Do you sometimes feel forgetful? Can’t remember what you just read five minutes ago? Often, the reason lies with our brain, which nowadays has simply unlearned how to efficiently store information and, above all, how to quickly recall it. But you can change that with just 5 minutes of training every day.
How Our Brain Works
Our brain is built for convenience, constantly saving energy. That’s why information that isn’t used is simply forgotten or suppressed. This is part of the body’s resource management. The brain accounts for only about 2% of body weight but consumes around 20% of the body’s energy.
Evolution has programmed our body to ensure survival. By saving energy, it creates a “reserve” for tougher times. This strategy has proven effective over millennia. During food shortages or physical strain, it was crucial to use energy efficiently and avoid unnecessary consumption.
This energy-saving principle is visible not only in memory but also in everyday decision-making. Studies show that our brain first reacts to quick, simple stimuli and only later to more complex, rational information. For example, when choosing food, taste is evaluated first, while health aspects are considered only later. The reason is the same: fast decisions require less energy than conscious deliberation.
Remember Better with Quiz Games
Yet our brain is also capable of learning. Using trivia quizzes and targeted questions, existing knowledge can be actively recalled instead of passively read. Every answered question, whether correct or wrong, trains our cognitive abilities. Especially through wrong answers, we learn the most, as significantly more brain areas are activated.
For instance, if we answer the question about how long elephants live incorrectly, a tightly linked chain of processes is set in motion. In the prefrontal cortex, the answer is checked and corrected. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is also involved, detecting errors and triggering heightened attention.
When the brain determines the answer is wrong, the hippocampus is engaged. It plays a central role in learning and memory formation, linking new information with existing knowledge. The temporal lobes are also involved, processing factual knowledge and meaning.
The dopamine system is activated as soon as feedback occurs. It responds to both correct and corrected answers, reinforcing learning by signaling to the brain that the information is relevant. This increases the likelihood that the correct answer is stored long-term.
5-Minute Plan for Better Memory
We can train our brain for better memory through targeted exercises of just about 5 minutes a day. The first minute is a warm-up for the brain, using 2–3 simple trivia questions to activate concentration. The next 2–3 minutes focus on answering unfamiliar or challenging quiz questions, forcing the brain to actively think without aids.
In the fourth minute, correct answers are deliberately reviewed and incorrect ones briefly analyzed. This strengthens hippocampal memory networks and activates additional neural connections through conscious error correction. In the final minute, it helps to recall one or two questions from the previous day, reinforcing the memory trace.