Reader’s Digest (UK)

Follow These Memory Tips To The Letter! Shortcuts to sharper recall from our memory expert, Jonathan Hancock

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Hre’s an experiment. What are the capital cities of Peru, Colombia and Venezuela? Maybe you know one or more of them instantly. But if you don’t, see if this helps: their initial letters are L, B and C. Most people do much better when they know the initials (did they help you to remember Lima, Bogota and Caracas?).

Initials can “jump start” our brains, and they’re behind some of the most popular memory prompts:

• Acronyms like “scuba” (Selfcontai­ned Underwater Breathing Apparatus) pack lots of details into memorable single words.

• Initialism­s like PDF and CPR also act as communicat­ion shortcuts— and handy clues if we ever need to remember the full informatio­n: Portable Document Format; Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitat­ion.

• Repeated initials can help us to recall everything in a group—like the “Five Cs of Credit” in the world of finance (Character, Capacity, Collateral, Capital and Conditions).

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