New research published in the July issue of Cognition indicates that using gestures while studying can dramatically improve learning and memory.

The study, done by Susan Wagner Cook at the University of Rochester,

This important strategy should help improve your learning efficiency and memory. It’s presented in college student context, but of course applies to anyone looking for a good study tip.

You’ve decided you’ve got four hours this weekend to review for your psychology exam. Is it better to do it all in one 4-hour session, or divide it up into four separate 1-hour sessions? The first strategy is referred to as massed practice, and the second is referred to as distributed practice.

This article reveals what modern neuroscience has learned about sleep as it applies to learning and memory. I believe this information can be of great benefit not only to students looking to improve their study skills, but to anyone interested in improving their memory and learning potential.

Can certain smells boost brain power? Let’s first take a look at what else certain odors can do:

• Stores are now using special odors to make customers buy things and spend more money
• The leathery smell of a new car is an artificial odor sprayed on to enhance buyer satisfaction
• Casinos are using odors to make people gamble more

Your mental energy and ability to concentrate depend to a very large extent on the types of food you eat. Unfortunately, most people fall short when it comes to understanding how to best feed the brain. Here’s a short tip you may find helpful:

Today starts the Smartkit site’s Study Tips contest. What worked for you while in college? Or if you’re still in school, we’d like to know your favorite method for getting your best studying done. We are giving away 2 prizes:

Can college students pull an ‘All-Nighter’—staying up the entire night to cram for a test—and have their brains function close to normal the next day? The majority, of course, think so …

But several studies clearly show brain function takes a big hit after an all-nighter. Memory systems and

One of the greatest misunderstandings people have about the brain is their belief in “free energy”.

Sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand words…

(Noever, R., J. Cronise, and R. A. Relwani. 1995. Using spider-web patterns to determine toxicity. NASA Tech Briefs 19(4):82. Published in New Scientist magazine, 27 April 1995.)

Recent research out of Washington University suggests a great study tip for students:

Today I received an email from someone who runs a memory and learning improvement internet business. It was the kind of email that gets blasted to thousands of inboxes simultaneously. Although I’ve never purchased any of their products, I always got the impression it was fairly reputable.

A new study out of Boston University and UCLA and published in the journal Current Biology, confirms that learning is more efficient when multiple senses are involved.

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.

I’ve come to realize over time that [average ability + love of what you do] can greatly outperform [superior ability + average interest in what you do]. I’m convinced that deep interest triggers some truly magical neurochemical changes in your brain that allow for top performance.

Many students believe they don’t do well academically because they were “born with a bad memory”.

I’ve always believed, however, that memory ability depends in large part upon what strategies are being used. And since strategies are things that can be taught, a bad memory can easily be improved and good memory can be made great.

This student study tip is a good example of “better learning through neurochemistry”.

It comes from a new research study out of the University College London, and provides an interesting

Not too long ago, I posted how over the long term, meditation can actually increase the size of the brain. Specifically, it thickens the cerebral cortex in areas important for attention and concentration.

I came across another study, though, that shows meditation over the short term can also

This is truly a must-know piece information for any high-school or college student. To place the severity of the problem in perspective:

• 75% of students have tried alcohol by the end of high school
• More than half of 12th graders and 20% of 5th graders have been drunk at least once (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2004 study)

About 2 weeks ago, I posted how an “empty stomach” can improve memory and boost brain power via a stomach-made hormone called ghrelin.

Ghrelin travels to the hippocampus, the memory engine of the brain, and causes new connections to form between brain cells.

Now, a study has been published that shows

This helpful bit should be of use to college students, busy executives, and anyone else who is dependent on high levels of concentration and brain power.

It turns out there is a growing body of research that shows, amazingly:

• Exposure to green outdoor settings (parks, trees, grassy backyards, etc…) can

A 2006 study out of the Division of Neuroscience and The Brain Research Center at University of British Columbia Hospital nicely summarizes one of the core teachings of brain enhancement:

• Regular doses of exercise can “massively increase” the growth of new brain cells in your brain.

The best part of it all, however, is the specific location

If your ability to concentrate and pay attention is bad enough to the point you’ve been told you have ADHD, the results from this new study may offer you some hope of brain enhancement without amphetamines.

The 2006 article from the journal Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids found that:

Many college student rely on caffeine for accelerated learning. However, contrary to what most people think, caffeine does not simultaneously stimulate all regions of your brain.

New brain imaging technology reveals that it preferentially stimulates the Frontal Lobes and the Anterior Cingulum. These areas are important for:

Children in elementary and middle school typically need 9.5 – 10 hours of sleep per night (probably closer to 10). When they only get 8-9 hours of sleep, their brain function and ability to learn drops markedly. Surprisingly, research studies seem to indicate just this 1 extra hour of sleep a night can make a very large difference.

For years it was thought (and taught!) that the brain can not create and make new brain cells.

This is false. Numerous studies have now conclusively proven otherwise.

What is really interesting, however, is that new studies show that the hippocampus- the memory engine of your mind- can actually