Clenching your fist could be enough to help you get a grip on your memory.
Research suggests that balling up the right hand and squeezing it tightly actually makes it easier to memorise lists.
Later, when it is time to retrieve the information, it is the left hand that should be clenched.
It is thought the movements activate brain regions key to the storing and recall of memories.
The American researchers suggest those who are short of a pen and paper should try the trick when attempting to commit a shopping list or phone number to memory.
In the study, volunteers were given a rubber ball and asked to squeeze it as hard as possible before trying to memorise a list of 72 words.
They squeezed the ball again a couple of minutes later, ahead of recollecting as many of the words as possible.
One group used their right hand on both occasions, another their left. A third group clenched their right fist ahead of memorising and their left ahead of recall and a fourth did the reverse.
A fifth group held the ball but did not squeeze it.
Those who squeezed with their right hand, followed by their left, remembered the most words.
The next best were the volunteers who made a fist with their right hand both times, while those who didn’t squeeze at all did better than those who led with their left.
It is thought that the movement of clenching the right fist activates a brain region that is involved in storing memories, while squeezing the left hand triggers an area that is key to retrieving information.
Lead researcher Dr Ruth Propper said: ‘The findings suggest that simple body movements – by temporarily changing the way the brain functions – can improve memory.’
攥拳头足以帮助你掌握记忆法门。
研究显示，实际上，攥起右拳并握紧能让你更容易地记住列表内容。
如果稍后要回忆信息，那么你应该握紧左拳。
据认为，攥拳头的动作会激活大脑中和储存及唤回记忆相关的关键区域。
美国研究人员指出，那些手头没有纸笔的人在试图记住购物清单或电话号码时应该尝试一下这个技巧。
在这一研究中，研究人员给每个志愿者发了一个橡皮球，并让他们在试着记住一个包含72个单词的列表时尽全力握紧它。
志愿者们在几分钟后再次握紧这个球，然后尽可能地把单词回忆起来。
其中一个小组两次都用的右手，另一个小组两次都用左手。第三个小组在记单词前握紧右拳，在回忆前握紧左拳，第四个小组与其正相反。
第五个小组握着球但没有挤压它。
那些先用右手紧握、然后用左手紧握的人回忆起来的单词最多。
仅此于他们的是那些两次都握紧右拳的志愿者，而那些两次都没握紧拳头的人表现比那些两次都握紧左拳的人要好。
研究人员认为，握紧右拳的动作激活了和储存记忆相关的大脑区域，而握紧左拳的动作激活了大脑中与回忆信息相关的关键区域。
首席研究人员露丝•普洛伯博士说：“研究结果表明，简单的身体动作——通过暂时改变大脑运作的方式——可以改善记忆。”