Forget forgetting — the ‘Roman Room' memory method could help you stay mentally sharp as you age
Brain training simply refers to activities that can improve cognition and memory. You might be an avid crossword player or enjoy learning new skills, for example. The efficacy of brain training activities is still debated today with regard to whether or not the skills translate to everyday life. That said, they can be fun and engaging, and some are very practical.
I'm neurodivergent, and recently discussed my (lack of) working memory with a client I train. He told me about a memory tool he picked up from Mind Tools, known as the "Roman Room System.' Curious, I did a bit of digging into the system itself and how it works.
Here's what I learned, and how you might benefit from it, too.
There's promising research to show brain training can help improve cognition, memory and attention. However, its effectiveness is still debated.
A large-scale cross-sectional investigation published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience explained (as recently as 2019) that there's an 'ongoing debate concerning its scientific basis or evidence for efficacy,' stating that much of the research is based on small studies.
Researchers analyzed cross-sectional data from two large internet-cohort studies and concluded that those who undertake 'commercially available brain training regimes for long timescales' do benefit, but although the benefits can transfer to other computerized tasks, it's limited. They cited motivation to engage in brain training as an important factor in cognitive ability.
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Another study assessed 51 healthy subjects using cognitive training called Lumosity, testing attention, processing speed, visual memory and executive function. This lasted for 15 minutes per day, seven days a week, for three weeks. It's a limited study, but researchers did find improvements in attention and motor speed.
Also referred to as the Method of Loci, Mind Tools states that the Roman Room technique is an effective way to remember information that doesn't follow a structure.
Using the system, you'll imagine a room you know well, like your bedroom or office. Next, imagine the objects within the room and associate these with the information you want to remember. The system recommends forming images connected with the information and attaching them to the objects. Whenever you need to recall information, take a tour of the room in your head and visualize the objects to bring up the information.
To take the system further, imagine a place with multiple rooms that you know well, like your home, then move from one room to another, associating each room and the objects within with information you need to recall. The technique encourages you to store categories of information in different rooms, just like you would furniture, creating a 'cognitive map' in your mind.
The system recommends forming images connected with the information and attaching them to the objects.
It's particularly useful for unordered information that doesn't follow a set process, but you could travel through the rooms in a set way if you want to recall information in order, such as a speech.
The theory is that mentally stimulating activities improve neuroplasticity — your brain's ability to form new neural connections — and ward off conditions such as dementia. Again, though, the evidence is limited.
Remember, physical exercise is proven by a wealth of research to improve cognitive function, even when performed at a moderate intensity. Alongside enjoyable brain training activities, consider taking walks or adding some form of movement or exercise to your daily routine to help you stay mentally sharp as you age.
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Tom's Guide
06-08-2025
- Tom's Guide
Forget forgetting — the ‘Roman Room' memory method could help you stay mentally sharp as you age
As we age, we experience certain physical and mental changes, which is why exercising is crucial for building or maintaining physical and psychological strength. In the same way that we must train our muscles to grow, we also need to train our brains to stay sharp and strong. Brain training simply refers to activities that can improve cognition and memory. You might be an avid crossword player or enjoy learning new skills, for example. The efficacy of brain training activities is still debated today with regard to whether or not the skills translate to everyday life. That said, they can be fun and engaging, and some are very practical. I'm neurodivergent, and recently discussed my (lack of) working memory with a client I train. He told me about a memory tool he picked up from Mind Tools, known as the "Roman Room System.' Curious, I did a bit of digging into the system itself and how it works. Here's what I learned, and how you might benefit from it, too. There's promising research to show brain training can help improve cognition, memory and attention. However, its effectiveness is still debated. A large-scale cross-sectional investigation published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience explained (as recently as 2019) that there's an 'ongoing debate concerning its scientific basis or evidence for efficacy,' stating that much of the research is based on small studies. Researchers analyzed cross-sectional data from two large internet-cohort studies and concluded that those who undertake 'commercially available brain training regimes for long timescales' do benefit, but although the benefits can transfer to other computerized tasks, it's limited. They cited motivation to engage in brain training as an important factor in cognitive ability. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Another study assessed 51 healthy subjects using cognitive training called Lumosity, testing attention, processing speed, visual memory and executive function. This lasted for 15 minutes per day, seven days a week, for three weeks. It's a limited study, but researchers did find improvements in attention and motor speed. Also referred to as the Method of Loci, Mind Tools states that the Roman Room technique is an effective way to remember information that doesn't follow a structure. Using the system, you'll imagine a room you know well, like your bedroom or office. Next, imagine the objects within the room and associate these with the information you want to remember. The system recommends forming images connected with the information and attaching them to the objects. Whenever you need to recall information, take a tour of the room in your head and visualize the objects to bring up the information. To take the system further, imagine a place with multiple rooms that you know well, like your home, then move from one room to another, associating each room and the objects within with information you need to recall. The technique encourages you to store categories of information in different rooms, just like you would furniture, creating a 'cognitive map' in your mind. The system recommends forming images connected with the information and attaching them to the objects. It's particularly useful for unordered information that doesn't follow a set process, but you could travel through the rooms in a set way if you want to recall information in order, such as a speech. The theory is that mentally stimulating activities improve neuroplasticity — your brain's ability to form new neural connections — and ward off conditions such as dementia. Again, though, the evidence is limited. Remember, physical exercise is proven by a wealth of research to improve cognitive function, even when performed at a moderate intensity. Alongside enjoyable brain training activities, consider taking walks or adding some form of movement or exercise to your daily routine to help you stay mentally sharp as you age. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
National Geographic
11-04-2025
- National Geographic
Do crossword puzzles really keep your brain sharp?
They've long been seen as a way to prevent cognitive decline—but experts say the real key to brain health goes far beyond word games. An elderly person works on a crossword puzzle. These games can help keep the brain engaged—but studies show other habits, like exercise and education, play a far greater role in preventing cognitive decline. Photograph by Joel Sartore, Nat Geo Image Collection Ask almost anyone how to stay mentally sharp in old age; chances are someone will bring up crossword puzzles. Alongside Sudoku and word searches, these games have long been seen as 'workouts' for the brain. In fact, a 2020 study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found these kinds of puzzles are among the most frequently engaged-in activities for brain training and cognitive benefits. But how did this belief become so widespread? And does it actually hold up? One theory is that people have simply noticed a pattern: older adults who seem mentally sharp often keep up with these kinds of games. But experts say the connection might not be as direct as we think. Kellyann Niotis, a preventive neurologist specializing in strategies to lower dementia risk, suggests people who enjoy doing puzzles may have high verbal intelligence, or verbal IQ, which correlates with a lower risk for dementia. 'People who are highly educated also have a higher verbal IQ, and we understand that these people are also at a lower risk,' she adds. Gary Small, the chair of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center, grew up in a puzzle-loving household and shares the affection. But professionally, he wasn't entirely convinced that puzzles had real cognitive benefits. 'My theory is that to activate your neural circuits and exercise your brain, you have to find that sweet spot.' In other words, the puzzle has to be just the right amount of challenging. The concept aligns with the 'use it or lose it' principle often mentioned in discussions about physical fitness: Just as you need to exercise your muscles to keep them strong, regularly working on crossword puzzles could be a way to train and bolster the brain. But, like nearly all things neuroscience-related, the truth isn't so straightforward. While puzzles may seem like a simple way to keep your brain in shape, studies suggest the reality is more nuanced. A 2022 study published in NEJM Evidence found that individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who did crossword puzzles over 12 weeks showed cognitive improvement. Still, it's important to note that while the results were impressive because they occurred in a very specific group of people already experiencing cognitive decline, the improvement was also modest. (Here's why adults need to make time for playtime.) A 2024 study also showed a link between puzzles and better cognitive abilities. It studied the lifestyle choices of more than 9,000 people and concluded that board games and puzzles were the strongest predictors of reasoning skills and a top predictor of memory and verbal ability (video games ranked just as high). While studies like these are encouraging for puzzle enthusiasts, there's a catch: the link between puzzles and brain health may be correlation instead of causation. And while puzzles may have some benefits, the research is much stronger in support of other lifestyle interventions for boosting brain health. Exercise and other proven ways to protect your brain So, what does move the needle when it comes to brain health? In his book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, physician Peter Attia says exercise is 'the single most powerful item in our preventive tool kit,' especially for reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline. Regular exercise improves glucose control, which benefits the brain and helps increase blood flow. It's even been shown to increase the volume of the hippocampus, a critical brain region for learning and memory. According to Niotis, it also boosts neuroplasticity (i.e., helps the brain form new connections) and produces brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein essential for healthy cognitive function. (Here's what lifting weights does to your body—and your mind.) 'Exercise is tricky because we don't really understand the optimal dose or type or frequency of exercise,' she explains. 'But it's very clear that cardio exercise helps boost cognitive function.' Studies also show that older adults who exercise have better cognitive performance than those who aren't active. Beyond exercise, the 2024 report of The Lancet Commission on Dementia prevention, intervention, and care identified 13 additional modifiable risk factors at different stages during the life course. These include hearing loss, traumatic brain injury (TBI), hypertension, heavy drinking, obesity, smoking, depression, social isolation, physical inactivity, type 2 diabetes, air pollution, high cholesterol, untreated vision problems, and lower levels of education in early life. Notably absent from that list? Crossword puzzles. Why puzzlers seem to stay sharper with age If the research suggests that several other lifestyle interventions play a stronger role in brain health, then why does it appear to the general public that those who do puzzles stay sharper in old age? One possibility: puzzle enthusiasts may already be doing many of the right things. They're often more educated—a factor the Lancet identifies as a key modifiable risk for dementia—and they may be more likely to follow other brain-healthy habits, like staying socially engaged and physically active. (The reason dementia rates are rising is surprisingly simple.) Small suggests this is likely because studies show keeping the brain engaged builds cognitive reserve, which is your brain's ability to adapt and stay strong, even as it ages or faces challenges like disease or injury. The more you do to strengthen your brain, the better prepared it is to handle aging and any impending cognitive decline. He recalls a study from over 25 years ago, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, where he and other researchers scanned the brains of people with mild memory complaints as they performed a memory task. 'We found that people with the genetic risk [for dementia], their brains had to work harder to solve that same task,' Small explains. When researchers followed up two years later, those whose brains worked harder showed greater cognitive decline. Building a strong cognitive reserve will boost this ability for the brain to fight hard to compensate—until, eventually, it can no longer keep up. So, while crossword puzzles may help keep your mind engaged, they shouldn't be your only strategy—especially if you've already mastered them. As Niotis explains, 'When you start doing the same thing over and over again, that isn't really boosting cognitive reserve or helping support neuroplasticity because the novelty aspect of it is lost.' (What are the signs of dementia—and why is it so hard to diagnose?) In the end, there's nothing wrong with doing crossword puzzles. And the scientific evidence shows they're far from cognitively bankrupt and even provide some beneficial mental stimulation. However, truly reducing your risk for dementia requires a multipronged approach that should always include plenty of consistent exercise. A strategy like this will likely offer far greater protection against cognitive decline than a single puzzle ever could.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
How to be more intelligent in 2025
Our culture places a massive premium on our ability to think and solve problems. It influences our career, dating, and overall life outcomes. We've been sold this broken idea that the cards we get are the cards we get. What if intelligence isn't just about genetics, but habits? You can improve your cognitive skills with a several brain training techniques that will improve your mental performance over time. Here are six quick strategies that only require 15 minutes a day. Choose knowledge over test scores I'll let you in on a little secret: You can improve your IQ score. Just take more IQ tests. Advertisement Scores are proven to increase via the Practice Effect. But that doesn't do much for you, does it? In fact, those enhanced scores are considered an error variance (faulty data) by IQ test administrators. It's easy to get lost in the noise, debate, and hype around intelligence. It's best to think of intelligence as what you do rather than what you are. 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The problem is that most of us get jobs with deep and narrow focuses or which require droning activities, leaving other parts of our brains unchallenged. For example, there's a game that may actually make you smarter. It's called Dual N-Back Online. It has been shown to reduce dementia in patients. While most of you don't need to worry about that now, none of you are getting any younger. Contrary to my own skeptical assumptions, scientists also found that brain games, such as Lumosity, boost cognitive function. Advertisement Participants demonstrated greater problem-solving and an improved ability to quickly switch between tasks. Many games are designed specifically for things you struggle with — such as cognition, pattern recognition, memory, and spatial reasoning. Just as some physical exercises boost functional strength, brain games help with real-life cognitive tasks. It spares you from the abstractness of IQ tests. Remember: Mental exercises don't just improve the mind — they also protect brain health. A quick and easy creativity drill Here's a great creativity exercise my writing mentor taught me. It's simple and you can do it while brushing your teeth. The goal is to think of two things that are as far removed from each other as possible. You could start simple and say, 'Blue and red.' Then you could say, 'Grass and astronomy.' Advertisement You work your way out from there. For example, you could think bike, snail, love, stenography, sales, alphabet. Then, in the final step, after you think of the two most radically different subjects — try to connect them. As a simple example, we could try to connect 'snail' and 'alphabet'. Both can spell each other — a snail with its slime, the alphabet with its letters. Both words have the letters 'a' and 'l'. Both can be a good soup. You get the drift. This exercise develops your ability to connect unrelated subjects. This ability sits at the beating heart of creativity Slow things down with meditation I began meditating after after my initial resistance to the activity. After doing it consistently for a few weeks, I felt a fundamental change in my mind. My stress went down and my posture improved. Advertisement My mind feels calm. The inner noise dies down. I feel still, focused, and uncluttered. Meditation is proven to boost attention and executive function— that part of your brain enabling you to have more control of your actions, to be more deliberate. Another study found that it improves verbal fluency and cognitive flexibility. And I get that many people resist this suggestion. Just as my friend raved to me about meditation, I was doing the same last month with my neighbor. We were working on his car and I said, 'Have you tried meditation?' His face scrunched up, 'No, what is that?' I explained meditation and he gave me this quizzical look like I was talking about hippie wizardry. He's an older military guy. He isn't keen on this type of stuff. However, his doubt isn't uncommon. Advertisement Believe in meditation. The impact is real. It strengthens your mind. I never do it more than 10 minutes a day and it still pays dividends. With all of the overstimulating flashing screens and notifications, it's immensely healthy and helpful to slow everything down. Your brain needs it. Don't shy away from exercise and nutrition Just as meditation, and slowing our minds down, has this counterintuitively useful impact on cognition, so does exercise. It helps reduce the aging effects on our brain, and fortifies your mind to perform at its best. It is also extremely useful in reducing mental health constraints that can negatively impact cognition, such as depression and anxiety (which can hurt executive function, attention spans, and lower processing speed). Advertisement Your brain is a biological organ that is at the mercy of the same chemical forces your other organs are. Don't forget to healthy lifestyle habits to give it the best chance to succeed and perform over time. This includes a healthy brain diet, with omega-3 fatty acids, nuts, berries, green tea, vitamin B12, and leafy greens. Combine this with proper sleep and stress management, and you'll already be ahead of the pack. Lastly, practice deliberate learning One of my close friends is a successful author, who was always an average student in school. In English class, he never got praise from his teacher nor did I seek it. His work was mediocre. You'd have never predicted he'd become an author. I even remember Yet, today, he is much better than many of those star students, writing books and hit essays. Advertisement Why? Because he fell in love with the craft on his own terms years later. He didn't quit. He obsessed over the mechanics, iterated, got feedback, and had the humility to learn at something new. His persistence paid off in huge dividends and I am still in awe of how far he's come. The bigger point I'm making: humans have a remarkable ability to become highly competent at specific things. And while talent will always play a role, it is curiosity and persistence that unlocks your unexpected potential. Make sure you give yourself time to focus on these skills, without distractions, like your phone, which will interrupt deep focus and periods of quick learning. There are too many defeatist attitudes floating around, 'I'm no good at that.' Or, 'I'm not smart enough for that.' You being here — reading in your free time— indicates you're probably smarter than the average dot on a scatter plot. Advertisement Put in at least 10–15 minutes a day on that one thing you wish you were better at, and watch the change happen. Remember, believe in yourself and be persistent. The human brain is a magnificent creation of evolution. Do any of these things for 15 minutes a day, and your mind will be better for it. Treat this as a lifelong learning strategy rather than an instant fix. Recap for your memory
