Why are some things harder to remember than others?

This question is based on the following observation: I can remember the lyrics to a song without even trying, but I can’t remember the lines I’m trying to memorize for a play. Why is one so much easier than the other?

Song lyrics can be easy to remember because our memories benefit from the rhythm and patterns of the songs. That is one of the reasons we sing about the ABCs and come up with little jingles to help us remember passwords! Our memories benefit when we combine words (the lyrics) with nonverbal information (the music).

Our memories for song lyrics also benefit from repetition. There is built-in repetition within most songs, with the chorus repeating after each verse. And, we tend to listen to songs that we like multiple times. If you hear a new song that you like, you probably figure out who sings it and then look for ways to listen to the song again. You might listen to the song a few times the first day that you discover it. And then, some time may pass - maybe a day or two - and then you listen to the song again. So, after a few days, you’ve listened to the song multiple times, and you’ve also given yourself time in between those listening sessions to let your brain continue thinking about the song. This pattern of repetition will help you remember any type of content.

So, the next time you want to remember some other type of content – perhaps those lines in a play that you’re trying to memorize – consider doing the followoing:

• give rhythm to the words

• put especially hard-to-memorize parts into a little song

• try to practice your lines with a schedule of repetition similar to how you’d listen to a song you’ve just discovered