Clenching fists boosts memory

According to a new study, clenching your fists regularly could help to boost your memory.

Studies conducted in the US found that people could memorise lists better while balling up their right hand and could retrieve the information by clenching their left.

Researchers at Montclair State University in New Jersey believe that movements in the hands activate areas of the brain which play a key role in storing and recalling memories.

Volunteers were asked to squeeze a rubber ball as hard as they could while memorising 72 words.

Minutes later they were asked to recall the words while squeezing the ball again.

Lead researcher Dr Ruth Propper said: "The findings suggest that simple body movements – by temporarily changing the  way the brain functions – can improve memory."

Whether this method will work in attempts to fend off memory-related conditions such as dementia has not been determined, but researchers said that they will be carrying out additional tests to see if other types of memory can be boosted.

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