There are numerous studies, which clearly show that watching TV adversely effects your memory and retention abilities. Yet, we continue to watch at all times of the day and night. We watch TV when we’re bored, tired, and with our meals.

So much bombardment of “entertainment” is certainly not good for our memory and retention abilities. It has come to the point where app developers have started to develop apps which are specifically designed to help our brain regain its retention capabilities and improve our memory capabilities.

Effects of TV Watching For Long Hours:

Before we get into ways to improve memory, it is important to understand how it works. Studies conducted by University College London (UCL) concluded that watching TV for more than 2 hours was directly associated with a decline in memory and recollection of words and language. The study concluded that, those who watched regular TV, experience verbal memory depreciation of 8 – 10 percent over a span of just 4-6 years! Yet, we continue to watch movie marathons; Netflix and chilling is at an all-time high!

Let’s look at some of the other things TV does to our brains:

Impaired Brain Development in Children

A child’s brain is not fully developed. Watching TV, as they do, is especially harmful to their development. Increased television consumption is the leading cause of impairment of the frontal lobe. It is the part of the brain which is responsible for the ability to concentrate and for one’s impulse control.

Decreases Higher Brain Functionality

TV viewing is directly responsible for reducing the higher brain activity. It promotes lower brain activity. This results in you reverting to a more primitive nature.

Results in Lack of Critical Analysis

Watching TV makes our brain activity switch from the left side of the brain to the right side. The left side of the brain is responsible for our logical thought and our critical analysis. The right side controls our emotional responses. When we use our right side more than the left, we start to believe what we’re told, without being able to formulate our original thoughts and opinions.

Luckily, there are tools we can use to help regain some of our brains abilities suppressed by extensive TV watching.

5 Tools to Help You Improve Your Memory. These apps can really help us improve our memory.
1) Pexeso
2) Fit Brains Trainer
3) Eidetic
4) Personal Zen
5) Lumosity

Let us discuss each in detail…

#1. Pexeso

Pexeso is an app which makes it retraining your brains abilities fun and exciting. It uses a game format to recondition your brain and jump-start your memory skills. The objective of the game is to match cards. You see a number of cards, on your screen. They will be placed down, so you can’t see what is on all the cards at once. You select cards one by one, each time revealing which card is which. Then you match two of the same cards by remembering where the other of the pair is placed on the screen. This helps to rebuild your memory, as you have to remember all the positions of the cards.

#2. Fit Brains Trainer

Designed by neuroscientists, it claims to be the only training program which works on your memory, emotional intelligence, attention, speed, and cognitive skills. The award-winning app uses a series of games and activities and tips to train your brain.

#3. Eidetic

This app trains our brains to retain information like names, numbers, quotes, etc. It does this by providing you with context and meaning, while you are entering the information you want to remember. The science behind it is simple. The best way for our brains to remember something is by remembering the context in which the information was originally registered.

#4. Personal Zen

Another game based app. The app is clinically proven to reduce stress. It reconditions your brain to think more positively. The brain can function better with the reduction of stress and anxiety. It retrains your brain to focus on the things and experiences around you. This, in turn, improved your memory since you are able to retain more information by registering more experiences.

#5. Lumosity

Lumosity is one of the most highly recommended apps for memory enhancement. It uses the science of neuroplasticity and has about 85 million people users around the world. It uses the concept of challenges and rewards to recondition the brain and help improve memory.
These apps, and more like them, are a good way to help redevelop your brains abilities. In addition to using tools, it is best to spend fewer hours a day on things like the Roku App. Use your spare time more effectively. Go out with friends, or speak with them over the phone. When you interact with people, you have to be more focused and attentive. This increases your brain activity as well.