Understand & Improve Memory Using Science-Based Tools

**Andrew Huberman** (0:00)
Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.
I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. Today, we are discussing memory, in particular, how to improve your memory. Now, the study of memory is one that dates back many decades. And by now, there's a pretty good understanding of how memories are formed in the brain, the different structures involved and some of the neurochemicals involved. We will talk about some of that today. Often overlooked, however, is that memories are not just about learning. Memories are also about placing your entire life into a context. And that's because what's really special about the brain, and in particular, the human brain, is its ability to place events in the context of past events, the present and future events, and sometimes even combinations of the past and present or present and future and so on. So when we talk about memory, what we're really talking about is how your immediate experiences relate to previous and future experiences. Today, I'm going to make clear how that process occurs. Even if you don't have a background in biology or psychology, I promise to put it into language that anyone can access and understand. And we are going to talk about the science that points to specific tools for enhancing learning and memory. We're also going to talk about unlearning and forgetting. There are, of course, instances in which we would like to forget things. And that too is a biological process for which great tools exist to, for instance, eliminate or at least reduce the emotional load of our previous experience that you really did not like or that perhaps even was traumatic to you. So today, you're going to learn about the systems in the brain and body that establish memories. You're going to learn why certain memories are easier to form than others. And I'm going to talk about specific tools that are grounded in not just one, not just a dozen, but well over a hundred studies in animals and humans that point to specific protocols that you can use in order to stamp down learning of particular things more easily. And you can also leverage that same knowledge to better forget or unload the emotional weight of experiences that you did not like. We are also going to discuss topics like deja vu and photographic memory. And for those of you that do not have a photographic memory, and I should point out that I do not have a photographic memory either, well, you will learn how to use your visual system in order to better learn visual and auditory information. There are protocols to do this grounded in excellent peer-reviewed research. So while you may not have a true photographic memory, by the end of the episode, you will have tools in hand, or I should say tools in mind or in eyes and mind, to be able to encode and remember specific events better than you would otherwise. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, I'd like to thank the sponsors of today's podcast. Our first sponsor is Athletic Greens. Athletic Greens is an all-in-one vitamin mineral probiotic drink. I've been taking Athletic Greens since 2012, so I'm delighted that they're sponsoring the podcast. The reason I started taking Athletic Greens and the reason I still take Athletic Greens once or twice a day is that it helps me cover all of my basic nutritional needs. It makes up for any deficiencies that I might have. In addition, it has probiotics, which are vital for microbiome health. I've done a couple of episodes now on the so-called gut microbiome and the ways in which the microbiome interacts with your immune system, with your brain to regulate mood, and essentially with every biological system relevant to health throughout your brain and body. With Athletic Greens, I get the vitamins I need, the minerals I need, and the probiotics to support my microbiome. If you'd like to try Athletic Greens, you can go to athleticgreens.com/huberman and claim a special offer. They'll give you five free travel packs plus a year's supply of vitamin D3 K2. There are a ton of data now showing that vitamin D3 is essential for various aspects of our brain and body health. Even if we're getting a lot of sunshine, many of us are still deficient in vitamin D3. And K2 is also important because it regulates things like cardiovascular function, calcium in the body and so on. Again go to athleticgreens.com/huberman to claim the special offer of the five free travel packs and the year supply of vitamin D3 K2. Today's episode is also brought to us by Element. Element is an electrolyte drink that has everything you need and nothing you don't. That means the exact ratios of electrolytes are an element and those are sodium, magnesium and potassium, but it has no sugar. I've talked many times before on this podcast about the key role of hydration and electrolytes for nerve cell function, neuron function, as well as the function of all the cells and all the tissues and organ systems of the body. If we have sodium, magnesium and potassium present in the proper ratios, all of those cells function properly and all our bodily systems can be optimized. If the electrolytes are not present and if hydration is low, we simply can't think as well as we would otherwise. Our mood is off, hormone systems go off, our ability to get into physical action, to engage in endurance and strength and all sorts of other things is diminished. So with Element, you can make sure that you're staying on top of your hydration and that you're getting the proper ratios of electrolytes. If you'd like to try Element, you can go to Drink Element, that's lmnt.com/huberman, and you'll get a free Element sample pack with your purchase. They're all delicious. So again, if you want to try Element, you can go to elementlmnt.com/huberman.