Turning off the television, picking up a
crossword and eating more fish could be the
key to a better memory, an Australian survey
has found.
Results of the on-line survey of almost 30,000
people, conducted as part of Australia's science
week, also found people who read fiction had
better memories than those who don't, while
heavy drinkers found it more difficult to
recall names.
But neuro-psychologist Nancy Pachana said
television was not necessarily bad for memory,
with wider health and diet and an active lifestyle
more crucial to a good memory.
"Your memory is dependent on good health
and good mental health," Pachana, from the
University of Queensland's school of psychology
stated.
Dubbed the National Memory Test, the quiz
attracted 29,500 people who were tested on
tasks such as remembering a shopping list,
recalling names, faces and occupations, long-term
recall and spotting differences between two
photographs.
Those who took part in the test were asked
to fill in a survey on a range of habits,
such as alcohol consumption, television viewing
and reading habits.
The results found no differences between
men and women, with the same scores for both
groups on all the tasks. But it found television
viewing had the main impact on results.
"Turn off the box, or at least don't view
too much of it," the survey results said,
adding those who watched less than one hour
a day performed better at all memory tasks."
Those who drank less than two alcoholic drinks
a day performed better at all memory tasks.
People who did crosswords were better at
remembering shopping lists and recalling names,
while eating fish once a week improved the
ability to remember shopping lists.
However, it cautioned that while the test
can give people an indication of their memory,
the results have not been tested for statistical
significance, and the internet survey meant
it was possible that people could have cheated
or lied.
Pachana said having an active mind was important
for memory, and some television programs could
be good for helping to improve the memory.
"TV can be a really passive activity, while
reading is active, and any active activity
is better," she said, adding TV quiz shows
and news programs could be good for the mind.
"So TV is not all that bad. It just might
be taking time away from doing something that
is a bit more active for the mind."
She said health issues such as depression,
obesity, lack of sleep and being stressed
or worried could have an impact on a person's
performance in a memory test.
The test is available on-line at www.nationalmemorytest.net.au.
