The Secrets to Unlocking How to Remember Better

Ever walk into a room and forget why? Or meet someone new, only to forget their name seconds later? Before you blame your “bad memory,” consider this: Your brain is actually doing exactly what it's designed to do: being selective about what it stores. If we remembered everything, we'd be like mental hoarders, our minds too cluttered to find what we truly need.

Dr. Charan Ranganath, a neuroscientist, psychologist, and author of Why We Remember, a New York Times bestseller, advocates this: Focus less on remembering more and lean into remembering better. The real trick, he says, isn’t perfect recall, but strengthening your ability to remember intentionally. And just as with any other skill, memory can be enhanced with the right techniques and habits.

How do sleep and stress affect memory?

The first step to improving your memory is by giving your brain the right environment to thrive. This means prioritizing good sleep and managing stress more effectively. 

Dr. Forrest Foster, a neurologist who treats dementia and Alzheimer’s, says sleep acts as your brain’s “save” button.

“Good sleep is essential for your brain's ability to form and retain memories,” Foster says. “Quality sleep—seven hours or more per night—helps your brain transfer new memories from short-term storage to long-term storage."

Stress, on the other hand, can disrupt this process. "Anxiety and stress trigger the body's fight-or-flight response,” explains Dr. Rehan Aziz, a psychiatrist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. “This releases cortisol, a stress hormone that can impair the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for short-term memory and learning."

How do digital distractions impact memory?

Constant notifications and screen time may have become the norm, but they can wreak havoc on your memory by fragmenting attention. According to Dr. Ranganath, multitasking with devices hinders the deep processing your brain needs to form lasting memories. To counteract this, he offers a few recommendations:

• Turn off nonessential notifications on your devices.
•  Schedule time for activities that typically distract you (e.g., scrolling on social media).
•  Create “speed bumps” that make social media apps more difficult to access, such as restricting use to a browser only.

While digital distractions can hurt memory, real-world social connections have the opposite effect. "Social connection enhances brain function by stimulating cognitive engagement and reducing stress,” says Dr. Aziz. “Regular interactions with others improve memory by reinforcing neural pathways and promoting emotional well-being."

In other words, building social connections is a powerful way to enhance our memory—whether it’s through meaningful conversations, group activities, or spending quality time with loved ones.

How can curiosity help our memory?

Learning and memory also thrive on curiosity. Foster emphasizes this with his patients: "I encourage my patients to learn something new that they are genuinely interested in, which helps make the experience more fun. Perhaps that's learning a new language or taking up a new hobby like gardening or woodworking."

Curiosity plays an important role not just in general learning but also in overcoming specific memory challenges, such as remembering names. ”Have some kind of a cue that you can practice ahead of time, like something about a person's face that reminds you of the name,” says Dr. Ranganath. For instance, picture a flower when meeting someone named Lily. “Those ways of linking what's in front of you, the word, to the memory, will make it easy to pull up the memory later."

The key is to be present and curious about the person or the experience, which naturally strengthens the connection between new information and your memory.

Improving memory isn’t just about applying a few quick tricks or techniques, however; it requires a holistic approach to brain health. "If we want to keep our car properly maintained, we can't just care for the tires but ignore maintenance on the rest of the car,” says Dr. Foster. “The same goes for our brain. We need a combination of a healthy diet, proper exercise, challenging our cognition, healthy sleep, and making sure we are taking care of any other medical conditions we may have."

Memory is a skill that improves with attention and care. By cultivating simple, healthy habits—such as getting better sleep, reducing distractions, and staying curious—you can enhance your ability to remember and approach daily life with more ease.