Some people as they get older or busier, have trouble remembering names, among other things. Ever wonder why? Age is not a good reason. Here’s why: when we are younger we link or associate names to a small amount of sensory input, for instance, visual. That’s good enough for us.
But the longer we live, have many experiences and meet many people, that is no longer good enough for us. Because of this fact, there aren’t enough unique visual characteristics, which make the association between the visual and names a little more challenging.
It becomes necessary for remembering a name to associate the quality of their voice, feel of their hand, maybe even a unique scent. The more senses you can associate to the name, the easier it is to recall. The multi-sensory associations have always been available to us, but as we live longer and acquire more experience, we tend to get into familiar routines.
Just imagine an infant or toddler for a moment. He sees a toy in his crib. He examines it, touches it, shakes it, puts it in his mouth. This is how his growing brain learns and associates—develops many sensations that will become his memory of the particular toy.
We adults would probably look at it and say, “It’s a car, stuffed animal”, etc. That is partly because with our vast experience, we have developed patterns or routines. That’s not a bad thing, but if we want to improve our brain function and memories, we can add a little unpredictability and adventure into our lives. Our brains like the unexpected or the novel. So are we saying be more childlike? You bet! Children are so curious and adventurous. As adults we can be boring to our own brains. I often say that the brain is consistently saying, “Next!”
Do some experiments. We have five senses, right? Close your eyes and walk around a room, get ready for work with your eyes closed, or close your eyes, wear earplugs and smell the fragrances around you. Use your non-dominant hand to do every tasks like brushing your teeth, shaving putting on your socks. You can make up any brain exercise. There is no limit to ways you can exercise your brain. Your brain likes exercise, so exercise it and improve memory and brain function at any age.
Here is one more experiment or resource: It is my personal experience that the Mind Spa helps improve brain function. I know stroke victims who have used it with excellent results, including myself.