Students who study for many hours on end should take note of a new study done by David Foster and other researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The study supports the idea that taking regular breaks can improve learning and memory formation.

Foster and his colleagues at MIT looked at rats exploring unfamiliar areas. When the rats were given breaks, their brains started to quickly replay the recently learned information. Many believe this is the brain’s way of preparing and processing the memory so that it can be placed in the long term stores.

The concept, known formally as consolidation, has been illustrated by several other research studies done over the past few years.

“Perhaps we don’t take breaks seriously enough,” Foster says. “Perhaps we’re wrong to expect all learning to occur on the job. Perhaps an important part of learning in general, and in jobs and at school, is occurring during breaks.” (From sciencentral news)

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