to the people who designed the quiz, the participants who watched less than an hour of television a day performed better at all memory tasks.
But a neuro-psychologist who spoke out after the survey results were published said, “television was not necessarily bad for memory, with wider health and diet and an active lifestyle more crucial to a good memory.” What a relief. I can’t even count how many hours I have spent in front of the television… even though I know how much better reading is for the mind. To that the doctor had this to say: “TV can be a really passive activity, while reading is active, and any active activity is better.” She also said TV quiz shows and news programs could be good for the mind.
As for fans of crossword puzzles… the survey showed they were better at remembering shopping lists and recalling names. The test also revealed that people who ate fish once a week improved their ability to remember shopping lists. However, be aware that the survey’s results have not been tested for statistical significance (since it was completed on the Internet it’s possible people could have cheated or lied).
If you would like to take the test yourself simply visit: www.nationalmemorytest.net.au