Are You Curious About This Article? Being So Will Help Improve Your Memory

By Jeffrey Strain, October 3rd, 2014 | 3 Comments »

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If you clicked through to read this article because you’re curios about what it will say about improving your memory, there is a good chance your curiosity in learning about it will help you do exactly that. You’ll be more likely to remember what you read here according to new research published this week in Neuron. The research finds a correlation between those who are curious about what they are reading and studying, and having greater motivation to learn which results in better long-term memory.

University of California at Davis researchers used functional magnetic resonance brain imaging as they asked volunteers to rate their curiosity to a number of different trivia questions, and as these volunteers answered the questions. The brain images showed an activity increase in the hippocampus where new memories are formed in those volunteers who were more curious about the trivia questions. Being curious also showed more excitement and pleasure in the reward system area of the brain.
The researchers began by asking participants to give a curiosity rating the felt for learning the answer to number of specific questions. The researchers would then ask the volunteers the trivia questions, but wait 14 seconds before giving the answer to the trivia question. During this time, the a picture of a neutral face with nothing to do with the study was shown to the volunteer.

The overall finding indicated those questions where curiosity was high translated into better memory. When researchers asked the volunteers to remember the answers to the questions a day after being tested, they were able to recall the answers to the questions where they had a high level of curiosity 71% of the time, while only being able to recall the answers 54% of the time to those trivia questions where they had little curiosity. In addition, volunteers were better able to recall a variety of incidental facts such as the neutral faces they were shown to the questions they were most curious about.
As co-author of the study Charan Ranganath explained, “Curiosity recruits the reward system, and interactions between the reward system and the hippocampus seem to put the brain in a state in which you are more likely to learn and retain information, even if that information is not of particular interest or importance.”
The UC Davis researchers hope further research can find ways to help students learn better in school settings by using curiosity, as well as help prevent age-related memory loss for those growing older. As the study’s lead author Dr. Matthias Gruber said, “Our findings potentially have far-reaching implications for the public because they reveal insights into how a form of intrinsic motivation—curiosity—affects memory. These findings suggest ways to enhance learning in the classroom and other settings.”
(Photo courtesy of Allan Ajifo)