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How curiosity can supercharge your brain and boost your success

How curiosity can supercharge your brain and boost your success

12 October 2022

Curiosity can boost memory and creativity for sharper thinking, yet it can also lead to distraction and procrastination. The trick is to know when and how to use it


How language evolved: A new idea suggests it’s all just a game

How language evolved: A new idea suggests it’s all just a game

23 March 2022

Our mastery of language presents many mysteries, not least where grammar comes from and how children learn to speak so effortlessly. Now researchers argue that it all makes sense if you think of language as a game of charades


Repressed memories: The dangerous idea we can’t seem to forget

Repressed memories: The dangerous idea we can’t seem to forget

6 October 2021

The idea that recollections of traumatic experiences can be locked away only to suddenly re-emerge years later has once again become a hotly debated issue, with serious implications for investigations of historical abuse


Breathing exercise Pranayama

How to breathe your way to better memory and sleep

8 January 2020

More than half of us breathe the wrong way, missing out on many benefits from better health to altered consciousness. Here's how to do it right


a head covered in sticky notes

Memory FAQ: Answers to the common questions that baffle us all

24 October 2018

Why can’t we remember being babies? Does closing your eyes help you recall? Why can’t I remember what I did 5 seconds ago? What is photographic memory? And more


two people

Memory special: How can two people recall an event so differently?

24 October 2018

We each have a personal memory style determined by the brain, so next time you argue with someone about what really happened, remember that you may both be right


photographs

Memory special: What happens to memories over time?

24 October 2018

Memories fade, but that's no accident. Forgetting is a useful trick of the mind, and even when memories are lost, they aren't always forgotten


man with playing cards

Memory special: Is your memory normal?

24 October 2018

Why do some people remember what they did years ago, whereas others have no clue, but never forget a face or are trivia masters? Here's how to make sense of it


people staring at phones

Memory special: Is technology making your memory worse?

24 October 2018

From search engines to Instagram and a reliance on satnav, our relationship with technology is changing the way the brain makes memories, for better and worse


blocked out face

Memory special: Can you choose what to forget?

24 October 2018

If you want to forget an embarrassing encounter, you may just need to try. Forgetting isn't a passive process – so here's how to choose which memories you lose


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