Assessment
Memorize a Masterpiece
Challenge your brain by learning a favorite verse by heart
Gene Chutka/Getty Images
Quick Win
Reciting a favorite text is a great party trick, and it's an excellent way to stimulate your brain, too.
Try This Today
- Surf the web or visit the library to find a poem you really enjoy. Not into poetry? Try memorizing a famous speech by a historical figure or childhood hero.
- Write the words in your own handwriting, then commit the text to memory by dividing it into smaller pieces.
- Once you have the whole thing memorized, practice reciting it out loud. If you make a mistake, start from the beginning. When you’re ready, perform it for a loved one!
Why
Maybe you haven't attempted to memorize a text since grade school — if at all. But this rewarding activity can be an excellent mental workout. In an MRI study that compared 25 healthy young men with 25 Hindu priests of similar age (all were 21 to 28) who spent years memorizing hymns and other types of scriptures, the priests had greater brain plasticity, including increased gray and white matter in several brain regions involved in memory. The results were published in Scientific Reports in 2021.
More Ways to Benefit
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