Mind and Psychology
12 Steps to Skyrocket Working Memory
After studying human and artificial memories for a long time, I gained insights into improving our working memories.
Working memory has a limited capacity but can be improved with practice.
Our memories are critical as they make us who we are. Human memories are categorized as short and long-term. In this story, I touch on the importance of working memory (a mix of both types) and provide practical tips to enhance it naturally.
Working memory relates to our intelligence quotient, believed to be as set by birth, but it is possible to improve it using various methods that I introduce in this story at a high level.
This article might look longer than typical stories, but it summarizes the key points of a manuscript with over fifty thousand words compiled to reflect my research over the last five decades. I attempted to present critical points in under 15 minutes to make this a helpful piece.
As a precious mental resource, working memory is vital for everyone because it determines our personal and professional success, helps us connect with others, and makes us healthy and fit, giving life satisfaction.
You might wonder what working memory means. Thus, I’d like to briefly introduce working memory for those unfamiliar with the concept.
What is working memory?
As documented in this paper on Neuron, “working memory is the fundamental function by which we break free from reflexive input-output reactions to gain control over our own thoughts. It has two types of mechanisms: online maintenance of information and its volitional or executive control.”
As part of our cognitive system, working memory lets us temporarily manipulate and store information while performing tasks that require mental effort. So, working memory is essential for thinking, learning, and solving problems.
Galanter Miller (Cognitive Psychologist) and Karl Pribram (Psychiatrist and Psychologist) introduced the term “working memory” in the early 1960s. Their theory represented the brain as an information-processing source and linked cognition and consciousness to create symbolic computation.
Over the last few decades, many researchers intensely investigated the subject from multiple angles. In recent years, distinguished psychologists like Walter Kintsch and Anders Ericsson contributed to the subject with outstanding papers.
In the past, cognitive scientists considered working memory a short-term memory. However, recent studies indicate that it is a type of long-term memory with the use of short-term memory. The theories should not concern the public as they are convoluted.
However, the critical point is that while we need short-term memory to undertake mental and physical tasks, we depend on long-term memory to process and complete them as intended.
We can measure working memory by combining the memory span with the concurrent processing tasks at hand. For example, the more mental undertakings we can perform at a specific time, the better our working memory can be.
How does working memory function?
Unlike common beliefs, human memories are not like computer memories. Humans and computers learn differently and store information differently. The critical differentiator is emotional factors. I see memory as a muscle rather than a mysterious black box.
The human brain captures and stores memories using emotions. On the other hand, computers register memories based on data structures. Therefore, we remember emotionally heightened moments and events much more effortlessly, as I will explain in the following sections.
The function of human working memory is to hold onto information that is relevant to the task at hand while simultaneously processing, manipulating, and storing information. Working memory maintains and keeps information active and available for use.
For example, when solving a business problem, we must hold the concern in our mind, retrieve relevant information from long-term memory, analyze or perform calculations, and store the result in working memory until we document it.
Like upgrading random access memories of computers, improving the working memory of humans is also possible. However, there are no set rules like machines, and the practices might vary from person to person. The human mind is a psychological entity, not mechanical like computers.
Techniques that work for some might not work for others. Therefore, I primarily focus on principles rather than the individual application of the methods. My goal is to provide customizable options to readers.
So, rather than theoretical details and individual implementation fragments, I choose to introduce practical techniques and principles behind them with real-life examples to improve working memory with lifestyle habits that can bring many benefits to us.
Here are the 12 Steps to Improve Working Memory.
1 — Study and work in a flow state.
The biggest enemy of working memory is internal and external distractions. An internal distraction can be discomfort, pain, stress, and anxiety. External distractions include noise, interruptions like a phone call or a doorbell, and excessive heat or cold.
From my experience, the most effective way of improving and maintaining working memory is to study and work in a flow state. The reason is that the body and mind work in harmony in a flow state. This state happens when we stop internal and external distractions.
A flow state is a psychological concept that can be practiced by following mindfulness principles such as living in the moment, clearing mental clutter, self-compassion, focusing, paying attention to one thing at a time, and smoothly switching tasks. Flow state is a mindfulness technique that is related to the points in the next section.
2— Live mindfully and meditate regularly.
Mindfulness practices and meditation can indirectly enhance working memory. However, the contribution of these practices to working memory is substantial, as I experienced and observed.
Since working memory requires the existence of other cognitive abilities, such as focus and attention, mindfulness practices, especially meditation, can play a critical role in improving it and creating cognitive flexibility.
There are two crucial cognitive factors to improve working memory via mindfulness practices. The first one is increasing focus and attention span. The second one is stress adaptation in the brain.
Mindful living and meditative activities can significantly reduce stress and give flexibility to working memory processes. Focus and attention are directly related to working memory formation. As meditation can improve them, it can also contribute to the enhancement of working memory.
Mindful living and meditative focus are natural tools that can improve working memory. Therefore, I meditate three times daily to keep my focus, attention, task-switching, and working memory intact.
There are many forms and styles of meditation. Choosing a meditation technique that aligns with your style and goals is up to you. The critical point is to make meditation a habit, a hobby, or a lifestyle practice.
3 — Use multiple senses with intense emotions.
As I mentioned in the introduction section, human memories are coded using emotions. Unlike computer memories, emotions trigger neurochemicals in the brain. Thus, using multiple senses can be an effective way to improve working memory.
Individuals have different cognitive styles using different senses. Some people only focus on dominant emotions to use short-term memories and code them. Adding other senses can significantly increase memory coding, processing, storage, and retrieval.
When undertaking specific tasks, adding emotions can register those memories more efficiently. Therefore, extracting emotionally laden memories is also faster and easier. We can use various emotions to speed up the coding and retrieval process.
Frequently used and combined emotions can use resources from various brain regions. Therefore, we can easily tap into the flow state using the whole brain.
In a flow state, handling tasks can be more manageable and pleasurable. For example, memories flow with the assistance of pleasant emotions.
One of the most effective ways to improve my working memory was using multiple emotions with childlike curiosity. This approach also improved other cognitive skills giving me more cognitive flexibility and enhancing my cognitive reserves.
4 — Deconstruct and reconstruct information.
The capacity of working memory is limited. It can handle only a tiny amount of information at a time. We need working memory with effective task-switching to tap into long-term memories.
Typical working memory can usually handle seven to nine chunks of the digit at a given time, as documented by cognitive scientists over the last century.
There are exceptions to this finding. For example, some people can handle 50 to 100 digits as numerals or words at a specific time. But they are the minority. However, I observed people who increased from seven digits to 20 in a few years by using various memory improvement techniques, as I summarized in this article.
One key finding was that these people could quickly deconstruct information in smaller chunks to speed up the retention process with rapid task switching and enhanced focus.
Reading long sentences and calculating large numbers can be overly tricky for working memory. Therefore, we should develop techniques to split long sentences and large numbers when processing information. This activity is known as deconstructing and reconstructing information.
For example, to digest a paragraph, first, we need to understand each sentence and link the meaning among them. Practical tips in the following section can be used as a helpful technique for this purpose.
5— Create visual maps of objects and events
One of the techniques to increase working memory is to visualize objects and events and map them to well-known locations such as a house or an office.
For example, when learning new information, I visualize rooms of my house or workplace representing components and more minor elements of objects, processes, or events.
Then I map objects chronologically based on specific dates. For example, a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation day, or other celebratory days with solid emotional cues. Emotions are critical to the process and coding of memories.
The reason to use illustrated mental maps with location and time is that working memory relies on visual cues. Imagination is a cognitive ability to improve working memory.
Disciplining our imagination process can enhance working memory. Therefore, using self-disciplined and organized imagination can be an excellent tool to improve working memory.
6— Listen attentively and read with passion.
After visual cues, the ensuing important sense for working memory is sound. Therefore, attentive listening can improve working memory. It is because working memory depends on focus, attention, and task switching.
The more focus and attention we pay to the words of a conversation partner, the faster our task switching can be, resulting in processing, coding, retaining, and retrieving memories at a later stage.
Reading is also a cognitive skill. Like attentive listening, passionate reading with great interest can also enhance working memory.
Thus, active listening and focused reading by holding our interest in the reading or listening tasks are critical skills that can sharpen our working memory.
7— Teach or explain what you learn in a second-person narration.
Explaining processes, concepts, and objects to ourselves and others is a proven memory enhancement technique.
Using a specific technique (shifting from first-person to second-person narration) can positively trick memories by reinforcing them. For example, rather than saying, “I did this,” you may create a persona like “John said this or did this by doing XYZ.”
This technique can use both visual and sound cues for memory usage. This approach can reinforce working memory and help us code them better with a unique structure.
From my experience, one of the most effective ways to improve working memory and reinforce learning is by teaching what we learn to others.
Teaching information to others can enhance working memory capacity, increase retention in long-term memories multiple times, and allow fast remembering of information.
I usually find people to teach in my job, family, or community. But when I have no one to teach a new concept, I attempt to teach it myself. I documented the therapeutic and cognitive importance of self-talk in an article titled Here’s Why Talking to Myself Is Not Crazy But Clever.
8 — Make meaningful connections with others.
The brain makes sense of the world with neural connections inside the dark skull. Meaningful conversations with others can enhance the capacity of working memory.
Neuroplasticity is a mechanism for the brain to strengthen neural ties and relationships among them. The brain is in constant development when used. Meaningful connections with others can reinforce neural pathways and create new ones, known as neurogenesis.
The major limitation of working memory is the bottlenecks among various brain parts. Therefore improving connections among various brain regions is critical to enhancing our working memory.
Thus, meaningful social connections enable us to use various brain parts effectively and close the gaps causing bottlenecks for communication between brain regions.
Socially active people typically have a better working memory, in my observations. For example, they can process names quickly and remember them better in the future.
9 — Use daily chores as neurobic activities.
One of the effective ways to activate various brain regions and re-wire the brain circuits is the consistent use of neurobic activities. A characteristic of a neurobic activity is using a habitual task in different ways and styles.
For example, brushing our teeth is a habit. However, if we are right-handed, we can try brushing with our left hand until it feels natural, like when we use our right hand.
Neurobic activities can increase the capacity of working memory and create cognitive reserves by activating various brain regions and creating new neural pathways. I use daily activities as brain boosters.
After using various neurobic activities for a few years, such as dexterous writing, I noticed tremendous improvement in my working memory. New neural connections were noticeable in my behavior.
10 — Play musical instruments or computer games.
The brain loves fun and enjoyable activities and responds well to growing new neural pathways. One theory is stress reduction which puts the brain in a growth state.
I came across numerous recreational and educational computer games explicitly focusing on improving working memory. For example, I use Elevate and Lumosity games for around 15 minutes daily.
Playing chess with friends helped a lot but playing chess with computers in various apps and with IBM’s Blue Gene significantly improved my working memory.
Initially, a new game model causes some discomfort. This indicates that the neurocircuits are changing and growing. After several days these games become easier and quicker to complete.
Starting from a comfortable level, you can easily adjust the levels in computer games. They can be much more customizable and manageable than paper-based puzzles or classical sudoku games.
You can stay at a level as long as you want until your working memory can hold more information and new neural pathways are created to make the process more effective.
I observed musicians during my studies and measured their cognitive abilities. Those who could play an instrument showed better improved working memory than those who couldn’t.
Playing games and musical instruments can also develop focus, attention, task-switching, and problem-solving. Thus, they contribute to the improvement of working memory.
11 — Consume essential brain nutrients or supplement them.
The previous ten points were about the psychological aspect of memories. However, the brain is a biological, chemical, and electrical organ that can process, retain, and retrieve memories.
Therefore, what we eat matters for the brain to function and perform well. The brain needs various nutrients in adequate amounts for energy and neurotransmitters.
The most critical ones are micronutrients such as minerals and vitamins and macronutrients such as amino acids, glucose, dietary fats such as omega-3s, and fat metabolites like ketone bodies. I documented seven valuable nutrients for the brain in a previous article.
If we miss these essential nutrients, our cognitive health and performance can suffer, adversely affecting our working memories. Nutritional deficiency is one of the root causes of neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia. I introduced conditions causing memory disorders.
12 — Move, fast, and sleep well.
Movement, sleep, and fasting can change brain chemistry, affecting our cognitive health and performance.
For example, regular exercise, restorative sleep, and time-restricted eating can increase BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), putting the brain in a growth state and preventing decline.
Movement can increase blood flow to neurons and neurocircuits and oxygenate them. In addition, movement can lower toxins via the lymphatic system and allow the neurons to fire better.
Sleep and fasting can also cleanse pathogens and detoxify the brain cells. In addition, fasting can also initiate ketosis, activate autophagy, and signal genes to lower cellular inflammation in the brain.
These chemical and electrical activities from exercise, sleep, and fasting can improve cognitive health and contribute to growing working memory capacity.
Conclusions and Takeaways
As you can see from these 12 steps, our memories require physical and psychological nurturing. Memories are both physical and mental entities with emotional processing.
Even though memory is critical and establishes our identities, we cannot entirely rely on them. A computer remembers what is saved in the memory after many decades correctly. However, humans forget most of them or remember them partially.
Working memories reflect reality. However, long-term memories are always filtered and might not necessarily reflect reality. Besides, memories might get distorted or misplaced over time, as is evident in dementia patients.
More interestingly, the brain sees reality as a relative entity. It creates an image that is like an illusion. For example, the colors we see are not accurate. Scientifically speaking, there is no such thing as a blue sky. The brain gives that meaning.
I focused on working memory in this story as an essential survival tool. A well-functioning working memory determines our personal and professional success. Thus, working memory is an invaluable mental resource.
Unfortunately, it has a limited capacity, but fortunately, it can be improved with consistent practice. When we have an adequate working memory, we feel happy, enjoy our work, and produce well. The opposite is also true.
The key takeaway of this story is working memory is critical for our success and can be improved at any age with healthy lifestyle choices, both mentally and physically.
If you enjoy this story, you might also check a relevant story about overall brain training titled Here’s How I Train My Brain Daily for Mental Clarity and Intellectual Productivity.
While increasing the digital, artificial, neurotransmitter, and hormonal intelligence of my readers, one of my writing goals is to create awareness of the major causes and risk factors of common diseases leading to death and suffering for many people.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients.
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As part of my creative non-fiction writing goals, I’d like to share a few stories that might warm our hearts with a bit of humor into weighty topics.
Sample Humorous Stories
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