It is possibly the most frustrating thing ever, when you can’t remeber why you walked into the room or what that person’s name is. It is on the tip of your tongue, and the more you try and taste it out, it just isn’t happening. This may the solution you have been looking for to help you with your momentary memory loss, make a fist.

This technique has been proven to stimulate the oppposite side of the brain that you are making a fist with. There is a one and half minute delay. Clenching your right hand brings on emotions of happiness and anger. While a left hand clench brings on sadness and anxiety.

Ruth Propper lead researcher at Montclair State University tested the memory of 51 right handed individuals. These individuals were tasked with memorizing and recalling words while clenching and relaxing their hands using a ‘stress ball’ in specific sequences.

Results showed that individuals that memorised words immediatley after clenching their right hand and then recalled them after immdeiatley cleanchinf their left hand scored better on the memory test than those applying the sequence in reverse.

The results of this study were small and minimal, but there is no harm in trying the next time your memory fails you. Remember if your right handed, clench your right and then the left fist and the opposotie for lefties. It looks better if your making a fist than if your looking aimlessly at somebody trying to remember something.

[Source: The Atlantic]