Understand & Improve Memory Using Science-Based Tools
Video Overview & Insights
This episode I explain the mechanisms by which different types of memories are established in our brain and how to leverage the amount and timing of key neurochemicals and hormones, such as adrenaline (aka epinephrine) and cortisol, to improve your learning and memory abilities. I describe multiple science-based protocols to do this, including repetition, caffeine, emotional states, deliberate cold exposure, sleep, meditation, and the role of vision, including taking “mental snapshots.” I also describe how exercise and an associated hormone, osteocalcin, can improve cognitive ability and memory formation. I also describe unique aspects and forms of memory such as photographic memory, extreme facial recognition (aka super recognition), and the phenomenon known as déjà vu.
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lmao this is a advertisement compilation not a podcast….don’t waste your time…
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Its mean that cycling hyperventilation breathing will improve memory
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I would appreciate an Episode about Memory Palaces or the Memory of Loci, and how you can use it more effectively. Thank you for your work :)
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Article Links
I think it is beneficial to everyone
A Novel Demonstration of Enhanced Memory Associated with Emotional Arousal: https://bit.ly/3FLuyPH
Mechanisms of memory under stress: https://bit.ly/3sEmdaZ
I do not know, how many people understood and took advantage by this podcast? For me waste of time, feeling our of topic.
Photographic Memory: The Effects of Volitional Photo Taking on Memory for Visual and Auditory Aspects of an Experience: https://bit.ly/3MlZB6U
Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators: https://bit.ly/3PnYaH5
I´d like a -reference for that bit about throwing kids in the water to make them remember events! I´m a medievalist but have never heard of it - what does Mary Carruthers say?
Timestamps
00:00:00 Memory, Improving Memory
What I learned from this podcast - combined comments from other commentors and my own additions/clarifications and improvements.
1. Repetition of material or skill you want to learn can enhance your learning by making connection between your neurons stronger.
2. Any information triggering a strong emotion which can either be positive or negative helps to remember things better.
3. After learning a particular Information or a skill, increase in certain chemicals, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Cortisol, Adrenaline can helps us remember things better, We can increase adrenaline by taking an ice bath, getting an electrical shock, caffein or by using other substances that increase these hormones. ---- IMPORTANT caveat: Adrenaline needs to be increased relative to the baseline which means that constant increases of adrenaline (aka chronic stress) don't help with learning. Over-caffeinating, for example, burns your system out. This is why it helps to try to be as calm, relaxed, and focused as possible on a daily basis, and use substances to increase adrenaline relative to this regulated baseline. The increase in adrenaline in these circumstances is a positive stressor which mobilizes your system and improves memory.
4. Taking a nap and sleep in general. Doesn't have to be done immediately after studying in fact quite the opposite. After studying you need to do the positive stress spike.
5. Doing cardiovascular exercise can also enhance our memory power. It's recommended to perform such exercise at least 180-200 minutes a week. ---- IMPORTANT caveat: Improvements aren't direct. Exercise helps by improving blood flow which improves brain function in the hippocampus.
6. Taking "mental snapshots" helps memory. Taking actual pictures with a camera makes you remember the thing you take picture of better. However, you actually don't need the camera for this. It is the mental process here that helps you remember. Studies showed that it does not matter if you ever look at the picture or not.
---- IMPORTANT caveat: You need to focus while you're taking the mental image/photograph. Paying attention and deciding to remember this scene is what improves your recollection. Without this intention, this method is unlikely to work. That's the mental process he is referencing here.
7. Daily meditation, 13 minutes is mentioned from a study, helps improving memory in the long run. It is said that you need 8 weeks to see some significant effects. Improves focus, memory, attention and emotional control.
00:02:45 Eight Sleep, Thesis, InsideTracker
00:07:54 Sensory Stimuli, Nervous System & Encoding Memory
I was today years old when I finally understood this.
00:11:12 Context & Memory Formation
00:13:46 Tool: Repetition, Improving Learning & Memory
What if I take caffeine during to increase visual and mental focus, then cold plunge 49°F or below after wards?
00:17:11 Co-Activation and intensity Neuron Activation
00:20:50 Different Types of Memory
I really enjoyed 😊❤❤ very interesting ❤😊
00:25:40 Memory Formation in the Brain, Hippocampus
00:28:00 Hippocampus, Role in Memory & Learning, Explicit vs. Implicit Memory
i am almost 55 years old..i am not youre boy and surly not youre slave , i don,t care if you are not agree with me...i am not youre boy..not youre slave
00:31:49 Emotion & Memory Enhancement
00:36:44 Tool: Emotion Saliency & Improved Memory
This is pure brilliance in video form!
00:41:42 Conditioned-Placed Avoidance/Preference, Adrenaline
00:47:14 Adrenaline & Cortisol
This was masterfully explained, phenomenal job!
00:49:35 Accelerating the Repetition Curve & Adrenaline
00:53:03 Tool: Enhancing Learning & Memory - Caffeine, Alpha-GPC & Stimulant Timing
I understood this so fast I need a moment to process my new identity.
01:00:50 Tool: Enhancing Learning & Memory - Sleep, Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)
01:04:48 Tool: Enhancing Learning & Memory - Deliberate Cold Exposure, Adrenaline
Can I do cyclic hyperventilation for adrenaline?
01:08:42 Timing of Adrenaline Release & Memory Formation
01:12:36 Chronically High Adrenaline & Cortisol, Impact on Learning & Memory
01:15:12 Adrenaline Linked with Learning: Not a New Principle
01:17:25 Amygdala, Adrenaline & Memory Formation, Generalization of Memories
This video just bullied my confusion into submission.
01:22:20 Tool: Cardiovascular Exercise & Neurogenesis
01:27:00 Cardiovascular Exercise, Osteocalcin & Improved Hippocampal Function
My brain actually applauded. That has never happened before.
01:29:59 Load-Bearing Exercise, Osteocalcin & Cognitive Ability
01:34:41 Tool: Timing of Exercise, Learning & Memory Enhancement
If learning felt like this in school, I’d have perfect attendance.
01:37:29 Photographic Memory
01:38:49 “Super Recognizers,” Facial Recognition
Good content. Info spread out too much. Need to summarise myself..
01:41:46 Tool: Mental Snapshots, Photographs & Memory Enhancement
01:49:12 Déjà Vu
01:53:24 Tool: Meditation, Daily Timing of Meditation
02:02:21 How to Enhance Memory
02:05:51 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Patreon, Momentous Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter
The Huberman Lab Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.
I'm watching this video in 2025, and when I reached the hippocampus talk(27:00), I kind of started to realize that I might've already watched this video a couple of years ago😂... kinda felt ironic.. I could barely remember seeing any of it, but from the start of this video itself I had this deja vu kind of feeling, but now I realized I might just have seen this whole thing already and doesn't remember any of it..
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com
Planet Ayurveda’s MAHAKALYANAKA GHRIT is like food for the brain and body. It improves memory, supports eyesight, and boosts overall strength naturally.
More User Perspectives
Only useful thing is he pretty much says you can use repetition to memorize things and thats about it the rest is him just repeating the same things we pretty much already know. Nobody is going to take a cold plunge before studying or drink a coffee after the fact. Some of it is interesting facts but nothing that you can practically do to improve your memory or studying time of homeworks. He doesn't show any graphs or numbers either.
@andres769035:35 is interesting. I heard a recommendation about a book called The Body Keeps the Score, which is about how the body remembers things such as trauma etc. Maybe its related?
@ayeletle9761We don't want to apply all the tips to everything.
That’s not exactly what we want for efficiency.
Continuously simulating and applying them in real life is the most efficient approach. Then our brain takes care of everything else by itself.
my life has changed for the better for the better since i watched your videos and subscribed to your channel
@SamTejada.wellness.shortsI used to be able remmeber anyone's phone number by looking at it in 2 seconds... watching this makes me sad.
@Samuel-GottThank you ur the best Andy 😂
@Joey_Quinnyou can take a selfie and then blink at the picture of yourself. but then i think an even better idea is to blink at yourself in the mirror while striking a pose 🤣
@karierrekickerahh so that's why most of us are visual learners
@karierrekickerthey go back to the same bar because of the favourite booze brand😆
@karierrekickeryou can't ignore the fact of how tedious repetition can be and even if we ignore it, it won't just go away as a general problematic for people dealing with educational material as students. i'm stunned always about the naturality with which this method is preached for every time there is the point of topic referring to memorizing.
@karierrekickerthere's a great movie that illustrates this kind of disturbance of memory although it's not the scientific approach rather an emotional hollywood interpretation (called 50 first dates). i'm not sure how popular it is, but i used to watch it a lot before knowing about memory
@karierrekickerJohn 3:16
@AdeobaDebayo-DohertyI’ve always had a poor memory when it comes to things like song lyrics, which makes it all the more puzzling that, in my dreams, I can recall every word, the entire musical score, and even visualize it all with vivid detail. Sometimes, I’m even playing an instrument, usually the piano, as part of a band. It’s something I’ve often wondered. If only I could tap into this memory recall at will.
@donny121ableWhat bothers me about the Déjà Vu theory is that a few times each year, I experience something that goes beyond just a sense of familiarity. When it happens, I get a brief but clear sense of what’s about to unfold—sometimes just seconds in advance—and then events play out exactly as I felt they would. I’ve always interpreted this as a kind of warning, a sign that something bad might be about to happen. In response, I often change my course of action to avoid what feels like a potential threat. I even have several stories where, possibly, this intuition may have prevented something negative from occurring. It reminds me a bit of the movie Final Destination, but the glimpse into the future is much shorter. Still, the experience leaves me anxious every time—it’s strange and unsettling.
@donny121ableFor me It's the action of taking the photo that keeps it in memory i.e. I will remember taking the picture which directs my memory to what the picture was. Also, I find when concentrating on taking a photo I block sounds to increase focus on getting a better picture.
@donny121ableNo energy is needed to be in a complete state of presence.
But the speculation about activating the prefrontal part of the brain is true for those who are not experienced meditators.
Now that I have been meditating daily for years I can say that it is not tiring to meditate for me, focusing on the breath is only needed when one is learning. When you can reach that state, you don't struggle at all; in fact, you are in a state of complete relaxation. Peace brothers and sisters.
U made me realise that I have brain / superpower adrew sir
@MuskaanMohi