--- title: Exercise, Dancing and Omega 3s: 5 Surprising Ways To Help Your Memory description: How do you strengthen memory in your brain? Dr. Majid Fotuhi shares the latest research-backed insights in improving brain function canonical: https://time.com/3915030/boost-memory-exercise/ author: Mandy Oaklander article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-10T16:35:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:59.054Z article:section: Health og:title: 5 Surprising Ways To Help Your Memory og:description: How do you strengthen memory in your brain? Dr. Majid Fotuhi shares the latest research-backed insights in improving brain function og:url: https://time.com/3915030/boost-memory-exercise/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe1fab3dbbf39a07/698853efcd6848732c0a04a6/partner-dance-couple-tango.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5205 og:image:height: 2928 og:image:alt: couple dance partner tango og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Surprising Ways To Help Your Memory twitter:description: How do you strengthen memory in your brain? Dr. Majid Fotuhi shares the latest research-backed insights in improving brain function twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe1fab3dbbf39a07/698853efcd6848732c0a04a6/partner-dance-couple-tango.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Surprising Ways To Help Your Memory > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=1f073deb-edfa-4bf5-87a1-d1795f7603ef&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit? [Watch (HLS stream): Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/t67dFcgw.m3u8) (2:03)  _Published 2015-05-15. Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit?_  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Jun 10, 2015 4:35 PM UTC  Couple dancing tango Couple dancing tango Getty Images  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Jun 10, 2015 4:35 PM UTC A [recent study](http://time.com/3912512/statins-memory/) alleviated fears that statins—taken by 1 in 4 adults over the age of 40—cause memory loss. But how do you strengthen recall in general? We asked Dr. Majid Fotuhi, chairman of the Memosyn Neurology Institute, to share the latest research-backed insights. “People don’t appreciate that such simple factors have an impact on your brain health, but they do,” he says. “They’re more powerful than any medicine you can take.” **1\. Have a sense of purpose in life**. In one [study](http://m.stroke.ahajournals.org/content/early/2015/03/19/STROKEAHA.114.008010.abstract) published earlier this year in the journal _Stroke_, scientists studied autopsied adult brains and found that the odds of having a stroke were reduced by half or older people who had a high sense of purpose, compared to people who reported a low sense of purpose. **2\. Go dancing**. It’s a brain-building triple threat, he says: physical activity protects the brain, learning lets it grow, and socialization helps it thrive. (Fotuhi recommends the tango.) **3\. Learn something new**. Pre-GPS, cabbies had to learn their cities’ streets and traffic patterns—a challenging mental exercise that over their career actually grew the part of the brain associated with spatial memory, one [study](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/spierslab/Maguire2006Hippocampus) found. **4\. Take omega-3s** **fatty acids**. The combo of DHA and EPA increase blood flow to the brain, reduce inflammation and help repair neurons, Fotuhi says. His [research](http://www.nature.com/nrneurol/journal/v5/n3/full/ncpneuro1044.html) also suggests that DHA may slow cognitive decline. **5\. Exercise.** In a [study](http://www.pnas.org/content/108/7/3017.full) published in the journal _PNAS_, people who exercised every day for a year had 2% growth in their hippocampus—a part of the brain that plays a role in short- and long-term memory—while people who merely stretched saw shrinkage. Increasing blood flow to the brain helps it grow, Fotuhi says. “You need to be physically fit below your neck in order to have a fit brain above your neck.” ## Transcript You're watching everwell. Know more. Live better. [ MUSIC ] I enjoy playing Scrabble from time to time. It keeps me thinking about words and it's fun. I do the Sunday crossword puzzle every week, to keep my mind active. It is an idea that's really caught on, that exercising your brain regularly, with puzzles for example, can keep your mind sharp, and ward off dementia and Alzheimer's disease. And it's become big business. Today you can find video games, DVDs and special software that promise to keep you mentally fit. There are also subscription websites which charge about $ 100 a year for an array of brain boosting games. In a way it makes sense. Just as physical activity can keep your body strong, mental exercise can keep your brain in shape. But is it really true? Studies show that brain training can help improve your memory. But that's different from warding off dementia. And people who do stimulating activities like reading, learning a new language, or playing a musical instrument have lower rates of dementia and Alzheimer's but this doesn't necessarily prove cause and effect. [ MUSIC ] So the bottom line, the jury is still out. Still it's a good idea to keep your mind active, but you don't need to spend a lot on special products. Anything from crossword puzzles to challenging board games can do the trick. Perhaps the best thing for your brain is regular physical activity. Research shows it can help improve older people's ability to remember and process information more quickly. [ NOISE ] So next time you forget where you parked your car, don't sweat it. Just use it as an opportunity to go for a walk. Your brain will thank you. 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